When Stephen Vincent Benet finished John Brown's Body in 1928 and the critics awaited its issue, the South was most anxious and skeptical that they would be portrayed honestly. They were and Stephen Benet's masterpiece is America's greatest epic poem and a most unappreciated work of literature. But, I love it and always will love it, because it makes those historic figures of so long ago - come alive. Out of the mist, they ride. Come traveler, pick it up, open its pages and from fish hook Gettysburg to the end, watch them ride and try to understand over all the years what was happening and why they were fighting. It was not all about Slavery!

During the Pax Romana the emperor Augustus commissioned Vergil to write an epic history of the Romans. The result, of course, was The Aeneid, a stunning blend of epic poetry and historical fiction that some would argue has yet to be topped. John Brown's Body is the closest thing we have to an epic poem "about" America. And while it takes place during the civil war and makes no claim to be an authoritative history, the book is no less impressive as a literary feat. No book in the history of this country has so artfully depicted our nation's great schism.

Written in the 20s, John Brown's Body redefines the word ananchronism. Its contemporaries are The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Professors widely praise these modern works for their groundbreaking aesthetics, and not without justification. However, it's hard to imagine a more daring or daunting task than the writing of John Brown's Body. Never mind the fact that he pulled it off marvelously. Stephen Vincent Benet remains the only writer to have even _attempted_ to write an American epic poem. Stephen Vincent Benet deserves high scores both for degree of difficulty and final product. Yet conventional education regarding 20th century American books never seems to give him these high marks.

Why Benet and his book don't get the recognition they merit is a terrific question. Is his book canonically superior to Gatsby and Their Eyes? No. And on some level, it's difficult to see what someone living in Taiwan could glean from this document of American struggle and triumph. To wit, the book can also be criticized for being slightly skewed toward a Yankee perspective. But as a whole, the book is outright better than a lot of works revered as American classics.

What does better mean? What it should mean. Simply a more impressive work of art. More entertaining. More provactive. More fun to read. More intellectual depth, conveyed subtly and beautifully, embedded skillfully but not invisibly in an absorbing tale. On these counts, John Brown's Body is vastly superior to classics like The Sun Also Rises; The USA series of John Dos Passos; Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis; and certainly Hawthorne's later novels. Yet John Brown's Body continues to get short shrift, to the point where it's well nigh unfindable in many a book store. One can only hope that the critics and canon-makers of later generations restore the book to its proper place, high atop our shining history of American letters.

This book won the Pulitzer Prize in the '40's. It covers the Civil War principally from the perspectives of a young, small town Connecticutt boy and the heir to a Geogia plantation. It begins with a gripping view of events on a slave ship and ends with two crippled young men and the women they love, beginning to rebuild ther lives. Part poetry, part prose, it all sings.

Imagine being in prison for something you know you didn't do, this is what happened to Joyce Brown. Joyce had witnesses, was at work the time the crime was committed, but was still found guilty for the murder of a store owner, who's wife pointed her out as being the guilty party. If this can happen to Joyce Brown it can happen to anyone. I think GOd for those gentlemen who came to her aid in the book. If you think there is now way that you could end up in prison, read this book, and you will see that you very well could even if you are innocent with lots of evidence.

I must give a rating of 10 stars!!~ This book was so well written. It placed you in Ms.Browns shoes before, during & after. This author may you feel as though You were a apart of her awful journey through this ill-fated justice system of ours. Reading her story, (if you have any compassion) at all........It will indeed make you so damn Angry at these men in Suits (lawyers)& Robes (judges), that we so often call "Justice Seekers" in America. Too many times we read about 'innocent' people, being thrown into prison, & finding out Years Later that a BIG Mistake had be made. How do OUR System compensate these individuals? With an out-landish simple Apology??? How can anyone 'accept' what has happened to them? It's time to wake up America! It's time for these Paid, & Court appointed Attorney's to represent each & every case with every piece of skill they possilbly can, to make Damn Sure about "WHO" they are really sending to the depths of Hell!

All the facts in Ms. Brown's case were right before their eyes, yet Justice did not prevail. I searched high & low for a copy of this book for my very own, after asking a co-worker if I could read hers. Locating a copy in good condition was a feat, because it was no longer in print. Finally I located one & it had Joyce's autograph, I treasure it today still as a Great Read.

I cried many tears, I walked every inch of this sentence with Ms. Brown. Through all of what she indured, she still remained Strong in the Lord, (this was her Only Hope), as for as I could see. I say now: If the judge who sentenced this young lady is still practicing law, holding his gavel, & wearing that black robe, he should be made to do the Years that Ms. Brown served!

Even it was so done, It still would Not serve Ms. Brown any satisfaction, nor her family members for ripping their lives apart. The Most heart breaking part of this book, that wrenched my soul was when her child was shot/hurt, later died, & Ms.Brown was not granted the opportunity to go attend the funeral services! I fell into pieces after reading it.

Becoming a grandmother & not being able to have that daily/weekly interactions with her grandkid, or to have any great memories of her grandchild's was also a traumatic issue for Ms. Brown. This book will indeed touch your soul~

I'd love to meet Ms. Brown & J.Gaines, so we can share notes on what the 'System' did to my family, on the (4th of July) "What an Independence Day that was"! Good Luck Joyce on your upcoming Movie, & May God Always Be On Your Side. I know of a star who will portray your role Very Well, & Capture Every Emotion, her name is: Kimberly Elise, her role was Tee-Tee, from 'Set it Off'..........she looks like you somewhat, & I do believe she will carry your story to THE TOP of the Movie Charts!

Thanks For Never Giving Up Hope Joyce. What You & Jay wrote in your book, it Speaks for a large number of Americans. I know that you & Jay are friends for life now, & rightfully so. Everyone deserves a friend like Jay, his love says it all, it's (unconditional)~ Again, Good Luck On Your Upcoming Movie, Let me hear from you soon Sista~ 2 Sista~

From the moment I opened this book I could not put it down. I started it one afternoon and was up most of the night because I could not quit reading. I wanted to see what happen in the next chapter. I laughed, I cried, my heart ached as I lived along with Miss Brown as she suffered and fought against the unfair justice system we now have.
I cried when I read where they would not release her even after it was proven that she was innocence.
Since reading the book I have had the opportunity to meet Miss Brown in person in the home of my niece who now work on her Board of Directors. I could only sit and stare at her. She is warm and friendly and looking at her you would never believe that she endured such a hard time in her life. I wanted to ask so many questions....but I did not want to dampen that beautiful spirit that shown so brightly before my eyes.
Her story is being made into a movie and I hope everyone will watch it and tell evreryone they know to watch it. It will be on Life Time. Justice Denied coming up soon.
Citystar

I really enjoyed Let's Just Take This Outside. I believe it will resonate with anyone caught up in the gears of corporate life. The anecdotes throughout the book are very humorous. And the cartoon illustrations throughout were great. Yet, the situations described and advice offered (via Workplace Improvement Principles) are very insightful and provocative. If you are or ever have been been a citizen of cubicle-land, you should definitely read this book.

A lot of great pointers for on the job human relations you will not get in a Dale Carnegie course. This is for real. Although I am now retired from Corporate America, I found this book applicable in understanding frustrations in sybling relationships.

I would recommend this book to everyone with issues that they cannot resolve on the job. Ty talks about subjects people are afraid to discuss. She makes you feel confident about approaching hard subjects. A great book and great insight, thanks Ty.

The first useful -and true- price guide for yo-yo collectors, it's also the perfect browsing book for us. The history needs some refining (following Donald Duncan's yo-yos after his company was taken by the courts is difficult, but the entry here was confusing even if you knew the background), but is at least 80% accurate. And you just can't beat those photos -- hundreds of photos of yo-yos forgotten or not even suspected! This book deserves to best-seller status, and to be updated each year. Buy several copies so Lucky can produce annual books for a living.

The guru of yo-yo collecting and writer of the collectors corner in Fiend Magazine, Lucky Meisenheimer, has made the long wait for his book worthwhile. Truly he has created the "bible" of yo-yo collecting. History, Yo-Yos, String Packs, Patches and Pins it's all there. Anyone serious about yo-yos should have this book whether they collect or not, but don't even think about calling yourself a collector if you don't have this book.

What do you get an 11-year-old boy who loves the yo-yo for his birthday, apparently this book. My son, who typically reads nothing more intense than a Batman comic was totally absorbed. I now know what my nephew will be getting for Christmas this year.

In 1925 A.A. Milne wrote this charming story and now Isabel Bodor Brown has added her utterly delightful illustrations and the people at Dutton Children's Books crafted all this magic into a darling of a book. The book itself is a beauty, a compact little volume with lavender covers that are speckled with little yellow flowers and a spine stamped in gold. The dust jacket is embossed with gold letters and features the sweet little Princess Daffodil framed in flowers with a beautiful pink dress and a smiling face. Before we even get to page one we are captivated by this engaging child. The story is at times gently humorous and at others it is wistful.
Daffodil's christening gift from her Fairy Godmother is the ability to grow flowers wherever she steps. The King doesn't think this is too practical and limits her access to the grounds. She wants to run and play freely like other children and in the end a happy solution is found. The illustrations are just brimming with delicate beauty and glorious colors. Daffodil is a little wonder and the fairies in the book are satisfyingly magical with gossamer wings and hair, while the Queen is a delicate beauty as a Queen should be. I love everything about this book.

The Magic Hill is an old fashioned fairy tale, complete with a happily ever after ending about a young princess who makes flowers grow wherever she walks. A.A. Milne wrote this delightful story 75 years ago, but it is as fresh and charming now, as I'm sure it was then. The illustrations by Isabel Bodor Brown are very special, beautifully drawn and compliment the text. An old story that will become a new classic. The Magic Hill is a treasure for the whole family to enjoy again and again.

A beautifully written, wonderfully illustrated work. My daughter and son both loved it.

My personal theology is considerably more liberal than Dr. Brown's. Nevertheless, I think that he does a good job of explaining what many Christians believe about the divinity of Jesus and why. I also believe that his scholarship is thourough and honest, albeit not always impartial. But then again, I doubt that anyone's scholarship is totally impartial.

i guess this will be just another five star review for father brown! raymond brown (now deceased) was a catholic priest and a moderately critical new testament theologian PAR EXCELLENCE. this, like his other works, is well-reasoned, thorough, and essentially impartial. probably the best overall introduction to Christology (which one might define as the study of not only of Jesus, but of His relationship to His surroundings). father brown concentrates on subjects such as Jesus' preception of Himself and His purpose, the probable reaction of His comtemporaries to His teachings, and the overall picture we get from the gospels. this is tremendous scholarship distilled into a brief readable capsule! you will respect this work whether you are fundamentalist or pagan!

I am currently using this book while enrolled in a course in Cristology in graduate school. I have found it to be very helpful and fact filled. The author is very staitforward and does not stray from the subject matter.

One of the best bio's I have read! Took only 3-4 days to read since it moved at a very fast pace with so many things happening in James Browns life. His upbringing, music, family, record companies, IRS, managers, riots, struggles are all here. Before reading this I was a big fan even though I was not sure of the place this man occupied in music, as an innovater and business person, now I do. The first man to popularize the "live" album, strict band leader, tireless composer/arranger, producer, drummer, singer, dancer and many more things that one person had in him (as well as surrounded himself with exceptional musicians and some exceptional business partners). Also learned of his ethnic background which is Asian/Black/Indian. Many roadblocks on the way and a glimpse of what the business end of the entertainment world is like round out an exceptional and candid look into the life of Soul brother number 1!

I'm usually not so crazy about Star Biographies... for a variety of reasons, they're usually attention getting "feel bad for me" vs. "worship me" ploys taken from the pages of magazines atleast I wouldn't be caught dead reading outside of a doctor's office, however - - THIS BOOK IS DIFFERENT (!) It is enormously well written - - Though its pretty clear Bruce Tucker wrote most of it, he managed to dig down into JBs soul and convey his RAGS TO RICHES story quite convincingly, capturing his voice while telling about his rise and fall (<-- the IRS and disco got him) and his come back at the time This book is so well written that I've actually reread it SEVERAL times since it initially came out in the mid '80s. - - Though it is a bit ironical that JBs life would get a bit more "complicated" after it was written (the drugs, run-ins with the law, death of his wife etc.) it is clear that Brown & Tucker have presented to the world a book that's engrossing and definitely a keeper... It will bring a whole new meaning to the music !

very powerful&uplifting.it touches on many different subjects.racisim,poverty etc..who hasn't this man not influenced? to see a human being overcome so many hardships&provide a innovative sound&style is incredible.but Mr.brown is a man with few peers on his level.this book explores the legend&genius of james brown.

This book has become a cherished reference and resource in my library of knitting books. Author Beth Brown-Reinsel accomplishes several tasks very well in this thoughtfully pieced more than a how-to-do presentation. She gives the reader a historical background in which to place the stiches, the craft of gansey; she provides wonderful graphs for the decorative stitches; she writes with an ease and enthusiasim that truly shows the reader how to learn new techniques... these are often backed up with clear photos. But, what she has done best has created a small knitting project that progresses side by side each chapter. This project teaches the knitter the different stages of a gansey sweater. The project is small enough not to be overwhelming for the beginner and complete in all the techniques that must be mastered in order to move to larger projects. As a middle-aged, "lay" knitter I am delighted to have discovered this book.

Knitting Ganseys is a clearly written book covering the history, technique and method of knitting gansey sweaters. This is more than a collection of patterns - Beth Brown-Reinsel explains the whys of each step & sweater section as well as the traditional alternatives. Her photos and charts are clear, and each chart has a legend - one doesn't need to flip back to the first chart to find an explanation of an obscure symbol. I would recommend this as a first sweater book, provided one already knows how to knit & purl in the round.

It is rare when you hit upon exactly the kind of book that you were looking for. Such was the case when I found this book quite by accident on my local bookstore's shelf. I am fairly new to the knitting craft and was intrigued by the idea of knitting a sweater on circular needles from the bottom up. I also loved the attractive Gansey patterning which I had discovered is fun and easy to knit when I had knit a hat with these type patterns. So this book seemed the answer to my wishes. I was not disappointed or intimidated by this book. I eagerly knit up the Gansey sampler (so cute!). The best thing about this book is that it shows the traditional methods of knitting ganseys in a very clear-cut way and actually gets you to do it via the sampler. It is also a great reference guide for various types of Gansey casting on, forming gussets, the knitted cast-off and different kinds of increases and decreases. Wonderfully done book!

I first read lives of the musicians when I was about 7 yearsold or so. Then, I thought it was terrific. I still do. However, I amnow 12 years old, and now that I have paid more attention to it, I see several faults, but overall it is still a very good book. First of all, their choice of musicians is not the best. I would have recommended Debussy and Schubert, like the Kirkus Reviewer. Some of the composers I have hardly ever heard of, like Igor Stravinsky or Nadia Boulanger. And while Clara Schumann was a great pianist, I think they should have focused more on her husband, Robert, a prolific composer, whose works are among the very best. Also, some of the parts of the biographies are questionable. Frederic Chopin may not have actually been romantically involved with Aurore Dudevant (George Sand), but in love with the Countess Delphine Potocka. The book states that the Waltz in D-Flat, or Minute Waltz, was written for George Sand's dog, when in fact it was probably written for Potocka. However, the book was still very well written, and I enjoyed it, despite the possible mistakes. I recommend this book to anyone who likes music, classical or not. So sit back and enjoy!

I loved this book because it made those musicians seem like real people instead of great-all-star-super-geniuses. It is full of strange little facts about all the famous musicians like Bach,Gershwin,Beethoven and Schmann.

---Megan W.

This book provides interesting insight into the lives of composers. I teach music to elementary and high school students and I read this book to all of my students. They all enjoy learning the details of the composers lives. The book presents the composers in such a way that the students remember the information about the composers. The book does not provide information about what the composers' music sounds like, and that is something I also like to teach. A great book to gain kids'interest in famous composers.

I'll be honest. The book compelled me for the most part. I couldn't put it down for the most part. I truly felt pain for poor Adam, and can't imagine going through anything like this story and still bouncing back. The only complaint I have is the book is too drawn out towards the end. Pehaps it was written to soon, perhaps the author felt the need to repeat himself 3 or 4 times. Still, once you get past this, the book is a good read and an amazing story. I would recommend it to anyone that wants to be inspired.

After finding out that Adam Taliaferro couldnt walk again ever. His father and mother urged him to push on. His spirits were high always no matter what. This is a triumphant story about courage and self-determination and a little help from some up above

This book is good for anyone whether you are a football fan or not. I personally am a football fan, and I would especially recommend this book for those football fans out there. This book is inspirational and well documented. It is also at a good price now, and it is a quick read.