Combining his distinctively gruff voice and guy-next-door personality, Alden Aaroe owned the airwaves for virtually all his morning program's 37 years on WRVA-AM in Richmond, Va. Alden was the man with whom everyone in town shared breakfast or a ride to work. He might talk to them about a lost dog or when it was time to plant the tomatoes or whether the morning snow had closed their schools.
"Alden Aaroe: Voice of the Morning," written by Richmond Times-Dispatch columnist Steve Clark in 1994, draws together stories and anecdotes of this local legend from colleagues, friends, family and listeners. The book was re-released in 2001.
Hired as an announcer in 1946, Aaroe was given WRVA's morning show 10 years later and kept it nearly up until his death from cancer in 1993, at age 75. Aaroe's program made him one of the most popular radio men in the country. But he was much more. As Aaroe's daughter, Anna Lou, says in the book: "Growing up, I was totally fascinated by this man who could speak French, quote poetry, play the piano and the ukelele, who was knowledgeable on a variety of subjects, and who also built a house, cut wood and fixed just about anything that needed fixing around the house."
"Voice of the Morning" is a story of a man who once was listed No. 1 in the Richmond area telephone book. He eventually lost that distinction, but Aaroe remained No. 1 in all other respects. This book is an enjoyable read about a man and his community -- and a time that probably is no more.

I really like this book which lists recipes gathered over the years from various American truck stops. Enough to make your mouth water and your nostrils flare! From the basic to the elaborate, old home style to modern. This book will ensure that some recipes are not lost forever in these days of rapid change.

This book goes into more extensive vocabulary, including blends, the schwa sound (a and the) and digraphs. Kids need decodable text. The animals are wonderfully drawn, story lines sweet and simple. The animals become friends to children.

Now in a newly expanded and updated second edition that includes the portion of the quest east of the Mississippi River, Barbara Fifer and Vicky Soderberg's Along The Trail With Lewis And Clark is detailed travel and tourist guide to recreating the path first blazed by these justly famous 18th Century American explorers. Approved by the National Lewis & Clark Bicentennial Council, and packed with maps by Joseph Mussulman, hotel listings, and a detailed text recounting the historical journey of the famous explorers, Along The Trail With Lewis And Clark is a memorable "keepsake" book and the perfect planning guide for vacationers seeking to follow in the footsteps of this famous expedition of exploration!

This is a great anthology for anyone teaching (or learning) journalism or even expository writing. Many of the big names in modern journalism are represented: Rick Bragg, Mitch Albom, Patricia Raybon, Francis X. Clines, Thomas French, William Blundell, Cynthia Gorney, Diane Griego Erwin. But there is also a section of "classics," and a first-person account by Marvel Cooke of her day "undercover" as a domestic worker in 1950 is a particularly powerful piece of writing.

This book provides basic information about the Gilded Age. Although not in as much detail as some other books on the topic (e.g. America in the Gilded Age, The New Commonwealth), it covers all of the major events. It is very easy to read and contains photographs. At the end of each chapter (divided by years) are primary source documents, which are a nice addition not found in the other books I mentioned.

This book is a fantastic resource for people doing research on mountains. Well written and full of interesting insight, this is a must buy for any researcher.

America's New Economic Order by Donald C.Hodges is a provocative book long essay which brilliantly syntheizes the works of grand master theorists from Karl Marx and his theory of communist revolution to James Burnham and his theory of the managerial revolution,and leading to Hodges own grand theory-that the U.S. is no longer a capitalist society in the classical sense of the term, but a socialist one in the unclassical sense of the term. Although few have noticed, a quiet shift of americas econmic surplus, from the ledger of the capitalist class to that of the working and bureacratic class has occured, Hodges argues. This little noticed transition from capitalism to socialism occured with little or no help from socialist parties, he asserts, and thus his provocative term for this revolution: "Socialism without socialism." This book and Hodges bold theory should have received more attention than it has, although let it be said that the respected economist James K. Gailbraith offers praise on the dust jacket. In the 60's or 70's this kind of book might well have been argued about say in the pages of the New York Review of books where grand theory essays like Charles Reich's Greening of America or Robert Heilbroner's The American Prospect,led to wonderfully entertaining toing and froing for months on end. Those were the days. Someday perhaps this long provocative essay will hopefully be published by a publisher like odonian, where the works of Noam Chomsky and Gore Vidal can be read for under $10. That said, this book is well worth it at most any price.

Few books, in my experience are written as clearly as this one. Clark leads the reader carefully and thoughtfully from 1800 to 1960, and shows why certain styles of home were popular in each era. His word choice is excellent and his sentence formation is flawless. He gives many examples and the book is well illustrated. For anyone wishing to understand why Americans have bought and built the houses they have, and what they hoped to get out of them, this is the book to buy. Get two.

This is a great book for anyone who enjoys the history and social divisions of religious groups. Students, scholars and seekers will all find this book a great reference. After reading, you finally understand how religion, religious groups, and religious ideology play a role in the lives of Americans today. It can be dry and long for persons who just wanted some information but not the nitty gritty details. I highly recommend for social scientists.