This set is a wonderful way to teach history to kids. I read this set to my daughter before bed in the evenings and we loved it. It is the story of the Hutchinson family. Mrs. Sally Hutchinson and her two sons go to live on the prosperous Southern Plantation of her brother just before the Civil War. They are not only Yankees her husband, Wesley Hutchinson, is an outspoken opponent of slavery. The older son, Austin, is the star of the series. He has adventures getting into and out of trouble all the while learning what it means to be a Christian and live a Christian testimony. He wrestles with the all the concepts of slavery as some of his best friends are slaves. His uncle is the owner of the plantation and his love and respect for him is seriously challenged. Through Austin's eyes we see into the past and experience what it could have been like to be alive in one of the most exciting and challenging times in our history. Even though Austin is a boy his best friend is his cousin Charlotte and so it isn't a series for girls or boys it works equally well for both. The only problem that we had is that the stories were so exciting that my daughter begged to know what happened next and we read well past bed time many times.

Dawn Langley Simmons life story in this incredible autobiography is one full of contrasts. Born and identified as a boy and named Gordon in Britain,she eventually was able to have the necessary surgery in America to become the woman she was intended to be. As a writer Gordon emigrated to America and mixed with the rich and famous and the upper echeleons of society. He became very wealthy in his own right and from a legacy left to him. He was able to buy an historic house in Charleston and have the surgery required to become a woman. Dawn then met and married a poor black man,and faced a future of racism and abuse from the community, eventually having to leave Charleston and after many shifts becoming very poor herself and joining the black community of her husband. She gives birth to a daughter and is now a grandmother. But her husband can be described as a scoundrel,having had affairs,almost killing Dawn with his abuse and then being diagnosed with schitzophrenia. The ! fact that Dawn could be so forgiving is a testament to her strength and character. I first read about Dawn in a magazine in 1997 and spent a very long time tracking down this book,eventually getting it from Amazon.com. Reading of Dawn's British roots in Heathfield and Tunbridge Wells was so neat as all of my relatives come from that part of the world too,so the places she mentioned I was able to picture in my mind. This book is a very good story of an incredible life of unbelievable contrasts. How many people could cope with what Dawn has been through and come out such a lovely person.

Like Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Grady? Don't miss this much under-appreciated masterpiece by the man who started the Charleston Renaissance. Stories culled from the oral tradition of the Low Country's important Gullah culture, this book is an exhilarating alternative to the infinitely heavy and guilt-ridden tomes of Toni Morrison (Bennett was also from Ohio) for any serious student of Afro-American and Southern history. It includes original sketches of landscapes and portraits of black corroborators which firmly ground the stories in local history and folk culture. But this is not just a book for regionalists! One can't help but be impressed with Bennett's phenomenal interest, dedication, and erudition even if he was a bit self absorbed. The new edition, published by the University of South Carolina, is introduced with a lucid piece by Professor and Librarian Thomas L. Johnson.

I was really able to use this book on my recent trip to Charleston. I used it daily to select my fine dining experiences. She only writes about the finer establishments and boy are they fine. Unfortunately I had to leave, but I hope to re-create many of the great dishes with the recipes.

Mrs. Sanders has written a wonderful cookbook about the many meals she serves as the wife of President Sanders at the College of Charleston. Her insights and quick, creative recipes make entertaining the South Carolina way much more fun. The book, which was printed to fund College of Charleston scholarships, is a must have for any serious entertainer. I reccommend it for those interested in Charleston style and for any parent, student, alumni, or friend of the College of Charleston. It's a great way to get entertaining tips as well as help fund higher education.

Young readers will be surprised to learn how close the Civil War came to beginning while James Buchanan was still President in January of 1861, before Lincoln was inaugurated. South Carolina became the first state to succeed from the Union following Lincoln's election. Told to make his own decision, Major Robert Anderson had moved his troops from Fort Moultrie, where the secessionists would easily have been able to take the command by land, to Fort Sumter in the middle of Charleston Harbor. Buchanan sent a civilian ship, the Star of the West to bring supplies to Anderson's troops, but a secessionist battery opened up on the ship. The Civil War could have begun right then and there, but Anderson refused to return fire and the Star of the West retreated.

Brendan January details how both sides played out the fatal chess game. When President Lincoln ordered a supply ship to reinforce Fort Sumter, he knew the action would lead to war but would force the Confederates to take the first shot. Ironically, Anderson admitted to Confederate messengers that the garrison was on the verge of starvation, but Confederate President Jefferson Davis was unconvinced and ordered the attack. Students will be surprised as how oddly the battle was fought: General Beauregard gave Major Anderson advanced warning and the Federal troops went into the fort's bombproof shelter. Only after having breakfast did Anderson's troops return fire. Out gunned and running out of provisions, Anderson had to surrender. Ironically, the first casualty of the Civil War was a Union solider killed when a shell accidentally exploded during the ceremony to lower the American flag. January follows the story of Fort Sumter to the end of the war, covering the Union's failed attempt to retake the fort in 1863, which reduced it to rubble, and Anderson's triumphant return to the fort in April of 1865, the last month of the war.

"Fort Sumter" is illustrated with photographs, etchings and other illustrations from the time period, although a contemporary color photograph shows that the fort no longer resembles what it was during the war. January has authored several of the Cornerstones of Freedom volumes covering Civil War topics such as The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, The Emancipation Proclamation and the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Students and teachers interested in finding out more about a historical topic can usually rely on this series to be an excellent first place to turn.

A Gallant Defense: The Siege Of Charleston, 1780 by Carl P. Borick (Assistant Director of the Charleston Museum, Charleston, South Carolina, and Curator of the "Redcoats, Hessians, and Tories: The British Siege and Occupation of Charleston, 1780-1782 exhibit at the Charleston Museum scheduled for display throughout the summer of 2003) is a close and scholarly study of the siege and surrender of Charleston in 1780, a conflict that has been traditionally underestimated with reference to its impact on the American Revolution and upon subsequent American history itself. Analysis of key figures, the campaign's effect on civilians, military strategy, and much, much more fill the pages of this erudite and painstakingly detailed account. A significant and invaluable contribution to American Revolutionary War Studies, A Gallant Defense is highly recommended reading for both academia and the non-specialist general reader.

The Hostage, by Nancy Rue is the most exciting book I have ever read! I couldn't put it down! The adventures are continuous. The moral's are great as well. I learned, along with the main character, how to trust God through hard circumstances. The Hostage is also a great way to learn history! I have learned more about Secession in the South than any textbooks! Mrs. Rue did a great job writing it, and I highly recommend it to any age reader.

These letters are written by a young widow during the Revolutionary War. She is quite an excellent writer with astute observations, although at that time in history, women weren't allowed the privilege of expressing their sentiments politically. A wonderful book, but over much too fast!

A great breakdown of events leading up to Ft. Sumter, and a great analysis of the early relationship between Lincoln and his cabinet, esp. Secretary of state Seward (who at this early date mistakenly thought Lincoln was a puppet he could manipulate). All in all a fascinating read and a must for good civil war libraries.