Outstanding book. this is the first book that I have read that focused on smalltown USA and the will and esprit that a town puts into a baseball team. I found the book to be extrememly inspirational and the photography was excellent. Definitely worthy of reading.....I truly enjoyed each and every page.

Through evocative and tasteful photographs, coupled seamlessly with simple yet poignant prose, this book certainly deserves the five star rating. Baldwin and Galliard have definately captured a piece of what it is that makes us human. Despite the fact that the book's focus is baseball, the real story lies in the community that fuels the small-town league. This idea of a community that relies on its members to exist is nearly lost in a society laden with technology. Somehow, the boys in Rembert, South Carolina, and their love of the game, have managed to survive. If you are interested in good photography, black history, baseball, or southern culture, then this book is truly a must have.

From its richly flavored and evocative photographs to its cleanly presented yet eloquent prose, this book is truly a must have. Thought the book may focus on baseball as subject matter, the story truly lies within the framework of the community that supports the league. This sense of community, seemingly lost in a world laden with technology, is alive and well in Rembert, South Carolina. Byron Baldwin and Frye Galliard really do capture this spirit, and use their respective talents to convey it to the reader. Whether you are interested in baseball, black history, or that spirit of community so true to "Americana", then buy this book. You will not be dissappointed.

Under the collaborative editorship of Amy Rogers, Robert Inman, and Frye Gaillard, Novello: Ten Years Of Great American Writing is a superbly presented anthology showcasing the literary talents of twenty-five outstanding American authors drawn from the Novello Festival of Reading, a premier annual literary event. From Jerry Bledsoe, Walter Cronkite, and Charles Kuralt, to Frank McCourt, Gail Sheehy, and Tom Wolfe, Novello is a very highly recommended cornucopia of contemporary literary talent from first page to last.

I'd give this book 5 stars if for no other reason than sheer variety - there's definitely something in this anthology for everyone. Something unforgettable, at that.

Novello: Ten Years of Great American Writing is divided into two main sections - The Essays and The Stories. Most of the pieces revel in the intricacies of southern writing, in line with the North Carolina roots of the publisher, Novello Festival Press.

The Essays kicks off with an excellent piece appearing in print for only the second time. Pat Conroy's "The Death of Santini" is a raw, honest, emotion-and-brutality-wrought story of the author's final reconciliation with the father he "wounded ... by deploying the great clairvoyance and fire-power of the English language against him." Watching and listening as Conroy struggles with his mixed feelings for "The Great Santini" is worth the price of this book.

But luckily, there is more. Sandra Y. Govan gives us a marvelous story from her Chicago childhood, when books were items to be desired, craved and even (gasp!) stolen. Govan's essay is followed by pieces from Charles Kuralt, Frank McCort, Tim McLaurin and Walter Cronkite, among others.

The editors have also included two moving pieces about the relationship between man and dog, from Hal Crowther and Joseph Bruchac, and an of-the-moment excerpt from Gail Sheehy's latest, Hillary's Choice - a richly informative portrayal of our nation's first lady and New York's senator-elect as she and her husband come under fire.

Part Two: The Stories begins with Jill McCorkle's "Crash Diet," the story of a woman's reaction when her marriage falls apart on her fifth wedding anniversary. The Stories goes on to include pieces from Ashley Warlick, Clyde Edgerton, Dori Sanders, Tom Wolfe and, notably, promising excerpts from not-yet-published novels by Lee Smith and Nanci Kincaid.

In the end, Novello: Ten Years of Great American Writing reads like a primer on modern southern literature, with a few ventures north of the Mason-Dixon line.

This book gives details about the training of Ham, the first chimp in space. Until now, a reader was hard-pressed to find details about this part of history. It's a poignant story. The writer says that a group of infant-chimps were taken away from their mothers in Africa, who were likely killed. They endured rigorous training before it was decided that Ham had the "right stuff." After his successful launch, no ticker-tape parade down Madison Ave., instead Ham was put on display in a cage by himself in the National Zoo in Wash. D.C. She ends the book telling the reader about Ham's eventual rescue to a sanctuary in North Carolina where he finally got to live his final years with other chimps. I hope the author does an updated version of the book telling readers about the new sanctuary in Fort Pierce, FL built just for the retired Air Force chimps, descendants of the space program.

If you are susceptible to falling in love with the wonder of space, of the bond that develops between humans and animals working together, and the pathos of a simple story, "Spacechimp" will be an unforgettable read...even for a grown-up! Children of all ages will delight in the wonderful way that authors Farbman and Gaillard bring sophisticated scientific concepts down to earth. The workings of gravity and related forces and phenomena are presented in simple terms that form a solid foundation for understanding the 1961 Mercury mission. No one will forget that astrochimp Ham's diet included strawberry gelatin and banana-flavored pellets! Photographs in full color and black and white complement the text beautifully. This book is worth reading just for a look at one particularly poignant image, taken by an automatic camera during a moment of peace while floating without the pull of gravity: spacechimp Ham gazing out at the intimate vast space just outside his capsule. You'll never forget it.

In Kyle Petty, Frye Gaillard has the most interesting driver on the NASCAR circuit, and he makes the most of it. This is a well-written, intelligent, and surprisingly candid recounting of a Winston Cup season. If you've ever wondered what the drivers say when the TV cameras are off, you should read this book - instead of the usual "I gotta thank Goodyear for puttin' an awesome set of tires under me...", you get lines like, "There was a little turd driving number fifteen that ran all over me." If you're a race fan, you'll love it.

Gaillard skips the simple sensationalism that usually accompanies Nascar writings, choosing instead to tell a real story. He explores the history of the Nascar culture, the people that comprise it and the sport's surprising ability to get in your blood for good.

When most Americans think of Indians, they think of the Sioux on the Great Plains, the Navajo of the Southwest, but almost never the many tribes that still live east of the Mississippi River. This thoughtful book tells the stories of Indians as diverse as tye Penobscots of Maine, the Iroquois of New York, the Ho-Chunk and Chippewa of Wisconsin, the Pamunkeys of Virginia, the Cherokees and Lumbees of North Carolina, the Creeks of Alabama, and the Houmas and Chitimachas of Louisiana. Through history, profiles, and photographic portraits by Carolyn DeMeritt, Gaillard tells the stories of those who, despite disease, removal, poverty, and oppression have managed to remain and at times even thrive in the lands of their ancestors. This book should be in every county, public, and high school library east of the Mississippi, and probably west of the river too.

Okay, I'm a bit prejudiced since I was born in Spartanburg, SC myself, but this book does shed light on a small city that produced a lot of great music. The in-depth look on Pink Anderson, the bluesman Pink Floyd and Johnny Cash have cited as an influence, was well handled along twith the story of his son Alvin (who I know quite well). So put on your B-B- b-lack slacks and enjoy this look at an overlooked center of jazz, gospel, rock, and r&b music.

A gifted and much-published writer, Frye Gaillard is a descendant of the French Huguenot GAILLARD family which was eminent in antebellum South Carolina and later in Mobile, Alabama. Using cherished family journals and legends as well as public records, the author has lovingly reconstructed the events and the flavor of his ancestors' lives. These people come to life as Frye reveals their characters and personalities. But this is more than the history of one family. The story begins in 1695 and continues to the modern day, with the family participating in many, if not all, of the important historical events of their day. The Gaillards were typical of many southern families, finding themselves at political odds with one another and with their neighbors at various times. As the story unfolds, the reader begins to understand the variety of opinions and convictions of the average southerner of those times. Some attention is given to the family's dependency on slavery,though not as much as one might expect considering the title of the book. Complete with photos and documentation, the book is valuable for those researching the Huguenot and planter families of the Charleston, SC area, but more than that, it is interesting and enlightening reading for anyone interested in American history or in the fabric of a southern family's life.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Especially the short story by Robert Inman, which had me laughing my head off! I've lived my entire life in Charlotte and wasn't aware that we had so many talented folks here. Keep up the good work, Charlotteans!

Southern Voices does not divulge too many fascinating details about the remarkable people profiled, but it does provide a good place to start when coming up with your own opinion of somebody. It, more than describing individual achievements, attempts to give the reader the feeling of what the described people are all about. Quite nice, and not a hurried read.