5 comments about America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln.

1. I came to the book at a result of reading _Jonathan Edwards: A life_ by Marsden. M.Noll like G.Marsden has made my short list of i-must-read-them authors. This is perhaps my 5th book by him i've run across and looked at during my year's study of the issues in the creation-evolution-design(CED) debate. It is, to me, a rather important book for it puts together several issues i have been thinking about but had not related, in particular slavery and evolution being, in the conservative Christian community, similiar issues revolving around the interpretation of Scripture, i intend to follow up this idea. Furthermore, the very systematic way he goes about building a case for the influences of republican ideals on Reformed theology interests me as a very concrete example of the way the cultural matrix determines religious thought. Noll doesn't use the term "American captivity of the Christian Church" but the critical ideas are presented to make such a case.

   It's a rather long (450pages) book, with a complex structure and at times detailed arguments, so i find myself wondering to whom to recommend it. Because of it's historical nature and subject material, simply reading the chapters that most interest you is not as good an option as it would be in reading a collection of essays. So if you simply want to get a taste of the book i would read the first 20 or so pages which are the introduction to both the book, how Noll approaches his subject and what he intends to show with this scholarly research. I found chapters 18 and 19 the most interesting: chapter 18 "The 'Bible Alone' and a Reformed, Literal Hermeneutic", and
   chapter 19 "The Bible and Slavery", i have several long quotes from these chapters on my extended review at: www.livejournal.com/users/rmwilliamsjr/84610.html
   . I think if someone is adequately motivated that the book is accessible to anyone with an interest in history but if your knowledge of the time period or of the theologies discussed is inadequate you will wonder what the fuss is all about, perhaps many secular people will wonder that in any case.

   The theme of the book is not hard to summarize. It is that forces of the political life of the US, in particular, republicanism, Whiggery, the demand for equality, had a very important influence on the evolution of each American Christian theology. So too did several cultural influences in the philosophic sphere: common sense moral reasoning via the Scottish enlightenment, an anti-authoritarianism that reached out to all authorities-kings, priests, intellectuals, elites, these too influenced the evolving theology. But the influence was not just a one-way street, but rather in the search for converts the churches became a dominant influence in the culture, not just themselves but the myriad voluntary organizations they gave rise to. So by the Civil War we have a voluntary church, disestablished where those in Europe were not, filled with republicans, certain that their common sense will rightly interpret the Bible, and their morality derived thusly will support a glorious city-on-the-hill that they envisioned for the US. But the devil is in the details, and this is where the book gets really interesting. How do these forces relate? How does theology evolve, why and who is doing what thinking and writing? All done with a scholarly professor's mind, tying together the years of research with a joy and exuberance that is catching. Thanks M. Noll for another most excellent read.......




2. Noll argues that American Protestantism developed a unique religious perspective due to the combining of three historical idea forces: 1) the theology of the Protestant Reformation, 2) the philosophy of republicanism that arose from and was animated by the American revolution, and 3) the thought of the Scottish common-sense Enlightenment.
   
   Protestantism's ability or willingness to speak the language of these three strands of thought made it the religion of choice and influence in the early republic, as its apologetic and evangelistic discourse echoed contemporary political assumptions and commitments.
   
   But, Noll argues, there was a down-side to this success. The theology of Protestantism was itself changed by the use of this republican and common-sense language. These changes led to a literalistic, individualistic Biblical hermeneutic that made American Protestantism unable to speak definitively on the issue of slavery. North and South used the American Protestant hermeneutic to come to radically different conclusions on the morality of slavery.
   
   This intractability ended in the civil war, which was not just a political crisis, but a theological one as well. The failure of the American Protestant synthesis to resolve the great moral issue of slavery, Noll argues, caused it to lose its social force, and opened the way for the modern era.
   
   Noll's argument is almost overwhelming. He lays an exhaustive groundwork of 18th century religious/philosophical/political thought, moves into early 19th century theological evolution of Calvinism and Methodism, and then builds to a civil-war-era climax of heated, yet impotent, theological dispute. Each section is so rich and deep that challenging Noll on his intermediate conclusions is a daunting task. Yet, Noll's ultimate conclusion is so breathtaking in its implications for non-Calvinist theologies, that a closer look is warranted. A few key observations can be made.
   
   Noll has a tendency to so broadly define his key terms that their essential meaning becomes vague, obscure and highly malleable. The most obvious example of this is his use of the word "republicanism," which Noll uses to cover concepts such as virtu (common good), anti-aristocracy, rule of law, proper use of power, separation of powers, representative government, and most largely, the belief in the reciprocity of personal morality and social-well being. (55-57).
   
   He later adds to this mélange of meaning by distinguishing between civic-humanism republicanism, which was concerned with the public good and order, and liberal republicanism, which emphasized individual self-determination and, according to Noll, economic rights. (210-211). Noll himself acknowledges that "republicanism" was a "multivalent, plastic and often extraordinarily imprecise term." (447) Yet he frequently cites historical writers and speakers in support of his "republicanism" thesis, without attempting to determine which particular meaning of republicanism the historical thinker had in mind.
   
   Noll is also guilty of this in dealing with the "common-sense" Enlightenment. Every reference to human reason, intuition, insight or other source of knowledge other than scripture becomes an example of common sense philosophy, whether the reference is before or after Hutcheson and Reid. The great flexibility of terms is significant, as it gives Noll enormous latitude in his argument to sweep in or out thinkers, ideas and theologies, depending on how they relate to his main thesis.
   Perhaps the single most important argument against Noll's larger thesis is Methodism. Pre-revolutionary Methodism had the literalistic, individualistic hermeneutic, along with the "reasonable" view of God, sinners and salvation that Calvinism only moved towards as it was tempered by post-revolution republicanism and common-sense philosophy. (333-334).
   
   To his credit, Noll himself acknowledges the "sting" of the Methodist argument, agreeing that Methodism contained the elements of "American Protestantism" before it actually came to America. (334, 340-41).
   
   But acknowledging the sting is one thing; removing it is another. Noll does not do this, nor really try to. Methodism does seem to raise an unanswered challenge to the charge that it was the "corruptions" of republicanism and common-sense thought that caused Protestant America to turn literalistic, individualistic, and arminian, and to be unable to cope with slavery. Methodism was all these things without republican and common-sense reasoning, and it was, at least initially, forcefully anti-slavery.
   
   Thus, an alternate interpretation to Noll's is that: Biblical protestant Christianity contained the seeds of individuality, freedom and common-sense echoed in republicanism and common-sense thinking, that the intractable nature of the slavery dispute had to do with flawed constitutional rather than theological compromises, and that Southern religious' views were shaped more by the commercial impulses of their founding than by faithfulness to a Biblically-derived hermeneutic. This view is supported, at least in part, by Noll's tracing of the process of theological development: the insights of general revelation (general human experience) interact with, clarify, and even modify, understandings of special revelation (Biblical interpretation), and vice versa.
   
   But further discussion of this would lengthen an already over-long review. Suffice it to say that the majority of American Christian's today would claim allegiance not to Edward's God, or Lincoln's God, or Noll's God-but to the Bible's God, as they read about and understand Him in the Bible for themselves. Which is not a bad legacy for a "permanently damaged" theology. (445).
   
   Noll's comprehensive, even magisterial work, is clearly going to be required reading for everyone on both sides of almost any discussion of religion in the early republic.



3. Mark Noll wrote this book with the goal of describing how Christian theology gradually became more comfortable using the catchwords and ideas of the American political scene (liberty, freedom, virtue, rights, common sense, reason). Noll shows that even though Calvinist and Arminian and Wesleyan thought may not have radically changed because of American republicanism, the way they were packaged and presented were.
   
   In this book, we begin with the traditional Reformed ideas of Jonathan Edwards. We see how Calvinists in America were quick to side with the colonies in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War. We see how even George Whitefield was somewhat sympathetic toward the colonial cause, though he tended to shy away from preaching politics.
   
   We read of John Wesley's opposition to the American form of government, as he reveals that he has not met one republican who was a good Christian.
   
   We see how Thomas Paine's writings were very influential in promoting reason and common sense, and how this influenced preachers of the faith, such as Timothy Dwight, the new President of Yale, who rumor has it spend six months in 1795 challenging his students to a debate on whether or not the Bible was the Word of God.
   
   We see how Charles Finney incorporated populist American jargon into his revival sermons. We also see his ardent opposition to the American slavery system.
   
   Speaking of slavery, the last 100 pages of the book deals with how people of differings theological persuasions dealt with this divisive issue. Noll seems sorry to report that the pro slavery people did a better job of supporting their view from scripture than the abolitionists did.
   
   Noll also seems ready to blame the Reformed Literal Method of interpreting scripture for influencing people to support the institution of slavery.
   
   There is also an interesting discussion about the theological reflections of Abraham Lincoln. Noll notes that the 16th President of the United States was no evangelical and that he wasn't an active member of any organized church.
   
   In fact, Noll contends that none of the notable founding fathers of the United States were evangelicals.
   
   I recommend this book to history students and those who are interested in the history of Christianity in America. This book is a nice complement to Noll's earlier "History of Christianity in the US and Canada."
   
   But the reason why I give this book 4 stars instead of five is that most of the time, it makes for tedious reading. The sections on the development of Holiness theology after Asbury was engaging, and the section about slavery held my attention as well.
   
   But the bulk of the book is tough, academic reading. You may want to read instead Noll's more accessible book "The Rise of Evangelicalism."
   
   Rev. Marc Axelrod



4. This very ambitious and enlightening book is an effort to write a "social history of theology" for American religion between the mid-18th century and the Civil War. Noll chose this starting point and this terminus quite logically. The mid-18th century sees the work of the last and greatest of Puritan theologians, the tremendous Jonathan Edwards, while the Civil War was caused by and ushered in forces that produced a real discontinuity in American life. This book is primarily an effort at synthesis. While Noll has read deeply and productively in a large range of primary sources, it draws even more on a large and impressive array of secondary work in American political, social, intellectual, and religious history. Indeed, some of the pleasures of this book are the excellent footnotes and superb bibliography.
   Noll's goal is to set the development of American theology in the broad context of the development of American society in this period. This is far from intelleuctual history construed narrowly. Noll argues convincingly that this historical study of theology will be broadly informative about the ways Americans thought about religion and American life in general. He begins with a nice summary of Puritan thought and other aspects of American Protestant theology, particularly the work of Edwards, as a the background to a century of enormous change. The discussion of Edwards himself is enlightening, particularly as Noll shows the ways in which this essentially backward looking intellectual unexpectedly opened routes to major changes in American theology and religious practice.
   Noll then moves on the Revolutionary period and its aftermath. The intellectual and social forces causing and unleashed by the Revolution produce a major change in the nature of American Protestant theology. In contrast to the hierarchial and integralist Reformed thinking dominated by ideas of human sinfullness, American theologians incorporate ideas of republicanism, the Whig dissenting tradition, increased valuation of human moral capacity, and emerging democratic values inspired by the success of the American Revolution. Many, if not all of these ideas come from outside the Reformed tradition, primarily from the dissident Republican tradition of English Whiggery and the Scottish Enlightenment, particularly the writings of the 'Commonsense' school of Scottish thought. By the early Republican period, what emerges is a new and distinctively American theological approach that stresses attachment to republicanism, increased faith in human moral capacity, emphasis on individual experience of holiness, intense emphasis on literal (and 'commonsense') interpretations of scripture, and a sense of Americans as being involved in a new religious and moral experiment.
   While the intellectual traffic Noll describes is largely one-way, he is careful not to describe American theologians and religious leaders as passive recipients of new ideas. Quite the opposite, Noll argues very well that during the initial decades of the 19th century, the emergence of a distinctly American form of theology and religious practices played a very large role in the development of a common American identity. For Noll, and this is a very convincing argument, this style of religion was crucial for the development of an American nation. As he points out, the first half of the 19th century was the apogee of American piety and this was accompanied by a strong sense of America as a uniquely religious society, as American institutions as divinely inspired, and Americans as a chosen people.
   Noll concludes with an examination of how this consensus faced the great problem of slavery and sectional conflict in the decades prior to the Civil War. Not very successfully is Noll's answer. The emphasis on Biblical literalism in particular confronted many with a choice between condoning slavery or rejecting biblicism as a source of ultimate values. A few radicals, like the abolitionist Garrison, were willing to reject biblicism, but it appears that many more were driven into defense of slavery (particularly Southern theologians) and others (mainly Northern theologians) seem to have suffered a form of intellectual paralysis. Noll asserts as well that the 'commonsense' epistemology that was part of the religious consensus prevented a critical examination the pervasive racism that underlay the debates on slavery and the status of African-Americans. In Noll's view, the 19th century religious consensus did not equip American theologians with the intellectual tools to make sense of the problem. At the same time, the identification of America with the Christian mission and the insistence of both sides that their positions were based on divine sanction increased the intransigence of both sides.
   Noll also argues that the early 19th century concensus prepared American theologians poorly to confront the religious and moral implications of the Civil War and by implication, prepared them equally poorly for the intellectual (the impact of Darwin, for example) and social challenges (urbanization, non-Protestant immigrants) that would come with and after the war. Noll describes this accurately as a "theological tragedy."



5. 
   I knew what I wanted in this book and that was primarily as a reference.It is not bedtime reading but with charts and tables of the relevant historical events it is ideal to turn to in order to fill in the blanks in my knowledge and understanding. I was a bit disappointed that my copy arrived without the dustcover shown in the display.However well worth the $11.00. Noll is a trusted historian.Any chance of a dust cover?

1 comments about Lincoln Cents Folder #1, 1909-1940.

1. The nice, lock-in feature prevents your coins from falling out of the folder, while holding them in a nice layout. The only drawback is you cannot see the reverse of the coins when they're in the folder.

5 comments about Land of Lincoln: Adventures in Abe's America.

1. While Tony Horwitz turns his attention to other subjects, this will serve as a classic followup to Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War.
   
   This short history of our images of Lincoln is written with humor and casual style, and merits its "classic" rating by Ferguson's brief concluding remarks that frame Lincoln's role perfectly. I won't spoil it.



2. This is a really enjoyable and insightul look at how Lincoln has become a commercial product and how the greatest American president has morphed over time in the American psyche. While the tone of the book is mostly light and playful, the final chapter on the commemoration of the Lincoln monument left a tear in my eye, and, because of the preceding chapters, I didn't see it coming! Ultimately, the author reminds us of the true meaing of Lincoln's contributions to our history, and why he matters so much. I can not think of anything I did not like about this book, and I'm almost inclined to give it five stars, but it does not quite have that heft. In any case, I recommend it highly.



3. Where's Lincoln to be found these days? What shape is he in? What difference does it make? Andrew Ferguson's dormant interest and affection for the great man was shaken awake when the Richmond Sons of Confederate Soldiers went into public opposition of a new Lincoln statue to be unveiled. Sure, Richmond had been the Confederate capital, but how could anybody be against that in 2007? He set off to find out, and the resulting travelogue makes for one of the most interesting, enlightening and hilarious Lincoln reads in years.
   
   There must be 100 portraits in here of all species of Lincoln people. Lincoln lovers, Lincoln haters, Lincoln cynics, Lincoln imitators, collectors, docents, committee people, statue people, and so on. The variety is no surprise. Lincoln was the quintessential American, and, love him or hate him, his story is forever bound up in the meaning of America. If the story of America is human nature set free, one can hardly wonder 140+ years after his death that many in this commercial republic would come to see Lincoln as brand name, as franchise, as business guru, as kitsch-slinger, and as reflection of ordinary screwballs who fancy that Lincoln was as common as they. Ferguson's character vignettes of these various Lincoln (and Mary) people are sometimes as short as a single sentence, but they're often laugh out loud funny. It seems the more attenuated a particular Lincoln purveyor's connection was to the real thing, the funnier--and more rapier-like was Ferguson's description. Ferguson was more than an honest Seeker here.:)
   
   So, is there any real Lincoln left? Is he more than an eBay heading or a Disneyfied wax figure or another good reason for a sale? Ferguson had to search hard, but I think he found that the tablets are being handed down. Maybe in bits and pieces, and probably to fewer than before. And to whom, that can be surprising... two of the most endearing subjects in the book, the two who seemed to "get" Lincoln the most, were foreign born. One was a Thai couple who discerned that Lincoln was America's great man (and Jewish, to boot), and who honored him by setting out a fresh porkless meal daily in their restaurant in an Arab neighborhood in Chicago. And the other was a very old Czechoslovakian man on death's doorstep who travelled all the way to Springfield to honor Lincoln at his burial shrine. One supposes, though, that even the Lincoln jugglers and the clowns are somehow a little better off for the association. And isn't that something? That despite being chopped, sliced, diced, scrambled and pressed into a thousand understandings and uses, Lincoln still makes the world a better place?
   
   Underneath the humor, this is a serious Lincoln book and a trenchant commentary on America's understanding of itself. I'll read it again, and I hope it gets a prize.



4. This is a fun to book to read. Beyond that, it's hard to describe just what it is - part history, part travelogue, part research essay, part meditation. But it is this breezy back and forth that gives the book its strength. Ferguson's writing style is loose, anecdotal, engaging,and graceful. (His chapters on travelling with his teenage children will ring especially true to any history buff who has bribed their children to too many historical sights.) Think along the lines of Bill Bryson.
   
   An easy recommend.



5. I consider myself a Lincoln Buff that's still learning. I've lived in Illinois all my life and I've been down to Springfield several times in my 24 years. So when I was looking for a book that would solve my yearning for a book about Abraham Lincoln, I chose this one. Andrew Ferguson wrote a funny book about Lincoln in today's world and where he stands. But Lincoln means so many things to so many different people it's impossible to pin him down. Reading this book, I found out things that I didn't know, like that there is a statue of Abraham Lincoln and singer Perry Como in Gettysburg. Or that there was a Lincoln Heritage Trail.
   
   Andrew Ferguson traveled all around the States viewing different ways the Lincoln name and legacy is being used today. He visited the woman who holds a lot of the Lincoln items, Louise Taper. Quite a few of her items are on loan to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Musuem and being there twice I can recall seeing her name there. He also visits the musuem before it opened, a meeting of Lincoln presenters, Lincoln haters, and a business workshop that uses Lincoln as its model. He also takes his family to Springfield, Indiana, and Kentucky to visit places that Lincoln lived before he was President. My absolute favorite part of the book came in the Postscript. It's a story of a man who works in the Springfield Hilton and someone who came to visit there. I won't give away the story but I thought it was beautiful and a great way to finish the book.
   
   Overall, I thought the book was great. I did feel, though, that Mr. Ferguson had a slight negative view wherever he visited. It came across as jaded, maybe. He seemed to have a problem with at least one thing at each sight that he visited. Not every Lincoln sight is going to please everyone. He seems to take offense on what the musuem is. I personally think that the musuem is fantastic. I can see that maybe it's not to everyone's taste but I think it's still serving a great purpose. And with the Lincoln home in Springfield, I've never seen what it was like before it was owned by the Park Service so I can't comment on which is better. But I still think that the book was pretty good and it shouldn't be a book that a Lincoln buff or anyone interested in Abraham Lincoln should pass up.

5 comments about Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography.

1. Couldn't put this book down.....Jean Baker wrote a truly remarkable narrative non-fiction. I had previously read another fictional "Mary" book and was surprised to see that both books were similar in historical data surrounding her (Mary's) life. One can only imagine losing so many children and then one's husband, and NOT being driven to doing odd things. The psyche is a strange science marked by extraordinary and mysterious sensivities to outside pressures.



2. This is the seminal biography for Mary Todd Lincoln and one of the best biographies you will ever read. After reading dozens of books about Mrs. Lincoln to write my novel about her insanity trial (A Warrant For Mrs. Lincoln), I always came back to Jean Baker's book for information and insight into the Lincoln family. If you have an endless fascination for the Lincoln family, this book is a must.



3. very comprehensive study of a woman who began life as a spoiled child, but got kicked in the butt by life. she sedated herself with extravagance and meaninglessness. one of the most tragic things in her life was the betrayal by her son, who used his influence to have her declared insane so that he could obtain control over her money. that had to be as painful to endure as the assassination of her husband and the deaths of her two younger sons. i feel nothing but empathy for this poor woman.



4. Mary Todd Lincoln had a rough life. From the early death of her mother to the treatment she recieved from her stepmother, to her husband's assissination and was committed to an asylum by her own son. Reading the biography it was hard not to feel sorry for her. I knew naturally (as everyone) about her husband's assissination but I was surprised about how hard the rest of her life was. Her son Robert committed and she had to fight to get out of the asylum. Her early years Mary spent having to put up with a stepmother who wanted her husband's first set of children completely forgotten. Poor girl.



5. This book is a complete biography of Mary Todd Lincoln starting out with her grandparents which surprised me. This book is not an overview of Mary's life it is very detailed. I think it is a fair account of her life and there are some things I never would have guessed. I must admit I haven't finished the book as yet it is not one of those books you finish off in one afternoon, but I have read enough of it to know that a 4 star review is accurate.

No comments about Collecting and Interpreting Qualitative Materials.

5 comments about Arranged Marriage: Stories.

1. A wonderful read. It prompted me to seek out other books Chitra Divakaruni has written. Although I enjoyed them all, this collection of short stories was the best. Very engaging characters told in a realistic manner---you feel you are connected to these people---I could not bear to put the book down until I had finished that particular story. Very enjoyable book!



2. Chitra Divakaruni's collection of short stories,
   Arranged Marriage is about Indian women on both
   sides of the world, in America as well as India.
   
   The stories deal with women often times in
   desperate situations, unfulfilled due to being
   in arranged marriages or miserable because of
   a disconnection from parents and family because
   of career goals. The author basically makes the
   argument that women are better off when they have
   a marriage of their own choosing and rightly so.
   
   The gems in the collection are "The Word Love,"
   "A Perfect Life," "The Disappearance," and "Affair."
   All of the stories are well-written but the some
   of the other stories are a little slow to get to
   the heart of the story. The author definitely has
   an eye for detail and understands the tough choices
   that women make in searching for themselves. She
   also incorporates Indian words to authenticate the
   stories but I thought they were awkwardly placed and
   without the Indian words, I think the stories are
   still very strong.
   
   Overall, well worth reading and one of the few short
   story collections that is actually worth the money spent!



3. This book was assigned reading for one of my college classes, but I must say that it was thoroughly enjoyable. The stories seem to get better and better as you read through the book. Arranged Marriage is thought-provoking and heart-touching.



4. Arranged Marriage by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni portrays the life of an Indian woman trying to live under Indian customs in America. The main theme that I noticed in this novel is the feeling of disappointment, from the falsified golden streets, to the so described marvelous 7-11. The book consists of several short stories mostly telling about life in America from an Indian women's perspective. It tells of the battle between strict moral customs in the face of the so called "lax" customs of western society. The novel contains some truly heartbreaking moments. The death of a husband during his night shift, the letting go of a child, and the misunderstanding of racial hatred make this novel one that you won't soon forget. I also enjoyed the writing style of Chitra. She uses foreshadowing and situational irony to the point that the book remains interesting even after several times reading through it. The stories manage to teach about the complexities of Indian culture not only on a ritual level but on a much deeper emotional level. I found myself feeling sorry for the women having to make these choices between family customs and American life. It has become one of my favorite pieces of literature to date. This novel tells of broken promises, mistreated customs, and an overall feeling of sadness.



5. Stepping Off the Edge: Learning & Living Spiritual Practice
   A group of short stories around the subject of arranged marriage. These stuners will leave you breathless. Sad, poignant, beautiful. Unforgettable. Haunting. I like this book as well as Divakaruni's poetry. Read this before Sister of my Heart. Divakaruni uses one of the short stories as the basis of Sister.

3 comments about Abraham Lincoln: Man Behind the Myths, The.

1. We invented Abraham Lincoln. Not the man, of course, but the myth, that solemn and statuesque giant memorialized eternally overlooking the Capitol mall. The power of that myth and the quiet dignity of its personage dwarfs us all. But the myth is not the man. Myths never are. Stephen Oates in his _Abraham Lincoln, The Man Behind the Myths_, does not seek to diminish the man but rather to clarify him, separating the mythos from the mortal. And it is not an undaunting task, it seems, for overly soon after Lincoln's tragic end the mills began to churn. The public's shredding of the White House interior for mementos while Mary Lincoln lay debilitated in the next room seems symbolic of the wolfpack mentality in Washington even today. And every new memoir published by another family acquaintance of the Lincoln's almost always got it wrong, and tore anew at the heart of the family. We may not have memorialized and glorified our modern-day tragic heroes to such an extent, for we have simultaneously tried to scandalize them. But the tabloid trade it seems has always been a yellow paper. Even Lincoln was vilified in his time and after. He was, Oates, reminds us, one of the most unpopular living presidents of our history. But though the legacy ballooned to heroic proportions after his passing, the man seems to have been lost in it all, remaining only in the hearts of the family leaving quietly and unattended down the steps of the White House never to return.



2. As an amateur genealogist I discovered that I was a sixth cousin, five times removed to President Abraham Lincoln through the Lincoln and Holmes families. On page 21 ( Abraham Lincoln, The man Behind The Myths ) Mr. Oates wrote that there was a mistaken belief that Thomas Lincoln was not Abraham's real father rather it was a Senator John C. Calhoun or a Henry Clay. If this was true it would mean that I was not related to President Abraham Lincoln. How would such a rumour start ? Is there any documented evidence that Nancy Lincoln had an affair with one of these men while being married to Thomas Lincoln. At the time I am trying to locate Stephen B. Oates so I can get this matter cleared up. Sincerely, Mr. Blair E. Bartlett, 87 Shillington Road, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, E2J 4K7 1-506-696-6175



3. In this small but valuable volume, Oates explores the reality beyond the two sources of Lincoln myth: the primary myth of a saintly and folkloric Lincoln of Carl Sandburg and a secondary myth of the 'white honky' Lincoln of the 1970's revisionists. Oates emphasizes that Lincoln drew deeply upon the "spirit of his age", which was a profoundly revolutionary time across the world. Oates relates how Lincoln absorbed one of the core lessons of America from the example of Henry Clay: : "in this country one can scarcely be so poor, but that, if he will, he can acquire sufficient education to get through the world respectably".
   
   That slavery was the cause of the Civil War is beyond all doubt. As Oates explains, however, the North did not go to war to free the slaves. In the standard phrasing, the North went to war to 'preserve the union'. Oates explores Lincoln's fears that the spread of slavery in the wake of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision would lead to the destruction of democratic society. The debate then still raged on the world stage whether a republican form of government could last. Lincoln rejected the "ingenious sophism" that states could freely leave the Union. "With rebellion thus sugar coated [southern leaders] have been drugging the public mind of their section for more than thirty years." Secession posed nothing less than a final challenge to popular government. If a minority could destroy the government any time it felt aggrieved, then no government could endure. Thus the war had to be fought to preserve not just the American Republic, but the possibility of republican government.
   
   Lincoln did in fact oppose slavery from early on. His views on racial matters apart from slavery became more fully progressive over time. Lincoln, however, hoped that slavery would slowly melt away in a losing competition with free labor and that liberated slaves would resettle in Africa. It is part of Lincoln's greatness that he later gave up these views. Oates explores this evolution in his thinking. Oates debunks the notion that the Emancipation Proclamation was unimportant in liberating the slaves. Oates also refutes the notion that Lincoln would have favored an easy hand during Reconstruction. On the contrary, the evidence strongly suggests he would have led the so-called Radical Republicans.
   
   Highly recommended for any reader with an interest in Lincoln, the Civil War era, or really pretty much any American.

5 comments about A Welcome Grave (Lincoln Perry).

1. Sometimes it's easy to forget that Lincoln Perry isn't a middle-aged guy who's been in the P.I. business for a long time. He demonstrates a maturity beyond his years - most of the time. It's when he doesn't do that, when he acts his chronological age, that his life gets very messy. In A WELCOME GRAVE, Perry agrees to do a favor for an old flame, the woman he was once engaged to marry. Now anyone with a grain of sense would know that this will probably not turn out well. Perry doesn't see past that all-too-human desire to put his rival in a bad light.
   
   Alex Jefferson has been murdered, after being tortured. His wife Karen is the old flame. She asks Perry to track down Alex's son, from whom he has been estranged for quite some time. Matthew is an heir, and Alex was a very rich man. When Perry finds Matthew, not a difficult task, Matthew kills himself in front of Perry. The police, who were already interested in Perry because of the rivalry over Karen, are even more interested now.
   
   As Perry keeps poking around, he seems to get into more and more trouble. Someone is either going out of his way to make Perry look like a truly bad guy, or his luck is incredibly bad. All of this causes some strain between Perry and Amy, a friend in the process of becoming more than that. His business partner Joe is slowly recuperating from taking a bullet in the shoulder, a bullet that saved Perry's life. So Perry's support system is a little shaky right now.
   
   This is the third book in Koryta's Lincoln Perry series. He's good, and getting better. One can excuse some of Perry's more foolish choices; he is, after all, pretty young. He seems to grow a little more with each book. The settings are wonderful, the plotting tight. Readers of classic P.I. series, with just a bit more than a hint of noir, will relish Koryta's newest.



2. OK people. Let's get past the fact that the author of three outstanding novels is only twenty-three years old. Let's look at his writing and when you do that, his genius is timeless.
   
   The thing about this novel that enthralled me is how the protagonist of the book, Lincoln Perry, kept getting drawn deeper and deeper into the murder investigations in two locations notwithstanding the fact that he was innocent of either murder or the ones that followed.
   
   There is a murderous manipulator at work in this story and how he goes about controlling events and getting the police to chase all the wrong suspects is both frustrating to the reader and infuriating to Lincoln Perry.
   
   Do not pass up on anything this talented young man has written. They are keepers.



3. I couldn't put this book down about a private eye (Lincoln Perry) who is framed for a few murders and must clear his name as the police are tightening the noose. Perry has only his partner Joe and his new girlfriend Amy behind him and everyone else against him. Add to that, the mysterious Thor is thrown into the mix and when all can't get any bleaker, Lincoln must team with Thor to maybe turn the tables on the "real" bad guys. A great thriller!



4. I've often heard Michael Koryta mention people who have influenced him or the genre. A Welcome Grave is proof that he himself is influencing this genre now, and definitely for the better!
   
   Koryta has a gift when it comes to the English language. I have not walked away from any of his books without feeling like the characters somehow made their way inside me...inside my head, inside my soul. A Welcome Grave continues the character development of Lincoln Perry and Joe Pritchard, but it also starts to lend weight to some other characters: Amy, Thor. And the dynamics of these characters in relation to Lincoln and Joe add a lot of dimensions to the plot.
   
   Life is never black and white in Koryta's world; I love the shades of gray that develop throughout the course of the book. They help in the suspense and definitely keep the plot from becoming predictable.
   
   Koryta should definitely be a staple of any mystery-lover's booklist!



5. This book is the third in Kortya's fine series about Lincoln Perry, a Cleveland private investigator.
   
   Once again he weaves together strong local Cleveland color as well from southern Indiana to tell a Ross MacDonald-esque story of family greed, desires, and repressed secrets.
   
   As his writing progresses, his plots have become even more multi-layered than in his fine debut work and its follow up. The villains are darker and the violence is greater. Complicating this book is that Perry is the most likely suspect in both locales for a couple of murders, and the local law enforcement officials have no interest in his side of the story. That tension between cop and PI has been done many times before, but not recently to such good effect.
   
   It's a wonderful thing to contemplate work this good from someone in his twenties and just how scary good he might become. Can't wait for his next work!

5 comments about War Crimes Against Southern Civilians.

1. Anyone wishing to understand why USA Southerners continue, to this day, to fly the colors and participate so heavily in Civil War reenactments, should read this book. It should be required reading in USA colleges and Universities.
   
   A must read for USA history buffs and genealogists.



2. Living here in the North East we seldom received in school anything but negative history concerning the South. The North was Righteous and the South was Evil, period.
   
   Well, if one was to look into the truth we would find a completely different view than the one we have been brain washed into believing.
   
   The South had every right to secede. Whether or not that was a smart move is a topic for another day, but their people spoke and they left the Union they voluntarily joined. Lincoln's aggression and his un-Constitutional acts are a story rarely told. This book has brought to light the great atrocities committed by Mr. Lincoln's henchmen like Grant, Butler, Sherman etc..
   
   This is a must reading for all who wish to enlighten themselves with the truth of Northern Aggression against limited Government and States Rights.



3. When did our republic start bearing some dark shades of hypocrisy that most Americans will agree exist? Was it the destruction and displacement of the Native Americans? Was it the removal of Japense Americans to holding camps during WWII? Was it the censurship and witch hunt of the McCarthy years? When did it begin?
   
   The War for Southern Independence. The most obvious hypocrisy is that the same striped banner that fought against England for causes that they felt justified independence, in 1861 it would rise above an army and government deadly bent on crushing the independence of another seceded territory. The north as much as it said then continues to say today that the difference between their invasion and England's was that their cause of crushing independence was more justified. Every war-causing country in the world sings the same melody.
   Then there is the case of Scott Key's grandson who, by only writing pro-Southern opinions in a paper in Maryland, was jailed without charges or trial in no place other than Fort McHenry. For no other crime than expressing his opinions, he was held in prison for over a year under the very flag that so inspired his grandfather.
   
   This book, War Crimes Against Southern Civilians by Walter Cisco is a cause for true historians to celebrate. So very little has ever been written on these unsung crimes against humanity.
   I began and continue this review under the theme of hypocrisy because as proved in our history books, the eye witness accounts of the holocaust and the proud testimonies of our grandfathers who liberated Europe, lest we forget that the U.S. government and armed forces between 1861 and 1865 inflicted many of these same cowardly and hellish acts against unarmed civilians as did the Axis in WWII.
   This book reveals a priceless cache of historical fact, very, very well researched.
   And on another note, these pages do not include the plushy unnecessary opinions, theories, and modern-day judgments on the past that fill too many of the pages of many recent Civil War biographies and writings like for example works by James McPherson and William Davis. Rather, War Crimes Against Southern Civilians is cover to cover solid fact and testimony from the past. There exists in it a vital wall between 1865 and today that a book on history must respect.
   
   I highly recommend it. Many of the true tales included are almost impossible to believe. But whether you embrace the truth or choose to ignore it, it exists all the same. And for those of us who embrace it, we celebrate that in book, it is shared on every page!
   
   I would like to include a few quotes that I have personally researched from war-time documents relating to this almost forgotten (for most, hopefully soon forgotten) period in history...
   
   "...I will see you...and every man woman and child in the State of Missouri dead and buried," warned Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon while addressing Missouri's governor,Claiborne Jackson, on behalf of President Lincoln.
   
   I witnessed the barbarities inflicted on the aged, the widow, and young and delicate females. Officers, high in command, were engaged tearing from the ladies their watches, their ear and wedding rings, the daguerreotypes of those they loved and cherished.
   A lady, a personal friend, was compelled to strip before them, that they might find concealed watches and other valuables under her dress. A system of torture was practiced towards the weak, unarmed, and defencseless, which, as far as I know and believe, was universal throughout the whole course of that invading army.-Rev Dr. John Bachman Charleston, SC 1865
   
   There is a class of people (in the South), men, women and children, who must be killed or banished before you can hope for peace and order. -German W. Sherman, US



4. It was of Dee Brown's Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee that The Times wrote: "Calculated to make the head pound, the heart ache and the blood boil". Well, calculated or not, Walter Brian Cisko's documentary volume - for this book is all fact without embellishment - of the Northern `liberators' of the South is certainly capable of no less. Reading the historical record of politicians and armies making war upon civilians leaves one seething with impotent rage. Whether or not one believes the war upon the South was justified - and this reader for one firmly believes it was not - the havoc that Northern armies wrecked in the South, the shameless and inhuman cruelty they were guilty of, is a slap in the face of humanity and will forever remain an affront to the ideals that gave rise to the American Republic. There is a double shame on America here: first, that the crimes described in this book happened at all, with the approval of a President shameless enough to define his Administration (and his war) as "with malice toward none", and second, that it was covered up, first by military occupation, later by embarassment, and finally by today's political correctness that blindly and stupidly demonizes anyone and anything even remotely connected with the Confederacy. It has been said that every decent person should be ashamed of the government he or she lives under. That was, and will forever remain, never more true than for Northerners under Lincoln. Reading this book shows why.



5. I have sometimes wondered if my paternal grandmother should have instilled in me such an intense antipathy toward Lincoln and the North by telling me the stories she heard firsthand from her grandmother who suffered some of Sherman's savageries in South Carolina, but after reading this book I realize that she was much too moderate. "War Crimes Against Southern Civilians" should be required reading in all courses on America's most uncivil war. We've always known that it's the winners who write history, but lovers of the truth should thank Walter Brian Cisco for his important effort in setting the record straight.

3 comments about Writing: A College Handbook, Fifth Edition.

1. Writing: A College Handbook is designed to teach students to write effectively for a variety of purposes and contexts. As a reference tool, a rhetoric, and a research guide, this handbook presents a detailed composite on the nature, form, and style of writing available to students. The emphasis here is on what the writer can do rather than what they cannot do. The scope of the book is "to show that good writing is not simply the absence of grammatical error but the presence of rhetorical power" (xxvii). The handbook is organized in a logical fashion that mirrors the writing process. Thus, instructors using the handbook and accompanying workbook can easily adapt it to their course. Part 1, "The Process of Writing," includes information on planning strategies, purpose, audience, modes of writing, word choice, editing and revising, and document design. The next section is "Crafting Sentences," where the emphasis is the rhetorical power of the English language and making sentence structure work for the writer. Part 3 deals with "Punctuation and Mechanics." Part 4, "Research and Writing," provides an in-depth guide to the process and development of the research paper. It includes an up-to-date MLA style guide and new approaches to the use of technology used in research. "Writing in Academic Contexts" covers writing about literature as well as research for other disciplines. The final section, "Writing in Nonacademic Contexts," is new to this edition. As students move outside the classroom, they need to be prepared to write in the workplace, which is often overlooked as a separate form of writing. The logical layout of the handbook and the instructive features make this a comprehensive writing tool. The approach to writing presented in this handbook and the sequence of topics make it accessible to both student and teacher. The examples, student writing samples, and instruction is detailed, informative, and concise. As a textbook to accompany writing instruction in the classroom, I think this book is extremely valuable. However, through personal experience, I find the lack of section tabs a slight drawback. To find information, you have to look at the road map (inside front cover), the table of contents, or the index. I searched for "organization," under which it said "see planning and organizing your text." There I found 16 pages devoted to everything from tree diagrams to composing a title. While the information is clearly outlined and detailed, there is more here than I needed for an overview and brief lesson. Use of this handbook in your classroom depends on your main purpose for having students purchase a handbook. If your purpose is to provide material for students to find answers to individual questions about writing, this may be more than you need. The comprehensive nature of the book gives it more of an instructive quality, rather than simple answers to often asked questions. There are many positive features of the handbook to be applauded. The layout and design, with full-page color, is visually attractive. The accompanying workbook and online reference provide an ample supply of exercises and reinforcement with sentence structure, punctuation, mechanics, revising and editing. The samples of writing are well-chosen and marked with appropriate directions and details. In the chapter "Revising Your Text," I particularly like the marginal comments as a model for responding to writing. The variety of writing selections and topics included shows an awareness of cultural assumptions and gender equality. Writing: A College Handbook is an extensive guide to writing processes, contexts, styles, and skills. It achieves its goal of presenting the power of writing both in and out of the classroom. It succeeds in demonstrating a concise, innovative approach to writing and creates a positive atmosphere in which to learn and practice the necessary skills for effective communication. While I find this book to be a wealth of information on just about any writing topic, I think your purpose for choosing a handbook will determine whether this is the right one for your course. Writing: A College Handbook is a comprehensive instruction guide to writing and more than just a reference book.



2. Don't waist your money buying number of cheap writing books
   each covering a single or a couple of subjects. Spend your
   money one time on something valuable that you will use over
   and over through the years.
   
   I wish If I saw this book at first when I started going to
   the college!
   
   Believe me! When you see it, you won't leave it, until you buy
   it!



3. I like the approach the book takes, although I change the order in which I teach the material. My only quam is that I am unable to ascertain any differences between the instructional version and the student version of the book. I wouldn't have wasted money purchasing both had I known.