Helen Chapman's letters provide an interesting and fascinating personal story of an army wife in deep south Texas at the end of the Mexican War. Written primarily to her parents in Massachusetts, the correspondence covers a four-year period and details the domestic, social, and official life that she experienced as the spouse of Captain William Chapman, a U.S. Army quartermaster who exercised important responsibilities in Matamoros, Fort Brown, and the coastal ports of Isabel and Brazos Santiago. Although Helen Chapman does not provide the particulars of her husband's military duties, she sketches an outline of his activities as the army left Mexico and established military posts immediately north of the Rio Grande. The most absorbing aspects of the letters are Chapman's descriptions of the land, the people, and the border life and culture of the south Texas frontier. The depiction of her personal and family life round out this story, revealing a remarkable and intelligent woman who adapted easily to the country and enjoyed the surprises that it provided.

This work contributes useful insights for both military and social historians. The letters that deal with the United States's military withdrawal from Mexico provide bits of interesting information regarding Captain Chapman's role as defacto mayor of Matamoros as well as his responsibilties in moving equipment and supplies across the river and building Fort Brown. It is also interesting to note that Captain Chapman's duties required him and his wife to travel regularly between Fort Brown and the Gulf coast and to maintain homes in both locations.

Military historians will also find interesting the mention of individual military personnel who visited the Chapman home and about whom Helen Chapman commented. Equally interesting are her observations about Mexican military officers Mariano Arista, commandant of Matamoros and later president of Mexico, and Francisco Avalos,also commandant of Matamoros.

Chapman's letters are a rich treasure t! rove for social and family historians. She comments extensively on subjects ranging from diet and religion to temperance and the social customs and mores of the Mexican borderlanders. A faith in the benefits of education inspired her campaign for both Sunday and regular schools. Her attempts to deal with the guilt caused by the separation from her young son, who remained with her parents in Massachusetts, is evident in much of the early correspondence, as is the joy and pride that she felt in him once the youngster joined the family in south Texas. Letters relating to her own pregnancy and her bout with the dreaded cholera reveal attitudes about mid-nineteenth-century medical problems and their treatment. The social problems of children and family are also emphasized when the Chapmans, at the behest of a Mexican man, "adopt" his daughter and then give her up when the father demands her return.

[T]his work provides a fascinating and riveting account of a four-year period in one woman's life.

This engaging collection of letters provides a vivid personal reaction to life on the southernmost frontier of Texas during the four years following the Mexican War, first in Matamoros during the American occupation, and subsequently at Fort Brown, Brazos de Santiago, and Point Isabel. The principal corresondent is Helen Ellsworth Blair Chapman, the intelligent, compassionate, spirted, and devoted wife of West point-educated Captain William Warren Chapmen, U. S. Army quartermaster at Matamoros and later at Fort Brown and Corpus Christi. He too is represented in the correspondence, but it is through Helen's New Englander eyes, principally in letters to her mother in Westfield, Massachusetts, that we see life in the Lower Rio Grande.

The compiler/editor, a great great grandson of the Chapmans, seems to have chosen wisely among the largesse of the Chapman Family Papers deposited in the Barker Texas History Center.

Thanks to the preservation of this splendid collection and to Caleb Coker's judicious efforts in assembling these letters, both the general reader and the historian have access to an enjoyable, enlightening account of a distinctive frontier experience. Rarely do private letters possess the literary grace, the intelligent observations of new surroundings and acquaintances, and the warmth of family relationships on display in this volume, resulting in a welcome addition to the limited body of published material on the history of the Lower Rio Grande.

Letters stored in an attic for nearly a century and a half are the subject of a fascinating book edited by the letter writer's great-great grandson.

Caleb Coker, an attorney in Jacksonville, Fla., took on the task of preserving New Englander Helen Chapman's voluminous correspondence from the Texas frontier, where she lived with her husband, William, a West Pointer who built Fort Brown and helped found Brownsville.

The News from Brownsville is more than just good reading. Coker has done a fine job of combining the letters with newspaper accounts of the day to create a chronicle of the frontier experience and a portrait of an exceptional woman.

When Helen Chapman left her home in Massachusetts to join her husband after a two-year separation while he participated in the Mexican War, she also left behind (with her mother) her 8-year-old son, Willie, whom she would not see for 20 months. This was a great hardship, but life on the south Texas frontier was too unsettled for a child. For the first six months after Helen landed at Brazos Santiago in January 1848, the Chapmans lived in Matamoros, Mexico. At war's end, they moved across the Rio Grande, where Major Chapman built Fort Brown; it was a primitive home, but the community quickly developed and Helen worked hard for the establishment of Brownsville's first Protestant church in 1850.

Live on the edge of civilization transformed Helen from a woman of privilege who had never had to think much about social concerns to one who was right smack in the middle of them: violence, poverty, intemperance and its results, disease, war, racism, slavery, the ravages of weather and the lack of educational and religious facilities. She wrote about them and she worked hard for change, soliciting funds from Northern friends for schools. She is now credited as the first Anglo to demand civil rights for Mexicans living in Texas. She also defined racism in modern terms as "as dreary hatred (to) be subdued between men who are now living side-by-side as citizen! s of a common republic."

Coker's narrative notes placing the letters in their historical contex and appendices containing profiles of those whose paths crossed the Chapman's and excerpts from newspaper articles are particularly helpful.

Helen Chapman is a woman every reader will be glad to have met, and her correspondence captures a time and place with great clarity.

Renee Deloria has given the world an in-depth look into the early years of the now internationally known Brownsville revival in Pensacola, FL. She shares her experience, and the lasting fruit of this movement.

Renee Deloriea's book is an authentic account of one young lady's experience with God at the Brownsville Revival. She is totally believable; her book shares how her children's own experiences with God have brought about positive change within their schools--something America desperately needs. Her book thrilled my heart; and her reference to another book, GLORY, by Ruth Ward Heflin has brought untold blessings to me and fellow teacher friends who shared the book. Thank you Renee! God bless you!

I purchased Beneath the Palms and found it to be one of the most reached for cookbooks in my kitchen, of which I have many. The range of recipes from casual to fine dining fits all occasions. In particular I find the Cilantro Vinaigrette, Beef Tenderloin with Peppercorn Crust and Whiskey Sauce, Boursin Cheese Spread, and Asparagus with Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto easy but elegant enough for entertaining. For a wonderful cool meal try Chilled Avocado Soup, Redfish with Mango Salsa, and Papaya Puree. You can't beat the Tropical Fruit Glazed Cheesecake Tart or the Apricot Doboschtorte for dessert

i have to say that milo kearney does a great job in documenting the history of brownsville, and matamoros. everything has a beginning, and this Professor of Historical sciences at the University of Texas at Brownsville does a fantastic job. The only thing that is really not good are the illustrations by petr Gawendra. they are really non enthusiastic, and super cheezy. i dont care what any one else says,a lousy effort. any way the book is worth it, for any one who wants to find out the history of this city [brownsville]this book is for you. Antonio Knopp also contributed to this literature work.

New Yorkers see constant small changes in their city, and the cumulative effect of those changes can remake the character and composition of a neighborhood almost overnight. That is what happened in Brownsville during the late 1950s and early 1960s. What had been an entirely Jewish neighborhood of sidewalk synagogues and old-world customs became an entirely black and Latino neighborhood. Pritchett captures that period of change and the various players -- community activists, business interests, government agencies and politicians -- masterfully. He tells a poignant story of idealistic neighborhood leaders who fought for integrated public housing to meet the needs of their community and were instead given massive projects built to house the city's poor who had been displaced by urban renewal. This is a great book for anyone interested in New York or urban history generally.

Cathy is the photographer at Brownsville and this book is full of wonderful pictures of people, just like you and me, receiving from God! Cathy shares her journey with the reader as the entire Brownsville church was "taken away" by the Power of the Holy Ghost! "Surprised by God" is just putting it mildly! I brought this book to my church to share and they loved it!

Being that this book is old it makes much sense. I loved the book. It has many meanings to it and I encourage everyone to read it.

Anne L. Thompson Scretching has written a phenominal piece of work that everyone should have an opportunity to read. The material transcends time and speaks to today's issues of incest/child abuse and alcohol abuse in the american family. The play on stage comes to life in a way that causes audiences to laugh, cry, and applaud and explores every range of emotion that one can experience. Don't miss the opportunity to read this great work.

Kudos Ms. Scretching,

A riveting, spell binder that clearly and deftly shows the myriad of feeligs a contemporary, urban family must grapple with while confronting their worst fear:incest.

The talk shows and news programs may tell the facts of incest, but this book fills in the emotional void left by their "reports". In dealing with the issues of incest, broken homes & family's, the author, Anne Thompson-Scretching delves below the conscious to reveal the emotional wrangling, justifications and,finally, resoultuion like no one has done before.

Someone Should Tell Oprah about this book. She might find a soul mate in Ms. Thompson-Scretching, and a valuable piece of unrecognized literary genius in "You Shouldn't Have Told".

Excellent material for discussing a serious problem in our scoiety; a must read for professionals who deal with families in crisis.

Steve Hill (and his followers) should be avoided like the plague. His false signs and wonders are enough to take him outside the city gates for God's prescription for a false prophet.

Steve Hill was in the Seattle area and I noticed that he feeds on ad hominem attacks. He sets himself up as a pillar of virtue while condemning those who disagree with him. This type of "authoritarian" behavior is the same as the cults. If you have an ounce of biblical discernment you will test his doctrines with scripture (cf 2 Tim 3:16) and find that they come from another spirit. Mr. Hill however, will not want you to compare his teaching with scripture. He sets himself above the scripture and is ultimately in contempt.

If you want a decent read, do a study on the Reformation. The gospel has been eclipsed in our day. Satan is mightily using people like Steve Hill. We need to be equipped to refute this unbiblical, un-Christian teaching in this godless society.

Remember, Christ didn't rebuke the sinner and tax collector. Christ declared "woe" (or "damned be unto you") to the religious elite of the first century. This guy along with Rick Joyner, Wimber, CP Wagner, etc. are some of the most dangerous men in Christianity today.

Geesh, people are so critical of this man, and the out pouring of the Holy Spirit through this man. Steve Hill's ministry played a key role in the bringing forth of one of the greatest revivals in north American history, the Brownsville Revival. In which i will be attending school there, at the Brownsville Revival School of Ministry. Granted that the bible does say to beware of false prophets and teachers of the Gospel, but i assure you that i have researched the scriptures and juidge this mans teachings and actions according top the word, and he is very accurate in his teachings and actions. By the way people criticised Jesus way more than they will ever criticise Steve Hill. Jesus was also more authorative, and rebukative, and more blunt than Steve Hill. And Jesus is our prime example, he is your Saviour and mine as well. And he is also the Saviour of Steve hill. Steve does his best to try and be an example of Jesus. So if you're going to put anyone under the microscope, i would sugest that you put yourself under it. And do not touch God's annointed. otherwise danger may befall you. By the way steve hill is one of my favorite preachers along with John Kilpatick, Benny Hinn, and Dan Slaikeu( my pastor), i love em.................. I would recommend that take time studying up on the Holy Spirit. You will be Blessed.

This book has an "in your face" message. If you do not like messages that will challange you, do not read this book. If your not willing to go to the next level in your walk with God, like I said before, do not read this book.

Stephen Hill writes simple messages in this book to challange the body of Christ to move to the next level. We, as the body of Christ, needs to be challanged to be radical and world changers for Christ. Todays "gospel" has been watered down and has been "soften". The gospel is supposed to be radical, challenging, "in your face" (of course rooted in love), and with FIRE!

Before you throw your stones at Stephen Hill, please look at the fruits of his ministry and his life and try not to feed off criticism from other sources (sources are not always right). You may dislike his style of ministry but we are called to work in unity. Stephen Hill has a heart after souls and has a heart to bring a messages of repentance to the body of Christ.

This is a very interesting and well-constructed book. Gives some historical background to goings-on at Brownsville (though I would have liked more detail), provides fascinating interviews and profiles of 5 of the 'key players', and some amazing testimonies that seem to have stood the test of time. Though it does interview one of the 'revival's' main critics, it unfortunately doesn't go deep enough into researching the causes of this movement, comparisons/contrasts with other classic historical revivals, etc. A pity, because it is otherwise of real interest.

This book concentrates on the historical facts of the revival rather than the miraculous. If you are looking for the facts, this book is for you. If you are looking for interviews that focus on the spiritual aspect of the revival, choose again.

Steve does an excellent job reporting about the revival that has been taking place in Pensacola, Florida from May 1995! He really reports on both sides; people involved in the revival and her skeptics...some even former church members. I particularly enjoyed his candid interviews with ministers at Brownsville. One thing that came out of it...The Revival is about the Lord Jesus Christ and people getting RIGHT for and because of Jesus' saving power! (It's all about you, Jesus!):-) ~~~~\o/~~~~~~