Download Description
She sat at the base of the big tree - her little sunbonnet pushed back, her arms locked about her knees, her bare feet gathered under her crimson gown and her deep eyes fixed on the smoke in the valley below. Her breath was still coming fast between her parted lips. There were tiny drops along the roots of her shining hair, for the climb had been steep, and now the shadow of disappointment darkened her eyes.
Customer Reviews:
Last century story with truths for our times.......2007-08-15
I'm vacationing in a rustic cottage on a lake in Maine with my family. One quiet evening, the moon rising, and loons calling, I find this old book, its spotted and yellowed pages almost falling out and begin to read it. Well! I couldn't put it down. Maybe the setting and circumstance is why I've given this book a 5, but it is truly is a great story. Along the Kentucky/Virginia border 'civilization' is arriving. The mountain people have their own culture and rules of clan justice and they are about to discover the culture of the so-called civilized world. This is an absolutely fascinating view of tribal tradition clashing with the rule of law and proper living as the civilized world sees it. A young girl who has only known rude mountain life and morays meets and falls in love with an engineer from 'away' who is cultured, educated, well dressed, well spoken. Meanwhile, coal has been discovered in the Cove. Speculators from as far away as England come to cash in. Schools and stores and jails are built in the Gap. However, the once pure streams run black. All the while reading this, I thought of the parallel of today thinking that our culture, come hell or high water, is best for all. I wonder: to what end?
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine~.......2002-11-22
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine takes place in the Kentucky mountains, bordering Big Stone Gap, Virginia. It is a story of love, as well as change. At the heart of this novel are the Tolliver & Falin families, who have been in a feud with one another for as far back as anyone can remember. The story begins as life in the mountains is beginning to change..coal mining is starting to boom, and the oustide world is creeping into the simple ways of mountain life. A town is blossoming in Big Stone Gap Virginia..and the Trail of the Lonesome Pine connects the town with Lonesome Cove, home of the Tolliver family, and a pretty little mountain girl named June. When John Hale enters the Tolliver/Falin territory, June is immediately drawn to him. The entrance of this "furriner" will change June's life forever.
Not being from the region that the Trail of the Lonesome Pine is written about, I was definitely reading it from a "furriner" point of view. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is really two stories in one. Part of this novel is a love story, centering on a young girl, June Tolliver & her love interest John Hale, the "furriner." The other side of this novel focuses on what life is like for the "mountain people" and the effects of the coal mining boom, and the influx of foreigners into their way of life. Both stories are very interesting and blend well together. At times though, I felt the writing was hard to get through and difficult to follow. The last 1/4 of the book really picked up, and by the time the story concluded, I was glad that I read this and look forward to reading more by John Fox, Jr.
A Lovely Love Story.......2001-02-28
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is set in the Kentucky mountains of the 19th century. June Tolliver is a very poor young mountain girl who meets an engineer from the outside world. He takes June out of the mountains so she can go to school and get an education. He is also interested in mining coal in the Kentucky hills. The story of how their love for each other grows and of the Tolliver family's feud with the Falin's is a classic American tale. I read this story out loud to my teen-age children and they just loved it! This is the first of a trilogy by Fox.
An enchanting Tale.......2001-01-09
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine proves to be an enchanting tale about love. A tall pine tree stood in solitary splendor on the top of a mountain in Kentucky and through its fame lured a young engineer to find it and leaad Hale on a trail of love which I felt was an overall wonderful plot for this book. Since the plot of the book was set in Kentucky June and her family along with the many nountaineers had our good ole country accent which also portrayed that they had not received very much education. In a waaay I feel that it was an insult to Kentuckians knoweledge even though it did portray June's remarkable learning rate when Hale helped her to attend school. I think the beauty of the state could have been captured morewhile telling of how beautiful the land was while looking at the view of the lonsome pine. Many flowers in Kentucky are mentioned throughout the novel and June also had a flower garden built for her of Kentucky's wildflowers. Although I didn't like the waay the law stepped in during the Falins and Tollivers family feuds which continued throughout June's childhoodBecause I think their battles could have been a book by itself rather than to combine them with the love and romance of Hale and June even though they greatly affected their lives. I felt that the novel was deeply expressive in many ways and throughout all encounters portrayed by John Fox Jr. you were sure to experience the poetic side of life in the Kentucky mountains.
Bob Likes.......2000-05-16
Bob feels that this book was very good. Bob liked this book very much. This gripping tale of love and survival is deeply etched into the soul of every reader that reads this heart-wrenching novel. Fox tells a story of a facinating undying love for others and the Big Pine that always seems to know the answers to life's most difficult questions. Bob encourages anyone that likes a wonderful well wrote book to pick this one up, hold it close to your heart, and never let go.
Customer Reviews:
Hiking Tennessee Trails.......2000-09-05
I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. It discusses not only the trails themselves but their history. The physical descriptions of the trails are excellent, however I would have liked to see more detailed maps. It is a wonderful book to use as a reference.
Average customer rating:
|
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
JR John Fox
Manufacturer: Scribner & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 General | Drama | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B000N7DWUA |
Product Description
A fiction story about the outdoors.
Customer Reviews:
THIS IS THE BEST OF THE TRILOGY!.......2002-11-09
I read this years ago but its still one of the best military sci-fi action books out there. The 1st and 3rd fell way short of this little gem.
A must read for those out there who like great sci-fi military action!!
Average customer rating:
|
Aldebaran Campaign
Manufacturer: Ace Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Subjects
| Books
| Adventure
| Alternate History
| Anthologies
| General
| Graphic Novels
| High Tech
| History & Criticism
| Series
| Short Stories
| Space Opera
ASIN: 0441234348 |
Book Description
This first-of-its-kind volume features 40 ways to make a classic martini, 60 nouveau concoctions and a directory of the world's best martini lounges. Here, readers will discover the finer points of gin versus vodka, olive versus twist, shaken versus stirred, as well as brands of liquor, ratios of ingredients and every facet of this highly ritualized and specific cocktail. Also included are looks at and recipes for the weird and wonderful new offspring of the martini renaissance: chocolate and espresso martinis, the Cajun Combustion Engine, Martini Navratilova, Very Berry Martini, Pasini Express, Berlin Station Chief and many more. With sidebars featuring quotes from literature, toasts and historical points of interest, plus photos recalling great martini moments in film, politics, culture and advertising, Shaken Not Stirred is a fabulous celebration of a classic and very au courant international tradition.
Customer Reviews:
A great introduction to a great drink!.......2006-06-28
This book not only has some great recipes for varied martinis in it (I think I hear my gin calling me now!) but it gives great history and background to the drink and the ingredients and the characters and places that have made the martini an example of elegance and simplicity in potables!
Get it, find a recipe, make one up, then sit down and sip and read more.
Fabulous.......2005-08-02
A wonderful intrduction to the world of the martini with hints and tips on subtle variations. We're already planning trips to the martini lounges listed.....
Really fun read..........2003-05-11
This is a great little book. It has great martini recipes as well as martini-stories from the authors and others... martini lore, history. Totally fun if your into the martini thing.
The recipes were fun and interesting..some a bit too esoteric for me...but I liked reading them anyway. And like that they are interspersed with the text instead of in a separate recipe section. There are some fun martini quotes too..
The only drawback, I think, and its minor..is that I just hate the feel of the paper. The cover is fine but the pages feel cheap and grainy to me. Harsh, even... It may be a pleasure to read but it isnt really one to hold. Seems to me a smoother paper would be better, altho probably alot more expensive.
That said...its a fun fun book. Easy to read, in a fiction way, as opposed to a non-fiction way. It has flow sometimes lacking in non-fiction.
Shake shake shake, shake shake shake..........2002-12-26
...shake your 'tini?
I was pleased to receive this book recently as a gift and couldn't wait to peel back the front cover and begin seeing what it had in stock for me. The book was a perfect companion as I'd just gotten a set of 4 martini glasses and a shaker/strainer and was eager to put them to good use. But since my nose was too buried in this concise little text, I didn't have any need for the hardware yet. Since "Shaken Not Stirred" also offered conventional and more modern drink recipies - in an effective layout - I was perfectly willing to go back to it to look up a couple of drink recipes once I'd read up on my background info on the drink. I feel like I am now a true martini aficianado and much better informed!
The book was put together by the authors of a website by the same name, who launched their site on Halloween of '95. Soon, they had gotten many suggestions to put the book together - and it turned out to be an unqualified hit. There are many reasons to like this book, it's easy to read and the words flow, plus its something I'd want to read more than once. But perhaps my favorite part about this original idea for a book (it purports to be the first bar book expressly dedicated to the martini, and backs it up by research done by the publisher) is that it's not just a recipe book or just a list of bars. In other words, all you probably ever need to know in a tight little package. It was also neat finding out I'd already visited some of their best "martini lounges" in my city within the pages, but was eager to try the places I hadn't heard of. I'd recommend this volume to anyone interested in mixing their own drinks, or even wanting to learn a little bit more behind the whole martini or "Swingers" culture.
Now then, care for a cocktail? ;)
Dean Martin would be proud!!!!!.......2001-12-23
I don't consider myself to be a big drinker, but the Martini is so cool and this book represents it in every aspect. It's just a really cool book to leave around the apartment so people can spy it when they drop by. I'm going to find one of those Martini lounges!
Product Description
The author shows how firm, consistent training can transform a Rottweiler into a gentle companion and loyal guardian of home and family. She emphasizes that the owner must be assertive when training this breed. As part of the Training Your Dog Series you will be taught just that; how to train your dog, with special emphasis on your special breed. Virtually every aspect of training is covered, including housebreaking and paper training, basic obedience, teaching the animal to obey both verbal and hand signals, retrieving and walking on a leash. Also covered are humane methods of breaking a dog's bad habits, such as begging, jumping on people, unnecessary barking, and biting. Each book is filled with instructive full-color photos. Other breeds featured in this Series are the German Shepherd and the Labrador Retriever. Paperback / 176 Pages / 6 1/2 x 7 7/8 / 1999
Customer Reviews:
great book.......2007-09-13
is agreat book have a lot of ideas on how to train your rottweiler but i think it should have more information on this breed
Works great.......2006-04-22
As soon as I got this book I could not put it down. Finished it in 2 days, and in less then 2 days afterward, I had my rotty, sitting staying and comming on command.
my rottweiler.......2006-02-26
i was always vary about buying a rottweiler as i was advised by my friends against the same.i think the rottweiler is the most misunderstood species in dogs.anyway i ordered this book from Amazon.com , went through the entire book , and after knowing the facts went ahead and bought my beautiful 1 and half month old female rottweiler SKY ! I m very happy today and recommend the above book to all rottweiler lovers.
Sachin M.Khanolkar,
Mumbai,India.
Easy to understand.......2001-10-19
The book is written in such a way,even if you didn't own a Rottie you can easily follow all the chapters and succed.
Whoever owns a Rottie or is planning on getting one should buy and read this book.It is very easy to understand.
Comprehensive and Thoughtful.......2001-10-02
This book handles with clarity the challenging job of training a rottweiler. These are dogs of great intelligence and strength - a wonderful combination when properly directed. Ms. McNinch puts what could seem like a daunting task into completely understandable training plans for your dog. I own 12 rottweilers and know that well trained they are a wonderful gift, untrained they can be powerful gremlins with the power to think. This book makes the training a do-able task - which should result in less throw-a-way rotties, lost because of lack of knowledge.
Customer Reviews:
Kid's book.......2006-12-22
This book was a waste of time, it just talked about basic dog behavior, with simple language. No detail whatsoever on how to train or specific tricks to teach your dog. The book's title should be "Rottweiler Children Stories."
Excellent Book.......2001-05-26
I Like this Book Because it explains in simple Words how to train one of the best Breed ( Rottweiller ). If I have to choose again I Will choose this Book.
Book Description
An essential handbook to this popular breed!
If you've been looking for a loyal dog that will fit in well with your family, now is the time to consider owning a rottweiler. These handsome dogs make excellent companions. Even though they tend to be a bit reserved in nature, rottweilers display a strong sense of adaptability, intelligence, and willingness to work, making them extremely versatile.
Written by pet expert Margaret Holowinski, The Everything(r) Rottweiler Book tells you everything you need to know about making a rottweiler part of your life. This handy book is an all-inclusive work, covering all aspects of rottweiler care, so you know what to expect and can watch out for issues before they become serious problems.
The Everything(r) Rottweiler Book helps you:
Teach basic obedience and manners
Socialize your rottie with people and other pets
Develop a balanced diet and exercise routine
Groom and housetrain your rottweiler
Prepare for emergencies
With these tips, you can give your rottweiler a comfortable, healthy lifestyle!
Book Description
Welcome to the world of White Knob Wind Up Toys (WKWs). Their diversity, availability,and price make these small, ingenious mechanical wonders one of the most collectible toys on the market today. Since the manufacturing of WKWs began in the 1970s, they have hopped, waddled, swam, danced, flipped, and rolled into hearts and homes throughout the world. Never has any toy been more plentifully accepted and enjoyed by both children and adults alike. This book, which is as irresistable as the WKWs it features, includes over 275 full-color photographs, a price guide, and the information you need to either start or continue building a wonderful collection.
Customer Reviews:
Unwind with a really good book :).......2001-06-25
Before l discovered this book, l was completely unaware of the term `WKW' and had no idea that it referred to toys that l once owned as a child. I'm sure most of us at some point in our lives had a set of plastic windup chattering teeth, a walking robot or a hopping frog. If that toy was wound by a short metal rod attached to a small white knob then you to owned a WKW - White Knob Windup. As Mr Birkenes points out in his book, many of these toys were (and in many cases still are) available for a few pence. As such, collecting White Knob Windups is a fairly inexpensive hobby. Inexpensive that is until you discover that there be as many as 15,000 different designs out there. And believe me, if you become hooked you will want every single one! (The White Knob Windup book illustrates around 350 different WKW's).
If you love toys and have a soft spot for the weird, wacky and tacky, then this book is one that wouldn't be out of place on your book shelf. It's perfect for anyone who loves childhood nostalgia, toy design and pop culture icons (and not forgetting the all important `how much? - l used to have one of those' surprise factor when you see just how valueable some of these 3.5" high plastic toys can be).
This 80 page book is packed with (albeit slightly rough) photos illustrating toys made by some of the big toy names such as Tomy, Galoob, Bandai, Mattel and Russ (to name but a few). There are toys relating to Animals, Vehicles, St.Valentines Day, Robots etc., and even a bunch along the lines of those novelty chattering teeth that l mentioned earlier. Many of these examples however, are for new or fast food toys. And to be honest, some of the price guides are little off the mark and much of the written information can certainly been seen as lacking for someone who claims to have been collecting since the late 70's. Yet, (at least for this reader ) all of the `could be improved upon bits' are readily forgiven in gratitude for the one thing that this book has proved, and that, for me, is a `kick start' into a hobby that l am just passionate about, collecting White Knob Windup toys.
Average customer rating:
|
Roof Construction and Loft Conversion
C. N. Mindham
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing, Incorporated
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Building Construction
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Carpentry
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Roofing
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Roofing
| How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Arts & Photography
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Home & Garden
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Professional
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
Science
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0632052015 |
Book Description
This book provides practical guidance on the design and construction of timber roofs, featuring numerous detail drawings. It includes information on loft to attic room conversion.The new edition has been updated to cover the latest changes to the British Regulations and extended coverage of roof attic construction.
Average customer rating:
|
Loft Conversions
Laurie Williamson
Manufacturer: Crowood Press, Limited, The
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Building Construction
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Real Estate
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Household Hints
| How-to & Home Improvements
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
Attics, Dormers, and Skylights (For Pros By Pros)
ASIN: 1861263651 |
Average customer rating:
|
The Unanticipated City: Loft Conversions in Lower Manhattan
James R. Hudson
Manufacturer: University of Massachusetts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Residential
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
New York
| State & Local
| United States
| Americas
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Interior Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Urban
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
Communities
| Sociology
| Social Sciences
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0870235796 |
Average customer rating:
|
All you need to know about loft conversions
Bill Eykyn
Manufacturer: Collins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Building Construction
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0004354842 |
Average customer rating:
|
Loft Conversions
John Coutts
Manufacturer: Blackwell Publishing Limited
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Building Types & Styles
| Architecture
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Building Construction
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Construction
| Civil
| Engineering
| Professional & Technical
| Subjects
| Books
Buildings & Construction
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Design & Construction
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Remodeling & Renovation
| Home Design
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
All Titles
| Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007
| Stores
| Books
ASIN: 1405130431 |
Book Description
Domestic loft conversions have gained enormously in popularity as a way of providing more space without the substantial cost of moving house. One third of all new build houses have lofts that can be used for habitation.This book provides a technical manual for construction practitioners, as well as the self-build market on the technical, design and regulatory aspects of loft conversions for dwellings.
Customer Reviews:
location, location, procedure.......1998-07-18
this book provides an execelent overview of the development of loft communities in chicago, boston, and new york. although the book is almost 20 years old, it has provided useful information for the sucessful development of residential lofts.
mpulliam@cme.com
Book Description
The rapid development of Information Technology has also effected the layout and planning of our towns. Increasingly, physical structures are being covered with a veneer of visual-virtual light architecture which makes use of the new media to alter existing buildings and quarters, enriching and enhancing them. The townscape of tomorrow will become a huge, multilayered screen, which will draw the passers-by into an interactive electronic world. Gianni Ranaulo, born in 1957, is a practising architect, architectural critic and curator of exhibitions. He lives in France.
Average customer rating:
- Beautiful to look at, insightful to read!
|
Contemporary Printmaking in the Northwest
Lois Allan
Manufacturer: Fine Art Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Schools, Periods & Styles
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
| Abstract Expressionism
| Ancient & Classical
| Art Deco
| Art Nouveau
| Baroque
| Byzantine
| Constructivism
| Contemporary Art
| Cubism
| Dadaism
| Expressionism
| Fauvism
| Folk Art
| Futurism
| German Expressionism
| Gothic
| Impressionism
| Mannerism
| Medieval
| Modern
| Neoclassical
| Pop
| Post-Impressionism
| Pre-Raphaelite
| Prehistoric & Primitive
| Realism
| Renaissance
| Rococo
| Romanesque
| Romantic
| Surrealism
United States
| Regional
| History & Criticism
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Pop Culture
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Printmaking
| Graphic Design
| Design & Decorative Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Art
| Antiques & Collectibles
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Crafts & Hobbies
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 9057031310 |
Customer Reviews:
Beautiful to look at, insightful to read!.......1998-11-17
This book offers a wonderful visual survey of myriad printmaking styles. In clear, unfussy, thoughtful text, the author shows us the hows and whys behind this special artform. A gem of a book for anyone with an eye for art.
Book Description
Black and white culture has been blending and colliding in America for hundreds of years. In the 1700s, black slaves discovered their masters' Bibles and found in them a seditious faith of their own. In the 1920s, young white men fell in love with New Orleans jazz and created an underground of cultural dissidents. In the 1970s, black style began its takeover of the sports world and made Dr. J and Michael Jordan the idols of millions.
Drawing on original research and daring new interpretations of crucial events in American history, author Stephan Talty paints a portrait of a lost America: one in which musicians, writers, and ordinary people led the nation to a deeper understanding of the strangers on the other side of town.
Customer Reviews:
The Song of America sung in a Strange New Future Key.......2004-01-24
Mr. Talty has written an intelligent, wonderfully lyrical book (like a 1950s riff in two-four time). If six stars were allowed I would give it to this book.
This romp through history teems with the optimistic sounds, rhythms, smells and tastes of all we have come to understand as the proverbial American "melting pot." It is a profoundly uplifting and optimistic read. It is an essential side of the untold-American story, but not the only one. Unfortunately it is as clear to us (the reader)-as it is to Mr. Talty that he has sampled only the best of America-the mélange that is, to our collective dismay, but the fringe on top.
Thus, it is so very easy to be seduced by this book. It is so well written. It reflects so much of the author's passion and love for this country. It is so intelligently thought-out. In short, it is wishful thinking at its delicious best. I love the place in the heart and soul from which this book sprung. At some point in our lives, most of us share that wonderfully optimistic out look on America. We want the best for our country and we also want only to think the best about it. We all yearn for this 400-year old experiment to succeed.
So it is easy to be seduced by Mr. Talty's book. Indeed we want to be seduced by it. And he wants to seduce us. But if one is not careful, he may be completely taken in by it and begin to think for instance that had Dennis Rodman and Madonna had kids their Mulattos off-springs too would have inherited the earth. We might forget that the hiphoppers are also rebelling against Louis Armstrong's grinning teeth. We might think that Elvis and Little Richard were some kind of ambassador for race-mixing. But alas it is not so! It is all a self-fulfilling mirage. There is a deeper realty underlying rock-and-roll, Jazz, hip-hop and black ghetto pimps.
It is the reality of that side of America born with D.W. Griffith's "Birth of a Nation"-which the author curiously failed to include in his very selective romp through American history.No one is more aware than the author that his romp--however lyrical and well stated it may be--is but the fringe sitting atop a burgeoning "rotten egg." One that seems always just one step away from bursting at the seam. One that after 400 years still has ("soft") white superiority--an epithet that remains the unwritten subtext of his book--written all over it. But the author cannot be blamed for that any more than a fish can be blamed for swimming in polluted waters.
Of course, for cosmetic reasons (reasons of collective denial) America's ideology of racism is no longer called that any more. There are any numbers of other euphemisms, recycled, as times require, that serve that purpose-such as: multiculturalism, color blind society, paper equality, "mulatto America," etc., ad infinitum.
The one in vogue today is "Social Darwinism," a generic name for "Republican and Democratic Conservatism." Social Darwinism is a "stand in" for snow white's famous "mirror, mirror on the wall kind of whiteness." The kind that says if America is to remain a white nation (as surely it must, at all cost) it must become a "Zero-Sum Society," a "Winner-Take-All Society," the "Cheating Society," the "Cynical Society," and the "Unconscious Civilization."
If not, the mirror on the wall is likely to answer: You are still the fairest in the land... but they (those Mulattoes, and reds, and browns, and blacks, and especially those yellows) are gaining on you fast.
Why is it that one half of the contribution to our national-race-mixing salsa--that part made by whites themselves--never quites gets discussed openly until its too late? [Like Strom Thursmond's mulatto daughter? Why leave discussing whiteness to the David Dukes of the world and to the "Turner Diaries, etc.?] Why is it that "Whiteness" is either the only conceptual reality, the only subjectivity, the only worldview or it has to remain a phantom in the background--the invisible substrate, the neutral background that pulls all the strings but cannot be seen except just beyond the shadows?
There is another problem with Mr. Talty's book. It is a technical one. Compared to England, or Germany, or almost any other advanced Western society, THERE IS NO "Mulatto America." Fifty per cent of Brits are intermarried with their non-white minorities. In America, even in 2004, it is still less that 5%. And although 25% of whites have some black blood and 50% of blacks and Indians with some white blood, it is all as a result of white male-on-black female rape during slavery and the later "passing for white" that was required by these Mulatto off-springs--not as a result of contemporary race mixing-which incidentally is so minimal compared to other Western nations that it has raised concerns among sociologists.
So, where is this mulatto America that Mr. Talty speaks of?
While all this is more a critique of the context of the book, than the book itself, it reflects how deeply this book can affect one's thinking, and how much it reflects America's yearning, no matter the color.
In sum, this is a heroic effort no matter how the book affects you. Please buy it. You won't be disappointed. I guarantee it.
As a parting shot, may I suggest that we need Mr. Talty's mind, passion and superb writing skills-working behind the screen of racism as well as in front of it--if we are to ever prick the poison in the rotten egg that lies beneath. Hopefully his next book will be about what lies beneath the fringe-for that too-perhaps even more profoundly and certainly more frightfully--is also America.
When humpty-dumpty is finally toppled from the wall, only then will we be able to sing a new song of America in a truly Mulatto key.
Iconoclastic views on the American experience.......2003-07-21
The book gets off to a great start with iconoclastic tales of antebellum life in the United States. Chapter 1 covers American 'White' slavery, something that needs a lot more attention. Page 1 includes a photo of an adorable 'White' girl of about 8 whose freedom was purchased by abolishionists in the 1850s. Chapter 2 retells stories of the early 'tent revivals' now known as the 'Great Awakening'. The twist here is to tell it in terms of the slave reaction. Chapter 2 is probably the best chapter of the book. I've never seen anyone make a case for the Great Awakening enticing slaves to 'buy' the American dream, but Talty makes a good argument for it. The Great Awakening too often gets ignored in our overly materialist ethos.
The next two chapters lose a bit of energy. Chapter 3 is titled 'The Mulatto Flag: Interracial Love in Antebellum America." I'm not sure what flag Talty sees waving, because he never distinguishes 'mulatto' as a positive notion, in and of itself. Being 'mulatto' is just something that one happens to get labelled. There are some interesting stories here, though. I didn't know that there were documented cases of 'white' men drinking a few drops of their 'Black' lover's blood to claim mulatto status and get a marriage license. Apparently, this method of gaining mulatto status is written into the popular play 'Showboat.' Chapter four covers the Civil War in 6 short pages. I think this a mistake and the book never really recaptures it's narative drive.
Chapter 5 is called "Memorizing Shakespeare: The Black Elite". W.E.B. Du Bois is the central hero. Du Bois reacts against being 'whiter than white' (memorizing Shakespeare) and seeks to define a 3rd way. Talty argues Du Bois' book 'Souls of Black Folk' does this, but the argument is too abstract to gain traction.
With Du Bois out of the way, Talty spend the rest of the book doing musicology to avoid talking about the sexual taboos that define 'whiteness' or 'blackness.' I don't object to the detailed history of Jazz, but the music metaphor did little for me for the last 100 pages of the book. Explaining contemporary racism in terms of music history may provide a way to encode your thoughts without offending anyone, but whatever Talty's purpose, it eluded me.
The last chapter is called, 'The Death of Coercion'. I don't think the word 'mulatto' is mentioned once. Instead, Talty makes the mistake of hoping we will simply forget the terms 'white', 'black' and 'mulatto'. After describing Terry McMillan's 'A Day Late and a Dollar Short,' he writes, "Black style, black tradition, black suffering, the black story: all are as vital and real as one's blood type. But 'race' in the abstract - that unseen presence that defined one's essential place in the world - has lost most of its terrors and its charms."
This seems to avoid the issue. As best I can tell, despite 'race' meaning a lot of different things to different people, the notion continues to play a role in day to day life. The Supreme Court recently ruled colleges could use 'race' as a criteria for selecting new students. President Bush recently talked at a NAACP meeting while Democratic presidential hopefuls ignored a NAACP convention. Both events made the evening news. In Tulsa, legal action is being taken by victims of a 1920 era race riot.
The title 'Mulatto Nation' implies a commentary on 'amalgamation' and the 'melting pot' metaphor. Neither are popular intellectual ideas these days. 'Mulatto Nation' seems to suggest the melting is taking place unconsciously, in the music, in the way we act. Without addressing the conflict between unconscious and conscious, the book misses an important opportunity.
Personally, I object to forgetting about 'race'. Much of the 'race' problem is white fathers forgetting about their 'colored' descendents (whatever colored happened to mean). Thomas Jefferson didn't leave Monticello to his first born son. He freed him from slavery, but never acknowledged him. Fredrick Douglas came to terms with his plantation owning father after the Civil War, but he didn't inherit the farm. Until 1967, 17 states prohibited 'black' - 'white' marriages, but this didn't preclude many mixed common law marriages. What the laws accomplished was a denial of the rights of inheritance. The son of a white father and black mother could not inherit the father's estate. I don't think this sort of thing is easily forgotten. Check into the Bible for an idea of how long people continue talking about stolen inheritances.
Less and more than history.......2003-06-29
While exploring a number of interesting subjects, Talty's method creates some serious problems in the historical narrative. An historian has to make some effort to understand other eras on their own terms, and far too often Talty's narrative reminds us that he is very much a man of this time and place. Where the behavior of people doesn't accord with his modern expectations, he simply creates motivations which "explain" the behavior more to his liking. In this, the book often seems more an exercise in polemics than an exploration of the lives people led within the world as they saw it. In a great work of history, the author will fade into the background and the historical narrative will not reveal his presence, but one is continually reminded that this is the work of an American born in the late 20th Century. The simplistic racialism so characteristic of our time, across the political and social spectrum, and which so often tends to blur the complexity and reality of the world, is repeatedly in force. All too often we are told what "the blacks" or "the whites" were thinking at a given moment, far too often in greater detail than would be warranted by the historical sources in describing what even an individual may have been thinking.
This is a book which should be written, but by someone trained in historical methods rather than in journalism, so that the book would, as this one does not, transcend the present to reveal the past. This book reveals more about the author's ideological and cultural filters than about the events described.
Books:
- South of Reason: A Novel
- Storm Chasers: A Novel
- TARZAN of the Apes; Return; Beasts; Son; Jungle Tales; Untamed; Terrible; Golden Lion; Ant Men; Lord of the Jungle; Lost Empire; Earth's Core; Invincible; Triumphant; City of Gold; Lion Man; Leopard Men; Quest; Forbidden City; Magnificent; Foreign Legion
- Ten American Short Stories and Others: Laugh or Cry but Love
- Tetched: A Novel in Fractals
- The Arch of Desire: An Erotic Novel
- The Big Ballad Jamboree
- The Black Violin: A Novel
- The Book of Franza & Requiem for Fanny Goldmann
- The Broken Places: A Novel
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Tools & Techniques of Financial Planning
- The Bloody Crown of Conan
- Polymers in Particulate Systems: Properties and Applications
- The Last September
- The Good Ghouls' Guide to Getting Even
- The Invisible Universe
- The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey
- NO ONE YOU KNOW: A Collection of Cartoons
- Stan Douglas: Every Building on 100 West Hastings
- Mountain and Moorland Ponies of the British Isles
Commodore Perry's Minstrel Show (James A. Michener Fiction Series)
Seaview: A Novel (Rediscovery)
The Caprices
