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Books to read if you're planning a vacation in "Armstrong", sorted by average review score:

Backstage With The Original Hollywood Square :
Published in Hardcover by Rutledge Hill Press (August, 2002)
Authors: Peter Marshall, Adrienne Armstrong, and Alex Trebek
Average review score:

Great book, the greatest game show I ever saw!
I just bought this book a week ago and read it in two days. Now that Game Show Network has brought the show back, it's nice to also read about it. Peter Marshall has written a book not about his life, but his time on "The Hollywood Squares". He talks about what life was like with Paul Lynde, Rose-Marie, George Gobel and many others that I loved as a kid watching the show.

I gave this five stars because of the book. It also includes a wonderful CD with the zingers that we all loved to hear after a question was asked. The only drawback on this CD is hearing Buddy Hackett's laugh for much of the CD, and it's always the same laugh! It's irritating to listen to, but I can get past that.

The book answers many questions and gives many secrets of what went on in the heyday of this show. I won't spoil it for others, but it has information on the recently discovered thought to be destroyed episodes that GSN now airs. Plus, you can read about stars of today who were contestants on the show. One secret I'll give away is the fact that Naomi Judd was once a contestant!

Buy this book today. You'll find it's worth the money!

Greta Garbo to block...
... is a phrase Peter Marshall admits he would have loved to hear on his hit television show "The Hollywood Squares". That fact, and a thousand others, come in a new and downright funny book, "Backstage with the Original Hollywood Square", written by Peter Marshall and Adrienne Armstrong.

Part memoir, part fond walk down memory lane, "Backstage" provides insights to the creation and hosting of one of America's all time successful games. Peter Marshall recants many stories, some of which he told on the E! True Hollywood Story of the "Squares" and others are brand new.

He starts off with a quick summation of his early career, and how he was offered the emcee job of a lifetime. Then he delves in to all the people behind the scenes that were important to the show. The book starts running when he reminisces about all the stars we grew to love over the years: Paul Lynde, Wally Cox, Rose Marie. While each section of the star could have been longer, he sheds some light on each one admirably.

Throughout the book, Peter comes across very polite and respectful. It's almost his persona on the Squares. He allowed the stars to shine by taking a somewhat backseat approach to hosting, yet you realize after watching it he was the glue that kept them together. In this book, he is the mere storyteller, and showcases everyone else.

What's more fantastic about this book is the CD that accompanies it. From an album entitled "Zingers from the Hollywood Squares" that was released in the 70's, this CD holds some of the Squares funniest one liners. That alone is worth the cost of the book. I had the album as a kid, and listened to it constantly, and to this day, recalled many of the jokes still!

This book was a long time coming, and needed. For many people, The Hollywood Squares wasn't a showcase for has beens, but a welcome comedic relief during some of our nation's most turbulant times. Thanks to Peter Marshall for writing this, and bringing back all the laughter!

Buy This Book!
You will have hours of entertaining escapist reading!
I don't normally read "showbiz" books, but bought this on an impulse, as it had so many great photographs. What was such a nice surprise is that Peter Marshall and his co-author Adrienne Armstrong, are excellent writers. They make the reader feel like he is sitting in a cozy bar with Peter, drink in hand, listening to wonderful tales about the making, and eventual breaking of Hollywood Squares.
Peter is refreshingly honest, delightfully candid, yet never disrespectful when discussing the celebrities and contestants who appeared on the show over the years.
An added bonus is the CD that comes with the book.
I'm a new Peter Marshall fan, who hopes he and his partner write again. Soon.


Red Card: A Zeke Armstrong Mystery (The Zeke Armstrong Mysteries, 1)
Published in Paperback by Top Publications (July, 2002)
Authors: Daniel J. Hale and Matthew LaBrot
Average review score:

Red Card is fun, fast, exciting.
Red Card is the perfect book for summer, or anytime you find yourself looking for a quick, highly entertaining read. The protagonist is Zeke Armstrong. He's thirteen years old. He plays soccer. He solves mysteries. He's got a secret. The book opens in the middle of a soccer game at the Lone Star Invitational Soccer Tournament. Zeke's team wins, but afterwards his coach is shot and left for dead. Zeke is the first person on the scene. After doing what he can for his coach and calling for help, he starts gathering clues. The action shifts back to the tournament, and then a second attempt is made on the coach's life. Zeke starts to put things together, but none of the adults or his teammates will take him seriously. To make matters worse, the attacker may now be after Zeke. It was a lot of fun watching Zeke try to solve the mystery with the attacker still on the loose and still a threat. Red Card's mix of intriguing detective work, exciting sports action and engaging characters keeps the pages turning. Although the book is geared towards younger teens and up, I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it. Red Card appears to be the first book in a series; if so, I'll definitely buy the next one.

Hang on for This Fun Ride
Zeke Armstrong is playing in a soccer tournament with his team, the Dallas Sundogs. Things are going well, until his coach gets thrown out of a game for loosing his temper with a ref. The next morning, Zeke discovers that the coach has just been shot. After he's rushed to the hospital, another attempt is made on his life. It has to be one of the team's fathers, but whom? The police think they have their man, but Zeke is convinced they're wrong. Can he make the other parents believe him and save his coach's life?

I'll read a good mystery aimed at any age group, and I loved this one. The main character is lots of fun. I'm not a big sports fan, but the descriptions of the soccer games held my interest and were easy to follow. In fact, a book that could have been awash in characters did such a good job of introducing them that I had no trouble keeping everyone straight. And the climax had me turning pages as fast as possible to find out what how everything would end.

This is an entertaining debut that left me wanting more. I recommend this book to anyone of any age looking for a good mystery.

Wonderful, a great find!
Mr. Hale came to our school to tell us about this book. I reccomend it to anybody who likes mysteries. I don't really like soccer, but I still give this book two thumbs up


Louis Armstrong: An Extravagant Life
Published in Hardcover by Broadway Books (July, 1997)
Author: Laurence Bergreen
Average review score:

Louis Armstrong blows, scats, and sings for us all.
Louis Armstrong, An Extravant Life is superb because it recreates the man and his times--and how the man changed his time. Laurence Bergreen details the poverty of Storyville, New Orleans: its honky tonks and violence, and the surprising sustenance a resilent child found there. We see how Louis Armstrong found his family among the white, Jewish Karnovskys, and in the stern Waif's Home where he became a musician.

Bergreen shows us the shameful racism of the South (and North), and how Louis' exuberant personality and music helped transcend it. The Armstrong we come to know is humble, humorous, brimming with the energy of jazz itself. We learn how Armstrong invented solos and scat singing, and how his jazz went beyond even music. That is, he mesmerized America with a personality that brought rich and poor, black and white, hip and square together.

Armstrong's blowing and singing, his restless amiable spirit, is a bracing ode to being alive. Bergreen's meticulous empathy lets us share the extravagance.

Great reading. A slice of life.
An Extravagant Life is much more than a biography of Louis Armstrong. Having been born at the turn of the century, in New Orleans, this book is a travelogue of that city from a unique perspective (the underside), a history of jazz, a snapshot of race relations and segregation in America for this entire century, AND a rich tapestry of the life of a man who started out with no advantages except his musical gift and a positive attitude. Armstrong was a man of very strong tolerances: alcohol, marijuana, food, women, gansters, laxatives, and music, to name just a few. The essence of Louis is captured in Bergreen's book: We like him, we care for him, we pity him, and we almost understand him. We are definitely fascinated by him.

Encore for Louis!
This was one of the best biographies I have ever read. By far the best one of the life of Louis Armstrong. It took me only 2 days to read this book, I could hardly put it down. Not being much of a fan of Dixieland, New Orleans Jazz, etc...after reading this book I was hooked. I wanted to listen to every Louis recording available. Bergreen paints Armstrong as such an amazing character which he completely was. Even if you aren't a jazz fan this is just a great book about a great man.


In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Published in Paperback by Anchor Books (17 April, 2001)
Authors: Irene Gut Opdyke and Jennifer Armstrong
Average review score:

Thrilling autobiography!
In My Hands: Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke is a remarkable autobiography about the life of a Polish woman who risked her life in order to save her Jewish friends. When World War II began, Irene was only seventeen years old; she was a devoted nursing student and an innocent Catholic girl. As Germany took over her country Poland, Irene volunteered to accompany the Polish army as part of the Red Cross. Separated from her family, she was forced to endure harsh living conditions while aiding hundreds of wounded soldiers. A few weeks later, she was seized and raped by Russian soldiers who then left her for dead in the snow. Irene would have frozen to death if a kind woman named Dr. Miriam had not found her and nursed her back to health. When Irene had finally regained her strength, she was allowed to return to Poland, now a part of Germany, to be reunited with her family. It was a joyful reunion, but Irene was stunned by the changes in her hometown, Radom. The Jews had been forced to move into ghettos while the Poles had to live by strict rules. Only one week had passed since Irene had come to Poland when she and her sister were captured and transported to Germany to work for the Reich. She became a domestic worker in a Nazi hotel; there, she witnessed the cruel, monstrous acts that were being committed against the Jews in the nearby ghetto. Overwhelmed with horror, Irene began sneaking food and blankets to the ghetto, as well as transporting runaway Jews in a wagon to a nearby forest. She had also befriended the ten Jewish workers she supervised at the hotel. When she was released from her hotel duties to work in a German major's villa as a live-in housekeeper, she found a way to smuggle and hide her Jewish friends in the basement of the villa. When he discovered them, Irene became his mistress in cooperation for his silence; later, she and her friends managed to escape from him during the Germans' retreat. In 1949, through the acquaintance of an old rabbi, Irene was interviewed by a delegate from the United Nations, and she was accepted to be a citizen of the United States, which is where she lives to this day. Irene Gut Opdyke is the courageous hero of this amazing autobiography. She had started out as a seemingly ordinary nursing student, but she had been separated from her family at 17 and forced to work for her enemies. She was determined to do all that she could to help the Jews after she had witnessed the abominable suffering inflicted on the local Jews. Being sensitive to her Jewish friends' needs, she always put their safety ahead of her well being. She demonstrated extraordinary bravery and heroism throughout her life.

In My Hands
In reading class, we were required to read a book about the Holocaust. I had read a few before, but I thought that they were boring and uninteresting. I thought that I would have to read another boring, uninteresting book.
This book totally surprised me. It was the first Holocaust book I had read that actually had me feeling the emotions of the main character. This book kept me turning pages until the very last word. This person's true emotions were brought to life throughout this book by colorful language and interesting similes and metaphors.
In My Hands is the story of Irene Gutowna, a Polish, Gentile girl, 17 years of age, who starts to work for a restaurant, which is run by Nazis. She never thought of becoming a resistance fighter. But she started small. The restaurant was located right next to the ghetto. Irene began to hide food under a hole in the fence.
Then she eventually did bigger things, leading up to hiding 10 Jews in the basement of a German sergeant's house. He finds out, but keeps quiet. In return, Irene must be his mistress.
This book was very good, and even made me cry. I think that everyone should read it.

--A Riveting and True Story--
This is probably one of the most remarkable stories that I've ever encountered and I don't understand why it hasn't received more attention. My husband and I listened to the audio tape which was beautifully read by Hope David.

IN MY HANDS is the autobiography of Irene Gut, a 17 year old Polish Catholic girl. The book begins with lovely recollections that Irene had of her early life in Czestochowa, Poland, where she was surrounded by her four sisters and loving parents. When the Nazi's invaded Poland in 1939, Irene was living away from her family in Radom where she was studying to become a nurse. When Radom was bombed, the Polish Army had to retreat and asked that some of the medical staff come with them to help take care of the wounded. Irene volunteered to go, and eventually ended up on the other side of Poland which was under Russian rule. Many miles away from her family, and eventually separated from the other hospital staff, Irene faced life alone, and saw the country that she loved controlled by brutes and killers.

At first this young woman saw the worst in the Russian soldiers and later she also met the German invaders who showed her another side of brutality. Despite the threat to her own life, Irene risked everything so that many others had the chance to live. This very inspiring memoir compares to HIDING PLACE the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family.


I Hope You Have A Good Life: A True Story of Love, Loss and Redemption
Published in Hardcover by Crown Pub (29 August, 2000)
Author: Campbell Armstrong
Average review score:

A Book to be Cherished
I absolutely loved "I Hope You Have a Good Life." It was one of those special books that I couldn't wait to get to after I'd put my girls down at night. I'd reach the end of a chapter, look at the clock and know I should get to sleep, but then make the "mistake" of reading the first sentence of the next chapter and be hooked. And now I'm sad it's over.

Campbell Armstrong tells this amazing story with honesty, humility, and love. I was deeply touched by the short but richly fulfilling reunion between the two dying women--his ex-wife and her long-lost daughter.

Tears were pouring down my cheeks last night as I turned the last page. I got up to wash my face, and then I went in to my little girls' rooms to watch them in sleep for a minute and give them one more kiss. Then I got into bed and let my mind drift thru so many memories I have of my own mom. "I Hope You Have A Good Life" definitely reminds you to cherish it ALL.

The most touching and well written book I have ever read!
What a story! I know Campbell Armstrong is a very good fiction writer but "I Hope You Have A Good Life" is something very special. I was so moved by this book that after I had read it I was deep in thought for a long time, and then I started to read it again! "I Hope You have A Good Life" is a heartbreaking story about separation and reunion of mother and daughter. Incredible description of family love and a life-and-death struggle. It is a great story about life altogether. I recommend this book to everyone.

( no title )
** Campbell Armstrong's stock-in-trade is the international thriller. His villains are intriguinly evil. His protagonists exude a world-weary sadness, which is equally fascinating. Sometimes I feel like yanking one of them out of the novel and asking him how his life has come to this. (The reader knows it's been an interesting life. If only there weren't those bad guys to catch.) There's a lot of action in Armstrong's novels, but the most interesting arenas are inside the characters' heads. That's probably why Armstrong is considered a writer's writer. He breathes tropes. He has the keenest eye. And he understands sadness. He's always been good at what he does. Even so, I've often wondered what his huge talent might produce when set loose in another genre. Now I know. I Hope You Have A Good Life is part memoir, part biography. It tells the story of Eileen and Barbara, a mother and daughter separated, by a forced adoption, for 42 years. It is a story the two women wanted to tell, themselves. But fate was not obliging. When Barbara found her mother, after decades of relentless searching, Eileen was dying of cancer. And so was Barbara. But Eileen found a way. She asked her friend and ex-husband, the father of her three sons, to write the improbable but heart- breakingly true story of her reunion with Barbara. I Hope You Have A Good Life is that book. To tell their story was to tell his story too, and Armstrong has done this. In his capable hands we discover how the stuff of real life is often stranger than fiction. The truest heros are sometimes the people we love and live with, or sadly, learn we can't. The real lives of Campbell and Eileen and Barbara and their children turn out to be every bit as compelling as any fictional characters. If there's a heart in your chest, you won't get through this book without a few good cries. You'll not be untouched and you'll be the better for it. Campbell Armstrong not only has the skill to keep Eileen and Barbara forever alive in the pages of this beautiful book, but the honesty to tell his own, often unflattering story. I don't know another book quite like this one. It deserves a wide circle of friends. I hope you'll become one.


Canis
Published in Paperback by iUniverse.com (December, 2000)
Author: Robert E. Armstrong
Average review score:

Howling Dogs, Scowling Politicians
In Canis author Robert Amrstrong paints a picture of malevolent crossbred canines, the products of unscrupulous breeders, preying on street people against a background of Houston city politics. The vicious attacks result in the deaths of several homeless unfortunates. The protagonist, Duncan McDonnell, DVM, Chief of the Bureau of Animal Regulations and Care for the City of Houston, finds himself at cross purposes with the powers that be as he pursues his eventually successful investigation resulting in the discovery of the person behind the attacks. Canis builds to an exciting conclusion before we learn who is responsible for the carnage.

It is always a pleasure to read fiction by someone who is a bona fide authority on the subject of his story. Robert Armstrong, professional veterinarian, is that, having served for ten years with the same department as his protagonist. Not only will you be entertained, but you will learn a great deal about the vicissitudes of animal regulation in a major city, most of which are surely never appreciated by the public.

A truly eye opening experience
The book Canis, starts out in a puppy mill. You'll read about the atrocities carried out in these places. Animal lover or not you'll be dragged into this story against your will.

Duncan A. MacDonell is the Chief of the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care. Before that he served twenty years in the military.

None of his prior service in the military, nor his years working for the Health Department, is helping him deal with the political idiots that are running it. You will experience the sheer frustration he deals with every single day, while he tries to get the basic necessities to run his department. Such as skilled workers, dog handlers, and equipment.

When a Homicide Detective, Sam Goodson, calls on MacDonell to help them with a series of gruesome murders around the city, the heat is turned up a notch under MacDonell's hide. It all comes back to Politics.

Robert E. Armstrong has written a sensational book! I found his characters highly interesting and realistic. His main character, MacDonell and his wife Jeannie, I really liked a lot. Of course he put plenty in his book I couldn't stand as well. And that only made the book that much better.

Mr. Armstrong has a truly gifted way with words. I loved his descriptions of the area, the crime scenes, and the characters. Most of all, I chuckled time and time again whenever MacDonell would let go with one of his quirky sayings.

I highly recommend Canis. You will have a truly eye opening experience when you come to understand what our animal bureaus are up against. I for one, can't wait to read another book by Mr. Armstrong.

A dark and enjoyable vet mystery
CANIS is a dark story-- have you ever noticed that nearly all
good vet mysteries are dark? Robert Armstrong's main character, Duncan MacDonell, is the Houston city vet. He works for animal control in a city where the annual euthanasia statistics are given in TONS. He spends a lot of his time trying not to beat the snot out of local politicians who want to look good to the animal-loving public while doing absolutely nothing to help his
department, where morale is understandably low. And then something starts attacking homeless people.

CANIS is a good example of Lawrence Block's comment that people who really know their subject can confidently take you along without telling you every step. Armstrong injects credible information when and where it's needed, and he doesn't overdo it. At the same time, readers are so steeped in the miasma
of the Animal Control department that I had to stop reading several times, because I was getting as depressed as some of the euthanasia techs. A warning to sensitive readers: chapter twenty-four is very hard to read. We're taken along as Mac does his weekly walk-through of the shelter, and in few vivid lines he describes what the workers there deal with every day. There were a few descriptions of animals in the euthanasia ward that haunted
me all weekend, even though they were only a couple of lines long. (Your pets ARE spayed and neutered, right? Right?)

The thing is, by this point in the story, Mac is up to his neck in trying to figure out who and what is responsible for the gruesome deaths of at least four people, and the chapter reinforces our impression of his state of mind. It's atmospherically very effective. And his feelings of anger and
helplessness are channelled into his quest to solve this crime.

Mystery-wise, I suspected everyone. There's at least one unexpected turn of events that converts the story from a thriller to a true mystery, and although I suspected everyone, I completely missed a number of clues and so was honestly surprised by the solution. I also give Mr Armstrong kudos
for making the victims into real people, rather than pieces of a puzzle. This isn't a story for the squeamish, but it features real people and a satisfying mystery.


Principles of Marketing
Published in Hardcover by Prentice Hall (December, 1988)
Authors: Philip Kotler and Gary Armstrong
Average review score:

Complete, Credible, Readable Marketing Masterguide
Despite being nearly 1000 pages long, this is one book that I often travel with on business, due to the completeness and accessibility of the content.

This encyclopedic, incredible resource includes chapters and many case studies on:

* the marketing process: marketing in a changing world- satisfying human needs; marketing and society- social responsibility and ethics; strategic marketing planning.

* the marketing setting: the marketing environment; the global marketplace; market information and research.

* buyer behaviour- consumer markets; business markets; and buyer behaviour.

* core strategy- market segmentation and targeting; positioning; building customer satisfaction through quality, value and service; creating competitive advantage: competitor analysis; and marketing strategies.

* product- designing products- new product development and lifecycle strategies; designing products- products, brands, packaging and services; marketing services.

* price- pricing policies- considerations and approaches; pricing products- strategies.

*promotions- promoting products- communications & promotion strategy; promoting products- advertising, sales promotion and PR; promoting products- personal selling and sales management;

* place- placing products- distribution channels & logistics management; placing products- retailing and wholesaling,.

It's well written, well supported with references, attractively illustrated, and easy to read at chapter level down to sidebar level (I've never read from end to end in one sitting!). The only complaint, is that because of the broad and deep coverage beyond traditional marketing, newer breaking ideas are not covered.

Overall highly recommended, particularly with a slimmer latest "fad" business/ technology/ marketing book to confirm that you are not missing anything that may add value to your organisation or clients.

[Refers to European Edition ISBN 0131659030 by Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders, Wong 1996 ]

Comprehensive, interesting and exciting look at Marketing.
I am college student who just took an intro- level marketing class with the Kotler & Armstrong text. It was comprehensive, interesting and provided an exciting look at Marketing. Kotler and Armstrong integrate real life companies with various marketing techniques and analyze those techniques. Professors, USE THIS BOOK!!

A "Must"
A very detailed but not a confusing book. Suitable for a foreign student at a level of intermediate english. Especially the cases motivates you to the Marketing area.I offer you to study with the CD...


Drug Information Handbook
Published in Paperback by Lexi Comp (July, 1998)
Authors: Charles F. Lacy, Lora L. Armstrong, Naomi B. Ingrim, and Leonard L. Lance
Average review score:

This is the BEST drug guide that I have used
The Drug Information Handbook by Lacy et al is the single best drug guide that I have used. I keep it handy both on my desk and in my bag when I make visits to patients in the field. I advise all of my staff of nurses and hospice physicians to obtain a copy on a regular basis as it is the most concise reference book in the field. I supervise a hospice program and in that context I am speaking with pharmacists, physicians and families on a regular basis. I buy a new copy every year. It was with relief that I disposed of my nursing drug guides a number of years ago and switched to the Lacy guide.

Must-have Reference
This book is wonderful for a quick reference, or detailed information. The drug information is concise,yet is just what you need when time is a necessity, or even when you've got all day. The appendices and tables in the back contain a wealth of handy guides and algorithms. If you only have one book at your disposal, this should be it.

The Bible of Pharmacy
This is the absolute bible of pharmacy. This is a good reference for generic/brand names, drug class, drug interactions, etc. There are also some very useful drug charts and treatment guidelines in the back of the book. However, it is a little weak on OTC drugs. Overall, this is an excellent portable medical reference.


Lucy, the Beginnings of Humankind
Published in Paperback by Warner Books (April, 1982)
Authors: Donald C. Johanson and Maitland Armstrong Edey
Average review score:

A Cautious "Thumb's Up"
Dr. Johanson shows both his strengths and weaknesses in this largely enthralling look at risks and rewards of paleoanthropology. His expertise in hominid development comes well-wrapped in the role of storyteller. And his experiences in the field are a story worth telling. Johanson disappoints when he steps outside his field of expertise. For instance, his chapter on radiometric dating is riddled with inaccuracies. And "Is It A Matter Of Sex?" is intrinsically flawed in its discussion of evolutionary "strategies." Overall a great book and a good read!

This book is a wonderful work on paleoanthropology.
Johanson has a writing style that instantly draws the reader into the book. He gives a good history of paleoanthropology before heading into the real story about his own fossil finds. Three quarters of the book is narritive on the years he was in the field interlaced with short stories about other paleoanthropologists. He writes with an unbiased, pleasent style that is lacking in most scientists. The book is written so well that most people even if they are not interested in the topic could get enjoyment from it. Its a gripping work that blends the history of paleoanthropology with modern techniques and Johanson's enlightening insight into a remarkably enjoyable scientific work.

Great Introduction to Paleoanthropology
As a reader who has a sparse knowledge of anthropology, I can say this book was a pleasurable and informative read.

Dr. Johanson divided the book into a prologue and five parts. The prologue describes the events of November 30, 1974, the day Lucy was discovered. The first part covers a brief background to the earliest fossil finds and is invaluable to any reader who is interested in who's who among some of the earliest scientists working on human origins. Part two covers his actual field expeditions to East Africa. During his first field season, Johanson became concerned about financing when his original grant of $43,000 was dwindling away. It is interesting to note, as Johanson describes about anthropology, that science is more than just field work and analysis. There is political, financial, and human relation issues that need to be mastered for the mission to succeed.

I found part three, the analysis of Lucy, to be the most compelling. Johanson includes Le Gros Clark's paper and accompanying illustrations to highlight eight differences between chimpanzee jaws and human jaws. Knowledge of these differences were of immeasurable value in the analysis of an australopithecine jaw. Part four delivers a brief account of how our ancestors began to walk upright. I found this to be interesting but highly speculative. The final section includes drawings of how australopithecus afarensis may have appeared.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a desire to know more about human ancestors and how a paleoanthropologist proceeds in uncovering our past.


Son of the Morning Star
Published in Hardcover by Promontory (September, 1998)
Authors: Evans S. Connell and Evan S. Connell
Average review score:

A fantastic ride through Custer's west!
I was saddened when I finished Connell's work -- saddened because I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to read it forever. Connell's book is an absolutely fabulous read! I liken it to sitting around a campfire and listening to him tell marvelous stories surrounding the players, both white (and black), and native American. He even holds your interest while tracing the path of a pocket watch taken in the battle. Connell gives a very good account of Custer, Reno, Benteen, Gall, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Rain-in-the-Face, and virtually every player in that conflict. When Connell flitters about going from one theme to another, it is fun to follow him. I cannot recommend this book too highly. Read it over and over again!!!

A Great Introduction
This book, in my opinion, is a superb introduction into the world of Custeriana and other characters and invents in U.S. history of that time.

What makes this book unique in it's portayal of the General and the events surrounding the famous last battle is that Evan S.Connell, who is primarily I believe a novellist, approached this topic with absolutely no agenda of his own on the subject.

Whilst this may not satisfy many historians it makes for great reading!! Making this a book ideal for somebody new to the subject wanting to learn more or the learned reader who just wants to be entertained and not swamped with complex time theories or arguments over the size of the village etc. There are plenty of books on the market that do this much better but not all are always as enjoyable.

Connell just reports on various different accounts in an easy going prose without really putting his own slant on the proceedings. He simply just writes about Custer, Benteen, Crazy Horse et all, giving examples of both the good, the bad and the downright ugly in all of them.

It is left to the reader to make up his mind on the events and actions of those who took part in them. Too many historians come to this powerful and contreversial subject with their own ideas on what happened, be it pro or anti-Custer, and this has a tendancy to sometimes, neccessitate a need to distort or bend the facts accordingly.

Refreshingly you come away from this book wanting to know more about the protaganists involved but without having a biased opinion on them. The General himself comes over in a fairly good light considering at the time of publication his character was probably at it's nadir.However Connell also shows up the darker side of the man that made him the paradoxical figure he was and why he remains so fascinating even after all this time.

Indeed what the book clearly shows is that what makes this such an enduring legend in America's history is that arguably it's most famous, or notorious, soldier left his mark not by a glourious victory but rather(as it was thought of at the time)a fairly ignominious defeat.What Connell does do is also give the credit where it's due to the Sioux and Cheyenne tribes at the Little Big Horn who actually won the battle that day, which tends to get forgotten in a lot of literature ammassed on this subject.

This was the first serious book that I bought on George Armstrong Custer and back in 1984(which I think was the year I got it) living in the United Kingdom there wasn't many books around at that time specifically on this subject. I found it an excellent starting point to begin further and more in depth reading on the General and his last battle.It may seem an odd subject for a Yorkshireman to show an interset in(I think it might be Errol Flynn's fault!!)but this book certainly kick-started a long lasting interst in Custer and that particular area of American history.

THIS IS IT!
I have read many books about Custer, Little Big Horn and the plains indian wars, but this one is truly the very best of the lot. Connell has given us an exellent biography of Custer, but we also get to know such men as Major Reno and Captain Benteen. Indians such as Sitting Bull, Gall and Crazy Horse are also prominently featured in this treasure of a book. This is so much more than a book about Custer and his last stand at Little Big Horn river in 1876. It's a book about the whole drama, that is the conquering of the west. Also, the photo section is exellent and the bibliography is unparalelled. Two very good maps helps the reader follow the movements in the 1876 indian campaign. If You're gonna buy just one book about the American west, please choose "Son Of The Morning Star". It's history, for sure, but it's not boring. It's also a source book in the best sence of the word, not to mention a literary masterpiece. Connell is a novelist, and it shows in his quick and precise eye for charaters in the play and their often peculiar behavior and actions. The heroes and/or villains is only so human in this highly entertaining book that leaves the reader wanting more. I have so far never read a better book, fact or fiction. Why don't You read it too?


Related Vacation Book Subjects: Texas
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