With great anticipation, I have awaited the release of this book. Pirtle recounts the true story of Susan "Sukey" Richardson's escape to freedom using the Underground Railroad. Through letters that had been hidden away for more than a century, Pirtle weaves us in and out of the life of one of Sukey's most sympathetic supporters, William Hayes. Through this non-fiction account we learn of the hardships all Americans faced during the mid-19th century. We're told of Sukey, her master, and those brave men and women who risked their lives, reputations, and personal finances to help others make their way to freedom. Equally fascinating is the courtroom drama between Sukey's master and those who allegedly helped the young woman in her run to freedom.

If you're a US history enthusiast, a fan of Illinois history, an Underground Railroad aficionado, a Civil War buff, or just a casual reader who's interested in a captivating story...you'll be sure to enjoy this tome. I highly recommend it.

And...if you're interested in other stories related to Southern Illinois history, I urge you to try to get hold of Pirtle's other two books: "Shining Moments" and "Where Illinois Began: A Pictorial History of Randolph County."

This is not an easy book and it is not suitable to people who are merely curious. The Bhagavad Gita explains everything, no matter what spiritual path the devotee may belong to. Davis in this book is dry and concise as usual, but at the same time he is wonderfully concrete. Highly recommended for serious seekers.

This is the review which was in the Times-Picayune on March 3, 2002.The young and the restless

The epic tale of the Acadian 'Evangeline,' told for children who know the territory
03/03/02

By Marigny Dupuy Children's book columnist

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poetically tragic love story of Evangeline and her lost love, Gabriel, has held readers in thrall since its publication in 1847. And whether readers know the source or not, many are familiar with its opening line: "This is the forest primeval." Sentimental by modern standards, it is a tale of families torn apart, exile, homelessness, death and the pain suffered by separated lovers -- and it has a sad ending. This not the typical material for a picture book for children.

"Evangeline for Children," written by Alice Couvillon and Elizabeth Moore, illustrated by Alison Davis Lyne, retells the story in simple language. From the pastoral happiness enjoyed by the Acadians in the French settlement of Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, to the cruelties they suffered at the hands of the British who expelled them in 1755 to various locations in American and Europe to ensure their political powerlessness -- this describes a sad piece of history. The settings and events are real.

The story is told through the sorrowful experience of a pair of Acadian lovers, Evangeline and Gabriel (fictitious, though possibly based on real people), who are separated during the grand derangement of 1755 and only reunited many decades later -- and then only for a moment. Evangeline searches desperately for her Gabriel, going as far south as the town of St. Martinville, La., inquiring at every settlement of displaced Acadians for news of her love, but never with any success. She eventually joins a convent and is reunited with Gabriel through pure chance as he lies on his deathbed. She dies soon after and they are buried together.

While the story is not necessarily suited for young children, there is a connection with the history of south Louisiana that makes this useful for teachers and librarians. Many local children are familiar with Evangeline Parish to the Evangeline Oak and the statue of young Evangeline that stands prominently in St. Martinville, and may enjoy learning more about Evangeline's connection to our part of the country. Certainly the link between the exiled Acadians and Louisiana Cajuns is a meaningful one.

Illustrated in full color, "Evangeline for Children" includes an excellent short history of the Acadians at the end of the book, describing their troubled history, their significance in Louisiana, and the story of Longfellow's epic poem.

_________________________

After checking this book out from the local library, I had to buy a copy of my own. It has been difficult to find food that I am craving during my pregnancy that is nutritious as well. All 15 of the recipes that I've tried so far taste GREAT and are easy to make. Unlike other pregnancy recipe books I had read, the recipes are low in fat and have the nutritional content displayed. They have recipes for different diets as well (low-carb/Atkins, vegetarian, etc.)

During pregnancy it's hard to get all of the nutrition and vitamins that are recommended daily...the authors do a great job of creating delicious and easy recipes that are packed with nutrition. Even foods that I absolutely abhorred before pregnancy such as yogurt or cilantro, I now am able to eat because the dishes taste great. Many recipes I'll be making well past pregnancy (ie., Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Sweet Red Peppers). Also, my husband really likes the meals that we've had so far and often requests that we have them again.

One good thing is that if you buy the basic ingredients (olive oil, yogurt, etc.) you will be able to make a majority of the meals in the book.

The only downside to the book is that there aren't any pictures of meals after they're prepared.

This is a very impressive and timely book on Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) by 74 contributors in the field of pediatrics and child health from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Holland and Italy.
The term EBM was developed by Sackett and colleagues from the McMaster University (Sackett DL et al. Evidence based medicine. BMJ 1996;312:71-2) as "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients" or in other words, good medical practice based on as much facts as possible for the benefit of your patient. Since 1991 this field has been incooporated into many medical schools around the work, textbooks published and now we see it reaching pediatrics and child health.
This superbly edited book (updates will be regularly posted on www.evidbasedpediatrics.com) is devided into three sections: "Finding, evaluating and applying the evidence"; "Evidence for routine practices: screening/prevention" and finally "Common pediatrics conditions" with a good and comprehensive index.
The steps in the practice of Evidence Based Pediatrics (EBP) are: to evaluate the clinical situation (by history, by examination and laboratory tests), identify information needs and structure clinical questions, search for relevant information from the literature, evaluate the evidence found or identify lack of evidence and finally apply the evidence to your patients.
You will find many useful and structured entries in this book from the issue of the "well child" to the common pediatric problems of otitis media, constipation, short stature or croup.
We believe that this important book should find its way to the desks of the practicing pediatrician, the lecturer in child health and the researcher in pediatrics.

Professor Joav Merrick, MD
Medical director, Division for Mental Retardation, Box 1260, IL-91012 Jerusalem, Israel, email: jmerrick@aquanet.co.il

Mohammed Morad, MD
Family physician, Division for Community Health, Ben Gurion University, Box 653, IL-84105 Beer-Sheva, Israel, email: morad-62@barak-online.net

Joseph A. Gatto has published one of the most comprehensive tomes on modern visual art and the utility of the space around us, the products we use, and indeed, man's design of his environment and the world. Fascinating theories, a good read, for beginner and pro alike.

You can draw anything with eyeballs. The sky's the limit. Allows a great deal of creativity with a handbook of ideas. It comes with colored pencils too. Good even if you can't draw. A great gift.

Fairlawn was originally a palatial Victorian mansion built by Martin Pattison on the shores of Lake Superior. It became a children's home in later years. Enhanced with dozens of period and contemporary photographs, Fairlawn: Restoring The Splendor documents the challenges, dedication, and demand for perfection that resulted in the restoration of this magnificent historic home from the strains and damage of generations of use and neglect that brought it to the brink of demolition. Fairlawn is strongly recommended reading for anyone with an interest in landmark architecture renovation and preservation -- as well as students of Midwest architectural history.

This book is a wonderful short story that is an easy read with great colorful pictures. It is a good lesson about about friendship and honesty.

Farce by Jessica Milner Davies (Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Co-coordinator of the Australasian Humour Scholars Network, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia) is a college-level work of scholarship and criticism specifically examining the literary genre of the farce. Jessica Davis classifies traditional farce-plots, studies the role of characterization and timing, as well as presenting the history and accepted rules of the farce. General themes incorporated into many a farce include such issues as revenge, coincidence, and rebellion. All these and more are studied from all sides in this intriguing analysis. Farce is a welcome and uniquely recommended contribution to both Literary Criticism and Cultural Studies reference collections and supplementary reading lists.