Brothers Forever: An Orphan Story Review

Brothers Forever: An Orphan Story
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Brothers Forever is a great story and the author Craig Mayeux is an outstanding storyteller. Reading this book was like watching a movie for me. I felt like I was there with Thomas and Claude. I enjoyed the story and the detail descriptions of the time and place in which the story takes place. I had a hard time putting this book down and could not wait until I had time to read more of it. I hope Craig Mayeux's next novel is in the works and soon to be published!

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Craig Mayeux's novel is a searing, searching portrait of mirth and misery, crammed with tender innocence, optimistic bonding and crashing sorrow—all weighed down by blind cultural precepts.
Two boys, who share a crib in a New York institution, are suddenly immersed as "orphan train" riders into Louisiana's Cajun/Creole folkways. One is adopted by a childless, doting couple; the other is indentured to hard-luck, hardscrabble farmers.
The former is spoiled beyond gratification; the other abused emotionally and physically with heart-aching, backbreaking servitude.
Throughout the continuing counterpoint of bare bones versus largesse, the boys stay true to their anthem of being Brothers Forever.
The author knows of what he writes. His grandfather, George Leary, was an indentured "orphan train" boy, who traveled from New York to Cottonport, Louisiana in the early twentieth century.
Myron TassinAuthor/co-author of 20 books, including,Why Me Lord? Recollections of a CottonpickerNous Sommes Acadiens/We Are Acadians

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Magnolia, Magnolia, Where Are You? Review

Magnolia, Magnolia, Where Are You
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I recommend the book to everyone! This book is for your whole family to enjoy! Children will appreciate the meaning of family. Children will learn to not take life for granted and appreciate what you have. It is a book that is so good you don't want to put it down until you are finish reading it! Then read it again!

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Taking Tanganyika: Experiences Of An Intelligence Officer 1914-1918 Review

Taking Tanganyika: Experiences Of An Intelligence Officer 1914-1918
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I was a bit sceptical about purchasing this book but glad I did.The intelligence department in first world war theatre were the cream of the British army (in Africa) and did some pretty amazing feats of reconnaissance work. The author being present.It was the first modern jungle guerrilla war i.e. machine guns armoured cars,et, and the British had a worthy opponent in the Ascaris, tribesman trained and led by Germans in modern warfare tactics.Well written and entertaining also not many books let alone accounts in existence.

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Wild Winds: Adventures in the Highest Andes Review

Wild Winds: Adventures in the Highest Andes
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A superb book. Highly recomended first-hands descriptions of fantastic climbs in the andes. Full of interesting histories and facts. Outstanding!

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I Must Remember This: A Southern White Boy's Memories of the Great Depression, Jim Crow, and World War II Review

I Must Remember This: A Southern White Boy's Memories of the Great Depression, Jim Crow, and World War II
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I have heard the story of my father's plane crash all my life. Then, in this book, an eye witness account revealing details I'd never heard before. An additional treasure lies in the discovery of a living friend of my father's. My father died a few years later as a result of the crash, consequently, I am intrigued to learn all I can about him from his friends. Thanks to Mr. Youngblood, I can now add a few more pieces to the puzzle. A wonderful insight into friendships as well the joy of life found in simplicity.
Donald H. Garbade, Jr.

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Joe, George, and Richard Youngblood, three white brothers growing up in the rural South during the Great Depression, live in a world of paradoxes: love and hate; doubt and faith; and sadness and humor.

In his poignant memoir I Must Remember This: A Southern White Boy's Memories of the Great Depression, Jim Crow, and World War II, author George Youngblood shares stories about everything from the brothers' first awareness of death, sex, and race to the truth about Santa Claus. They smoke rabbit tobacco, tremble at ghost and snake stories, watch haircuts for excitement, get baptized, and gawk at locomotives and alligators.

Hard times draw the Youngblood family closer to their father's black farm workers. With one family in particular they form a symbiotic relationship in the hostile world of poverty, disease, and segregation. I Must Remember This is Youngblood's family story as they hope, work, and laugh with little cause—and succeed with basic honesty, respect, and an astounding sense of humor.


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And I'm Glad: An Oral History of Edisto Island (SC) (Voices of America) Review

And I'm Glad: An Oral History of Edisto Island (SC) (Voices of America)
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As beautiful as Edisto Island is, the words of the old storytellers make it all the better. What a wonderful way to learn about this "paradise", but from some of its longest lived residents.
This book is a must for anyone who has travelled to the Charleston area and the Lowcountry.

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White Cane Religion: And Other Messages from the Brownsville Revival Review

White Cane Religion: And Other Messages from the Brownsville Revival
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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.

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The Unionist: A Novel of the Civil War Review

The Unionist: A Novel of the Civil War
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I am not usually interested much in historical fiction, but a friend recommended this book and it was excellent. Harrell's straightforward writing is a breath of fresh air that you don't get much these days. He is able to take complex items and explain them in terms that are relatively easy to understand. Subjects such as harvesting cotton and loading a musket don't seem enthralling, but I found myself feeling glad that someone took the time to tell me anyway. I also learned where the word "hooker" came from.
The author's battle depictions give you a real feeling for what it must have been like to partake in the brutal fighting that primitive weaponry and poor leadership usually lead to. His portrayal of the political turmoil that was brewing during the months preceding the war helped set the backdrop for the main character's tough decision to go fight for the Union, after being raised in the South.
The best thing about the book, though, is David Snelling, the main character. He is noble, honest, brave, and has one hell of a temper. It is amazing what damage one can do with an axe handle. It is also quite tragic to think that young men like Snelling, with bright futures and much to risk, offered their service and lives to keep this country together, only to be shunned by the very Union they fought to preserve. "The Unionist" shows how hard it was for people like Snelling to get a measley military pension.
Finally, this book is one that should be right next to "Red Badge of Courage" in required reading for high schoolers about the Civil War. Steven Harrell should be commended for introducing us to several "must see" characters and events in American history. Just as important is the that fact that Harrell is able to weave the story in a way that might actually entice students to keep reading.
Check it out!!

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Elementals 1 Review

Elementals 1
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Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques
Small Magick
Drey is a young mage, sent away by her family in the hopes she would learn how to harness her magickal powers to do wondrous deeds. She becomes frustrated when everything powerful seems beyond her reach. She begins to feel she will never master anything but Small Magick.
Frustration brings her to a natural magick circle and she decides to put it to use. In doing so, she accidentally binds the Wind Spirit into human form, not quite sure how she did it. Cyrus, as the spirit calls himself, sets himself to the task of getting to know Drey quite intimately, and then is ready to return to natural form. Unfortunately, since she has no idea how she trapped him, she doesn't know how to release him!
Only the mage who cast the spell can undo it, so they set about trying to find away to free him, all the while finding they cannot resist the lure each other offers. The harder she tries to free him, the more frustrated she becomes. When an unknown stranger comes to town, also a powerful mage, Drey offers to apprentice to him, in the hopes he can teach her how to master her powers and free Cyrus. Drey learns much about herself and her powers from this mystery mage, but he has a plan all of his own. What does he want with her? Will she ever learn the secret to unlocking the great powers she possesses and to freeing Cyrus? Even if she does find the secret, will she ever truly be able to let him out of her life?
This is the second story in Ms. Midnight's Elementals series and it is a delight! What a unique world she creates in her stories. Small Magick is hot enough to keep the reader yearning for more. Cyrus and Drey are individuals, each with great powers of their own. Drey is a free spirited young lady, who desires above all else, the ability to harness great power with her magick. Cyrus longs for his freedom, but finds he quite enjoys the pleasures of the flesh as well. Drey comes into her own in this story, finding that the truly powerful ones get their strength in the unlikeliest of places and ways.
There is enough intrigue as well, in the mysterious mage, Kelsh, whose agenda is as unknown as his origins. And the details of the passionate love scenes are so inventive and imaginative! The readers will want their significant others at beck and call after reading this book, in hopes of cooling the flames brought on by the details. Definitely worth the time to read; and highly recommended for anyone who likes a little adventure with their passion.
Fire and Ice
Trina was a slave to a powerful sorceress, Kalidah. What she doesn't know is that she herself has a bit of magick in her soul, not that she had ever been given leave to develop it. Then one day as she is gazing into the fire, she unwittingly casts a powerful spell, introducing her to a whole new world, that of the fire spirits.
She can never let her mistress know, and one day her fate is decided for her. Kalidah is set to sacrifice her young slave to a powerful demon, in order to harness its powers for own selfish desires. When her plan backfires, Trina is given her freedom, and finds a new passion for life, in the form of the mysterious Brand, who appears out of nowhere to assist her in beginning her new life. and awakening burning desires Trina never knew existed.
Trina is on her quest to find her family, and her history, with the help of some friends she meets along the way. All the while on her quest for her family, she is also on a different quest... to explore these passions and erotic fantasies she has suddenly been enlightened to discover.
Fire and Ice is quite an interesting read. Who could have ever dreamed up a world of flame spirits, dancing in the hearths of the ordinary people? Ms. Midnight takes something that seems so ordinary, simple fire, and delves into a whole new world. The passion between Trina and Flame burns brightly, never wavering, even in the light of dangers stalking Trina as she continues her journey of discovery. If one is looking for an erotic foray into another world or alternate reality, this is the book to read. One will never see fire in the same light again after finishing this one.
Elementals 1 is a foray into a world of fantasy and erotic pleasure that is sure to captivate readers.
© Kelley A. Hartsell, May 2006. All right reserved.

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Justin Wilson's Cajun Humor Review

Justin Wilson's Cajun Humor
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If you enjoy laughing at clean jokes that are truly funny and without malice, Justin is as good as Robin Williams (no histrionics though) on a good day, funnier than Dan Ackroyd in his movies.
Mr. Wilson has two talents: cooking with a smile and spicy recipes for making people laugh.
A must see, must read and must get to know person both in print and the media.

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Justin Wilson, the world's greatest spinner ofCajun tales, and Howard Jacobs, a leading authority on Cajun dialects, combinetheir rare talents in this rollicking anthology of Cajun humor.For more than forty-five years the delight of audiences around the country,the exceptionally neighborly and friendly Justin Wilson is without peer in hismastery of the distinctive Cajun patois and the stories Cajun joie devivre . Nattily decked out in string ties, flop-brimmed Panama hat, andflaming red suspenders, and punctuating his stories with a booming "Iga-ron-tee!," Wilson projects authentic Cajun Humorinstantly recognized by anyone who has visited the Louisiana bayou country.Wilson, whose tales have been recorded on numerous best-selling albums, isalso the author of More Cajun Humor , and Justin Wilson'sCajun Fables , as well as many cookbooks, including The JustinWilson Cookbook , The Justin Wilson Cookbook #2: Cookin'Cajun , The Justin Wilson Gourmet and Gourmand Cookbook ,Justin Wilson's Outdoor Cooking with Inside Help , all publishedby Pelican.Howard Jacobs, a widely read columnist with The New OrleansTimes-Picayune , is the co-author of Justin Wilson's CajunHumor, and author of Cajun Laugh-in.

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Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses / Old Man / The Bear Review

Three Famous Short Novels: Spotted Horses / Old Man / The Bear
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This was a challenging story, like all works of Faulkner. But also a very rewarding story. When you finish this one you feel like you have been somewhere... truly immersed in a time period... truly immersed in a family.
No author, ever... has had the knack of creating a world of ordinary people so expertly intertwined throughout his novels. Faulkner either by design or accident (I doubt that??) has created a rich tapestry in his books, of characters subtlely connected by time and circumstance.
I have read The Sound and the Fury and most of Light in August; and it is not difficult to see the connections in just these two books plus the short story The Bear. Everything I have chanced to read by this amazing author has had careful, deep, intricate connections to the other works.
I know this is a well known fact... but the way in which Faulkner executes it, leaves me amazed each and every time I encounter it.
The Bear is a coming of age story about Ike McCaslin. It traces his development to a young man through several vingettes. Each time we see him he is involved in a hunt. That is until the last 2 sections in which we see him at age 21 looking back on his family history and discussing his right to the land. Once we see him as a young boy and then onward into his teenage years.
The story revolves around an aged bear who roams the forests and swamps where they hunt. It is interesting to see Ike develop as a hunter and man, as the hunters get closer and closer to the old bear.
There are many rich characters in this story.... far to many for me to touch on in this short review.
A big theme that impressed me in this one was how our personal history is inexticably tied to the land we grow up on. Ike McCaslin was, "who" he was because of where he was from, and he could never escape that fact.
Faulkner was an author unafraid to delve into the scriptures in developing his ideas. I believe his use of scriptural narratives only serves to strengthen his work. What he says, rings with authority when he uses Abraham, Adam and Eve as illustrations. He expertly uses the story of Abrahams travels to the promised land to show how his characters have squandered their "rights" to the land they grew up on... their "promised land".
There is no doubt William Faulkner knew how to put a story together. Any of his works, beg to be read again and again. I will surely be picking this one up again... I recommend it to anyone who loves books! William Faulkner is a giant in the world of literature!

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Three different ways to approach Faulkner, each of them representative of his work as a whole. Includes "Spotted Horses," "Old Man," and his famous "The Bear."

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Soldiers On Skis: A Pictorial Memoir Of The 10th Mountain Division Review

Soldiers On Skis: A Pictorial Memoir Of The 10th Mountain Division
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I purchased "Soldiers On Skis" as a coffee table book for my home in the Colorado Mountains. It is obvious that alot of work went into making this book happen.
It only touches lightly on the training at Camp Hale, on 8 out of 234 pages. It's fine for history buffs, etc. My two complaints about the book have to do with printing and photography.
Anybody with a decent scanner and a copy of Adobe Photoshop could have brought most of the photos to life and made a huge difference in the book. The vast majority of the photos are small, grainy and washed out. You will not lose yourself in the photos and be transported to another time. Some of the photos even have text from the previous page bleeding through and ruining them.
Overall, I'm surprised that the ball was dropped and so much effort was allowed to be spoiled. It could have been a great book.

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Here is the story of the 10th Mountain Division, the only U.S. troops specially trained for mountain warfare. Vivid personal accounts, including a Foreword by 10th veteran Sen. Bob Dole, and an outstanding collection of rare photos breathe life into the memories and pay tribute to the heroes who fought and died in WWII.

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Dutch Clarke's Journals: The Early Years Review

Dutch Clarke's Journals: The Early Years
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I have read all of Brian Ratty's historical fiction and must say that these books are certain to become classics for future generations. The author has a way of writing that pulls the reader in and makes him (or her) not want to put the book down until the very last page (even then, still wishing for more!). If you like a good adventure story akin to such works as Horatio Hornblower, this and the rest of Brian Ratty's works are well worth reading!

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We all come into this world alone, and go out the same. Between coming and going, is life. This is a story about life and how a year long adventure defines the future for a young man named Dutch Clarke. Manipulated by his Grandfather, he undertakes a one-year ordeal in the wilderness of British Columbia in 1941. Set against the backdrop of the opening days of World War II, this is a classic story of a personal struggle and coming of age against all odds. Dutch begins his trek with only his horse Blaze, two mules and a half wild dog, Gus. As they hike to the remote Nascall Valley, he digs deep to learn courage, self-reliance and self-esteem. Along the way, Dutch faces many obstacles, some life threatening, some inspiring and all a challenge to his character and spirit. Taken from his journals and illustrated with drawings made along the trail, the narrative style of the story strongly pulls the reader along from one adventure to the next. It's a story of redemption. It's a story that shaped a life. It's an "edge of your seat" survival saga at its best!

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The Bible in Spain: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula (Cambridge Library Collection - Religion) (Volume 1) Review

The Bible in Spain: Or, the Journeys, Adventures, and Imprisonments of an Englishman in an Attempt to Circulate the Scriptures in the Peninsula (Cambridge Library Collection - Religion) (Volume 1)
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The Bible in Spain by George Borrow (Kindle edition, 2010) sold more copies than Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens when it was first published in 1843. This seems odd today, but at the time of its publication it was understandable. It covers fives years from 1835 to 1837 and geographically it ranges over the Iberian Peninsula. Its appeal for English readers is that it was unabashedly patriotic while at the same time it defended the Protestant religion against the arguments and blandishments of the Pope and the Roman Catholic Church which he headed. Borrow was a salesman for the London Bible Society whose job was to arrange publication and distribution of a Castilian translation of the New Testament and a Gypsy translation of the Gospel of St. Luke. While selling Bibles and inveighing against idolatry and superstition, Borrow was hounded by soldiers and servants headed by Cristina, mother and regent for the infant Queen Isabella II, daughter of Ferdinand VII and by followers of Don Carlos, a rival claimant to the throne, who was the brother of Ferdinand VII. As a Bourbon queen, Isabella II was backed by liberals who advocated a constitutional monarchy and State supervision of the Roman Catholic Church and by the English government which, under the guidance of Viscount Palmerston, endorsed the liberal's platform. The so-called Spanish "nationalists" regarded Don Carlos as week and subservient to the wishes of a Papal-dominated Roman Church hierarchy. Cristina wavered in her support of the liberals and in a shift in power Moderatos took over the government and evinced a more agreeable attitude toward the Catholic Church. Spain, as a poor country in the nineteenth century, was having problems with the Pope and was more assertive in exercising its authority than it was when the Hapsburgs ruled Spain and acceded to the wishes of the Spanish Inquisition in the sixteenth and seventeen centuries. In 1835 the horrors of the Inquisition were happily a thing of the past.
George Borrow accepted his Spanish name Don Jorge. Don Jorge had a pet name for the Pope whom he calls Batuschea. It would help if this name or insult were explained as it does not appear in the Oxford Dictionary of the English language. Since the Pope has been called many insulting names, one name might well be as offensive as another. John Wesley and his followers were active in England during Borrow's lifetime and it is probable that members of this group were the sponsors of the London Bible Society. What better place to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ than Roman Catholic Spain, where ostentatious and esoteric ritual took the place of a more immediate felt presence of God's grace? It is not the purpose of this review to defend Borrow's missionary activities. The Gutenberg press made the Bible available to more people than to an educated Catholic clergy who read it in Latin (if they read it at all) and who regaled their parishioners with Orthodox Church ideas about a three-part Jesus, Jehovah, and a more ethereal Holy Ghost. The new readers of Bibles in their own vernacular languages found a version of religion which was different from what they were told about in the Catholic Church. To Borrow and to the London Bible Society, he was spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ when he was not spreading news of a more remote and jealous Ancient of Days who spoke imperiously and capriciously to people.
Don Jorge found practicing curates who were eager to find out about the Jesus who was the center of their religion by purchasing a Castilian Bible. He did not go into the gypsy reception of the Gospel of St. Luke as he claimed he had covered that subject in a previous out-of-print book. Since the gypsies traversed must of Europe and possessed a common language they must have been acquainted with both Protestant (individualistic) and Roman Catholic (collectivistic) notions about the worship of God, but the independent-minded gypsies, whom Borrow mentioned, possessed a skeptical and stoic view toward life that made promises of salvation superfluous. To gitanos (gypsies) the present was more important than the future, particularly a future that took place after death. While he never forgot that he was supposed to push the sale of Bibles (and took a mathematician's pride in the number circulated), Don Jorge, as a passive viewer of scenery, people and events, was a kind of chameleon. The gypsies knew him well enough not to confuse him with their own; not so the Jews. Because of Don Jorge's knowledge of Hebrew and of Hebrew dialects and because of his being intentionally evasive, "conversos" or clandestine Jews thought of him as one of their own. Don Jorge's singing of Hebrew hymns was a help in his endeavor to blend with low-class working and marauding people. (He had an abiding distaste for members of the nobility.) As Don Jorge had a loathing of Roman Catholics, so also his attitude toward Jews reflected a similar animosity. Nevertheless, he occasionally met hospitable and good-looking Jews who might have challenged his preformed opinions if they were not so deeply embedded. In general the Jews in The Bible in Spain are as conniving and as mean as Shakespeare's Shylock.
The Bible in Spain consists of a continuous narrative in which scenes keep moving by as they do in the movies. Don Jorge used the lecturer's trick of making his descriptions interesting by claiming that many of them where the most interesting, remarkable, singular, mysterious, important, wild, beautiful, etc. he had ever seen. His memory was photographic so he conveyed a general impression of scenery and left the reader to imagine the rest. Each reader may have different ideas about which scene is the most outstanding. The explorations in Basque countries of Asturia and Galicia are especially impressive. It may take a long while to get to Finisterre, or Land's End, in Spain and in Europe, but the scenery when finally revealed is worth the effort. Scenes in the prison in which Don Jorge spent a few invigorating days getting to meet murderers and cut-throats and listening to their slang are striking. Since Don Jorge had the support of English consuls and money to pay for his needs, he was better off than the prisoners who in their debased and deprived conditions are more exciting. It is interesting to read how Cintra, Salamanca. Seville and Cordova appeared in the middle of the 19th century. These cities may be better reconstituted today, but it is exhilarating to know that the Spain of the Goths, Moors, and "old Christians" still retains so much that appeals to the eyes of visitors. Every so often Don Jorge forgot himself and said something praiseworthy about the architecture of Roman Catholic cathedrals in Spain or about the religious paintings of Murillo. Towards the end of his journeys he visited Gibraltar and the Pillars of Hercules before leaving for Tangier. He did not notice the Barbary apes so these may have been a later intrusion, but he found the caves and tunnels in the rock to be a spelunker's delight.
It is offensive to have the Virgin Mary called a strumpet and to have the God in the Roman Catholic Church described as a piece of bread and as an infant. As symbolism and sacramentalism are at the core of most of the world's art, this reviewer replies, "why not?" There is religious feeling in Van Gogh's painting The Potato Eaters. It is ironical, that Van Gogh was a member of a Dutch Reformist Church. As an artist, he must have looked long at the Madonnas and Childs that appeared on the walls of museums if not in the undecorated and unadorned Protestant churches of Amsterdam.
A peculiarity of Borrow's style is that he takes great pains in describing the appearance and clothes of those Don Jorge meets. It is thus possible to derive an impression of the personality of the person being described, perhaps not with the depth and permanence of Rembrandt, but enough so that it arouses interest of a temporary kind. But the description is soon over and afterwards the characters fade away, never to be heard from again. The exception is Benedict Mol, a displaced Swiss from Lucerne who had an obsession that a hidden stash of treasure was buried at San Diego de Compostela. He kept re-appearing in Don Jorge's peregrinations begging for alms. Indeed he followed in Don Jorge's footsteps. The treasure is a hoax but Don Jorge had great fun describing Benedict's incorrigible gullibility.
In line with Don Jorge's animus against the Pope and of Roman Catholic theology, he expressed approval of Muslims he met in Tangier for they worshiped One God and not like the Pope a trinity and because their God was not conveyed in images. Here Don Jorge went overboard for while there may be Protestant sects that don't accept the Trinity, and this is certainly true of Deists and Unitarians, a great many do and the Nicene Creed is still recited in English Protestant and German Lutheran Churches.
An incident in The Bible in Spain that stands out in this reviewer's memory is when Don Jorge had an occasion to meet a surviving member of the Spanish inquisition, who curiously took him to be a Roman Catholic clergyman. The now superseded inquisitor mentioned the three great evils Inquisitors wanted to get rid of. There were (!) sorcery; (2) Jews who had become converted but who practiced Judaism in secret, and (3) those members of the clergy who were guilty of "certain acts of flagitiousness," the last the biggest word used in The Bible in Spain. By way of clarification the antiquarian priest remarked, "You understand me now, Don Jorge, for you are learned in church matters." To which Don Jorge replied; "I think I understand you." (See Chapter 17 for a full disclosure.) I leave it to readers to guess what the unmentionable sexual transgression was.
[...]


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George Borrow (1803-1881) was a British author, adventurer, and agent of the Bible Society whose journeys in the mid-nineteenth century took him to both Russia and Spain. His experiences are reflected in books including The Zincali (1841) and his best-known publication, The Bible in Spain (1843). Described by Borrow as 'the journey, adventures, and imprisonment of an Englishman in an attempt to circulate the scriptures in the peninsula', it is mostly a compilation of his voluminous correspondence with the Bible Society. In this first volume, Borrow describes his arrival at Lisbon, his impressions of cities including Madrid and Cordoba and his interactions with the local population, including Gypsies, whose culture he found particularly fascinating. The book, at once an exotic travelogue and a document revealing the religious tensions of the period, was enthusiastically received by early Victorian readers.

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Murder at Gettysburg (Mysteries in Time Series) Review

Murder at Gettysburg (Mysteries in Time Series)
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Don't let the title mislead you, this book is a poor excuse for a mystery. I was surprised to find that I had actually guessed the murderer and motive before I was even a third of the way into the book. Perhaps for someone who isn't a hardcore mystery fan it would take a little longer to figure it out, but still there's no genius to the murder mystery part. The plot was fast-paced, perhaps a bit too fast paced for my taste, but by being fast-paced it always has a interesting change of scenery. The romance in it was okay, at times it dragged unlike the story. Jim Walker certainly makes use of his knowledge of civil war history. (as far as that's concerned I'm impressed with the book) Anyone who enjoys reading Gilbert Morris's work will enjoy this book.

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Texas Humoresque: Lone Star Humorists from Then Till Now Review

Texas Humoresque: Lone Star Humorists from Then Till Now
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I expected a few more aphorisms in this book. I guess it was good for what it turned out to be; a review of notable texans. I expected more humor.

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Matt Field on the Santa Fe Trail (American Exploration and Travel Series) Review

Matt Field on the Santa Fe Trail (American Exploration and Travel Series)
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Matt Field, a middling actor down on his luck, sickly, rejected twice by two different women when he proposed marriage, decided in 1839 to take a trip to Santa Fe with one of the trading caravans headed to that city from Independence, Missouri. Accompanied by a few friends, he steamboated from St. Louis to Independence, where in July he joined a small (18 men) caravan and set out across the plains. Going through Council Grove on to Bent's Fort, he continued over Raton Pass after which he left the main caravan and followed a trail to Taos and then down to Santa Fe. Thoroughly enjoying his stay in Santa Fe, but fearing a winter crossing of the plains, he left the capital late in September, took the Cimarron Cutoff, and made it back to Independence by the last day in October.
Fortunately for posterity, Field kept a journal of his trip, which is included here; he was also later hired by the New Orleans Picayune to write a number of articles based on his travels and experiences (they also are included here and make up the main portion of the book). A budding poet as well as an actor, Field turned his outward-bound journal into a long epic poem (the return leg remained in typical diary form). Though his poetic skills are not very good, this poem remains a unique document in the annals of western literature. The newspaper articles are another matter; they are superbly written and fascinating to read. The articles were meant to entertain readers, and hearsay and embellishment abound, but their bases are in fact and in what Field experienced. Everything seemed to be worthy of his attention and subsequent relating, from sights along the trail to humorous anecdotes related to him by others he met along the way. There is the obligatory grizzly bear story and thunderstorm-on-the-prairie story, but also more personal items such as a funeral in Taos and a wedding in Santa Fe. The articles ran for two years in the Picayune and as they still do today must have brought much enthusiasm to their first readers. The trade along the Santa Fe Trail was in decline by 1839, and to have Field's first-hand impressions of what it was like then is remarkable. It's among the half-dozen most important original works regarding the trail and the trade and the people who were involved with both, and it's a delight to read. Highly recommended.


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In 1839 a journalist for the New Orleans Picayune, Matthew C. Field, joined a company of merchants and tourists headed west on the Santa Fe Trail. Leaving Independence, Missouri, early in July "with a few wagons and a carefree spirit," Field recorded his vivid impressions of travel westward on the Santa Fe Trail and, on the return trip, eastward along the Cimarron Route. Written in verse in his journal and in eighty-five articles later published in the Picayune, Field's observations offer the modern reader a unique glimpse of life in the settlements of Mexico and on the Santa Fe Trail.






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