In The Half-Mammals of Dixie: Stories George Singleton uses the thematic device of a focusing locale as the basis for this collection of offbeat, quixotic and lively short stories. The locale in this case is the rural backwater burg of Forty-Five, South Carolina. All of the stories are either set in--or in some way involve the denizens of this little town. There are a few characters that populate several stories to provide thematic coherence throughout the narrative.

The stories themselves focus primarily on the fringes (though a good cross section of those fringes) of Forty-Five society--if such a small town can be thought to have either fringe--or society--for that matter.

While the book is very enjoyable overall the quality of the stories varies considerably. There are moments of incredible hilarity counterpoised by moments of complete boredom. In too many places one senses that Singleton's trying just a bit to hard to make the characters too off the wall, and the whole exercise can then seem a bit too contrived However, a gem of a moment shortly follow and redeems the whole exercise.

On the whole a good read. If Singleton can improve on overall consistency he'll be a first class short story writer. However, at this point he's very good, and that's better than most.

Singleton has done a great job of portraying Southern characters accurately and honestly. He has deep and engaging characters that are so rare in short stories. As a southerner, I hate when southeaster US characters are stereotyped, as they frequently are in stories, novels, and especially Hollywood. However, even though he shows sometimes a dark side or ignorant side of a character, they are entirely believable and recognizable. A strong point of Singleton is his humor, which generally sneaks up on you, in an unexpected or unusually juxtaposed way.

As a fan of a good short story in general, I think this is quite readable and enjoyable. It was recommended to me by a friend, (Mark) a literature professor and personal friend of the author. I pass that recommendation along to you.

No one does it better - George's second collection of stories are absolutely great. It's almost like he sneaks up on you, makes you laugh, and then darts away to the next bit of humour. And the whole time you're sort of wondering what has happened, but you've enjoyed every minute of it. Do yourselves a favor - purchase this book, and begin enjoying the finest Southern short story fiction writer around.

This book does have a very nice blend of photographs and reproductions of sketches and interior / exterior images, but I was not impressed with the cross over into other architect's work that, in my humble opinion, do not come close to approaching FLW's ability. Overall it is a good resource, but hardly a definitive study on Wright and his structures.

This book covers more than just Wright. It also gives you some insight to others that came out of the Prairie School and others that were redefining the American style near the turn of the century. The book has wonderful pictures, but as an architect, I wish it had floor plans so I could more easily understand how the spaces worked together. It's still a nice addition to my library.

This book varies from most books on Wright and the prairie style architects in its extensive use of interior photos. Many of the prairie homes are somewhat unremarkable from the outside, while inside they have a distict beauty and grace. "Prairie Style" beautifully portrays the interior as well as the exterior of homes by Wright, his students, and contemporaries.

I bought this book on tape at a used bookstore in preparation for a long road trip. Dixie's TV character, Julia Sugarbaker, has always been one of my favorites, and I was shocked to feel how different Julia and Dixie are. Her whole section on dieting offended me so much that I had to stop listening to the tape a few minutes to cool off, notably, where she expresses her belief that obesity is not a disease but a state of mind, and that anyone can have her figure if they only diet for the rest of their life. How.. depressing.

always on the lookout for "bargain" books in bookstores, i chanced upon dixie's book being closed out. liking her anyway in "designing women", i knew i would enjoy her book, but i was not prepared for my fascination. by the time i was finished reading the book, i felt i knew her--she was someone i could drop in on for coffee. she echoed my own sentiments of missing the people being polite to each other, and of loving discipline seldom taught to children today and more than once made me nostolgic for the rich childhood she had--the things that are possible for children and which every child deserves. she writes the way she speaks which is a joy. the book is never dull and in truth, you do not want it to end. i hope she determines to write another book. i want the first copy.

After I started reading this book I could not put it down. Dixie covers almost every subject, from beauty tips to romance. Her Southern charm adds so much to this book. I highly recommend this to everyone.

It seemed perfect: good looking guy, quirky girl, eccentric gang and even a ghost thrown in! but, somehow, it just wasnt a satisfying read. It had no bite too it. I know these are breezy books you pick up for escapism, but ... it could have been better. Sometimes you pick up a book and just laugh and laugh and laugh. this wasnt one of those books.

I bought this because of the New Orleans locale and enjoyed every minute. It is a love story, and it's funny. I hope to read more of this author's work!

Storyline and characters were funny and likeable. I liked the ghost factor, even though at one point it gave me the chills.

As an undergraduate student studying microbiology, I found the book to be extremely technical. I would have appreciated a more clinical approach to pathogenicity. Bacterial Pathogenesis can, however, serve as an excellent reference text concerning the details of pathogenicity on a molecular level. The book covers virulence factors and antibiotic in detail. 21 bacterial diseases are covered extensively, each having its own chapter.

Very nice ID/value guide for the collector who has to have everything. Tons of collector items listed- shown in mostly original packaging. Tons of pictures to go with descriptions. There are NO CABBAGE PATCH DOLLS in this book- only accessories- doll carriers, Koosas, Furskins, Mini Figures, Pillows, etc... Everything you can think of, and some you can't, but no dolls. Worth the money.

This book is excellent. I couldn't put it down intil I finished it. It held me in suspense.

Dumping in Dixie is far more complex than the title implies. The book provides a detailed history of why the ecological movement failed to resonate with many disadvantaged groups, in particular, the African-Americans in the South. Participation was co-opted in part by lack of resources, and also by economic pressures. The threat of exit was effectively used by corporations that did not want to be subjected to restrictions on polluting activities. Business leaders quashed activism on the grounds that precious jobs would be lost. It was not until the 1990's that African-Americans became more involved.

Initially, the environmental movement was populated by the more affluent white American who seemed to be more concerned with the preservation of nature and clean space for leisure activities. Other motivations were less clear, and emerged with the maturity of the movement. Bullard details this history well. The only failing I found was the end of the book that tails off into solutions that seem impractical.

My son and I sat down for over an hour reading and doing the actions from this book and could have gone longer. The actions were well documented and easy to follow. I orginally borrowed the book from a friend an have since purchased a copy for myself. I'm now looking for way to incorporate the finger plays with a felt board.

Give me a break. A surefire way to confuse the public with bad science and pander to industry and business.

I first came across this book in 1994 when I was a liberal leaning college student concerned with the environment. I am now a conservative college graduate concerned with the environment, and this book had much to do with my transformation. Dixy Lee Ray is a breath of fresh air speaking on a subject many of us are ill-informed on.

If you are concerned with the environment, you will find much in this book that interests you (as long as you can handle truth). Miss Ray debunks much of the dogma the enviro-nazis shove down the publics throat. She takes on the issues of global warming, ozone depletion, nuclear medicine, acid rain and others. Using scientific methods (something the leftist leaning environmental zealots ignore because they fear the outcome of true scientific discovery) she intelligently and unemotionally discusses how water is naturally acidic; the benefits of x-rays and other advances in radiation therapy; the benefits of pesticides in our ability to grow more food using less labor and land.

Throughout her book Ray uses the statistics and predictions of the environmental movement's leaders against them to show how out of touch with reality and normal society they are. A Stanford University Biologist, Paul Ehrlich is quoted as predicting global famine in 1985 and a shrinking of the US population from 250 million to 22.5 million by 1999. Here is another quote, "Paul Watson, founder of Greenpeace: 'I got the impression that instead of going out to shoot birds, I should go out and shoot the kids who shoot birds.'"

The list goes on and on. The best part of the book is the final chapter, in which Ray presents a sound and logical formula for having both a clean environment and a technologically advanced society. This book should be read by all high school seniors so they can understand the truth about the environment rather than the dogma they are spoon feed in public schools and the liberal media.

I have read Trashing the Planet by Dr. Dixie Lee Ray several times. This book should be required reading for introductory classes on the environment in both high school and college - however, that will never happen. The leftist environmental movement does not want anyone to read this book - it is concise, well researched, thoroughly footnoted, and, I feel, gives an accurate report on the status of humans and their impact on the environment. I recently sent copies of this book to President George W. Bush and Bill O'Reilly of Fox News to help them understand what they are up against.