I was raised in Georgia and attended public school in Athens in the 60s and 70s. Even in a university town some 100 years after the Civil War there were people with embittered attitudes toward the North who saw themselves as citizens of a conquered country. This was surely due in part to Civil Rights legislation enforcing integration; and in part to that fable of Southern life, GONE WITH THE WIND. Most white Southerners know and many revile the name of William Tecumseh Sherman; not because they are ardent historians but because Margaret Mitchell and director Victor Fleming immortalized Sherman's burning of Atlanta on celluloid. In fact, although I hardly studied anything about the Civil War in public school, our class did take a 60-mile bus ride to watch GONE WITH THE WIND at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta. Although many years have passed, I have no reason to believe that today's young Georgians are any more informed about the actual history of their state; whether this is through official ignorance, shame, fear, or willful deceit I cannot say.

Lee Kennett's book, MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA goes a long way toward addressing this ignorance, and should be required reading for every Georgian. The book focuses on Sherman's North Georgia Campaign, the Battle of Atlanta and the March to the Sea as it affected the soldiers and civilians of both sides. His discussion of strategy is general and primarily about Sherman's decision to have his army forage off the land. Even this is included because of the consequence such forage had for the people involved--Kennett lays the blame of the Union atrocities at the feet of this decision, but takes care to point out the nature of such "atrocities", and that truly severe crimes other than the destruction of property was rather rare. Indeed, what makes Kennett's book so valuable is its evenness of tone regarding the issues and personalities. A Sherman biographer, he neither idolizes nor demonizes the General. Sherman, though not the main subject of this book, emerges as a recognizable and very human figure. Sherman's devotion to duty was horrifyingly single-minded--Kennett relates an incident in which 28 Union soldiers are too ill to travel, and Sherman left them in the care of a Confederate hospital in Milledgeville while he moved on with his troops: "'If they die, give them a decent burial,' Sherman said, 'if they live, send them to Andersonville [the prison in south Georgia where Union soldiers were held in appalling conditions to die in the thousands], if course,' Dr. Massey may have looked a bit nonplussed at this, for Sherman added: 'They are prisoners of war, what else can you do? If I had your men I would send them to prison.'" In another incident, Sherman refused to accept Union prisoners from Andersonville in a prisoner exchange because they were too ill or wounded to fight.

Kennett's descriptions of Sherman's progress were very meaningful to me as a native of the state. Non-Georgians might get bogged down a bit in the geography, and this is one of the book's weaknesses, but a minor one. There are two maps included, but as neither shows a complete map of the state some readers might well be bewildered. The Andersonville prison played an important role as at least a potential target but appears on neither map. It was not liberated during Sherman's Georgia campaign, and had it been shown on the map its distance from Sherman's path would have been immediately clear. The only other flaw is the paucity of information on black Georgians and how the campaign affected them. Kennett addresses this, relating that most information on their situation is related by whites and is mostly stereotypical. He provides one touching conversation passed along from Joel Chandler Harris (author of the Uncle Remus/Brer Rabbit tales): "...an old black couple he found in a corner of fence, not far from the road Sherman's army had just passed: 'Who is that lying there?' asked Joe. 'It my old man, suh.' 'What is the matter with him?' 'He dead, suh, But bless God he died free.'"

Also extraordinary is the comradeship that grew between members of the opposing sides whenever contact was allowed. Animosity between combatants is expected, but over and over Kennett relates encounters between the two armies, or between Union soldiers and Southern civilians that are remarkable in that so many concerned seemed able to view their opposite number as a fellow human rather than an evil enemy. Southerners now know only the destruction Sherman's forces brought, emptying and burning Atlanta and many other towns; but at the time Sherman's actions were seen at least by some as a reasonable response to the Confederates' burning of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania.

MARCHING THROUGH GEORGIA is full of fascinating information: North Georgia, mostly populated by poor white farmers who didn't own slaves, was largely loyalist and opposed succession; Governor Joe Brown (after the war a US Senator!) supported States' Rights to the extent that he clashed repeatedly with Confederate President Jefferson Davis; Sherman's forces faced the most opposition and most difficult fighting in primarily loyalist North Georgia; after the burning of Atlanta Sherman was able to move through Georgia with very little fighting at all; and rather than "bushwacking" Sherman's forces and provoking a fight with vastly superior forces, most Georgians preferred to let him move quickly through their land.

The Civil War buff, fans of War Histories and Southern History and Georgians in general will all find much of interest in Marching Through Georgia. My knowledge of my home state has been immeasurably improved, and I am looking forward to reading Kennett's biography, SHERMAN.

Lee Kennett is an excellent historian who combines exhaustive research with a splendid narrative pace in his "Marching Through Georgia."

This is not a book about Sherman's military campaign through the Peach State. The battles and maneuvers provide only the backdrop. The story is of the common soldiers who fought with and against Sherman and the citizens of Georgia who endured both armies during 1864.

The author makes heavy use of diaries and first person accounts. He focuses on several perspectives across the book: life in the trenches, on the battlefield, camp life, foraging, life on the March to the Sea, life in besieged and occupied Atlanta, and the life of Georgia's black and white citizens.

What is rendered is an exciting account of what these people experienced during these seminal months in their lives and the life of their country'. Kennett brings it all together as a story -- never falling into the trap of some authors of this genre of over repeating diary entries and accounts in a redundant attempt to be thorough. He achieves just the right mix of memoir and story to keep his book moving along at a good clip.

This book will fascinate and educate.

Lee Kennett is an excellent historian who combines exhaustive research with a splendid narrative pace in his "Marching Through Georgia."

This is not a book about Sherman's military campaign through the Peach State. The battles and maneuvers provide only the backdrop. The story is of the common soldiers who fought with and against Sherman and the citizens of Georgia who endured both armies during 1864.

The author makes heavy use of diaries and first person accounts. He focuses on several perspectives across the book: life in the trenches, on the battlefield, camp life, foraging, life on the March to the Sea, life in besieged and occupied Atlanta, and the life of Georgia's black and white citizens.

What is rendered is an exciting account of what these people experienced during these seminal months in their lives and the life of their country. Kennett brings it all together as a story -- never falling into the trap of some authors of this genre of over repeating diary entries and accounts in a redundant attempt to be thorough. He achieves just the right mix of memoir and story to keep his book moving along at a good clip.

This book will fascinate and educate.

Having found very little about the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906, imagine my delight at coming across "Negrophobia." There's so little about this event that anything would have been fine, but Bauerlein's study is exhaustive and a damn good read.

The author made the wise choice of spending considerable time setting the scene, looking at the entire cast of characters and 1906 Atlanta. He thereby sets the stage and makes the story of this horrendous riot that much more compelling.

I was also impressed by Bauerlein's straight forward account. He does not editorialize, instead letting the facts speak for themselves.

Atlanta was a relatively progressive city in the Jim Crow South, yet was far from immune to virulent and violent racism. Indeed the state of hysteria white women were whipped into in the South was probably as bad in Atlanta as anwyhere. The demonizing of African-Americans concurrent with the paranoia they engendered is at the heart of the riots.

Baurelein's books fills a huge void and is great reading.

This is an objective historical account, but I couldn't help thinking as I read it: "What a great story!" It has all the makings of a really good potboiler - an unexpected treat for such serious subjects.

As for the matters of race, anyone who wants to read about how people really experienced race relations on the ground and in their daily lives should read this book.

This is a sharp, erudite, and very readable account of Atlanta's turbulent racial politics in 1906. But it is also much more than a historical study of a single year. Mark Bauerlein has produced an impressive analysis of black intellectual history at the turn of the century. His observations are precise, and his reconstruction of events vivid. I recommend this book highly.

This book is the result of Sills' consuming photographic affair with a rural family in Georgia. After thousands of photographs we see this basic American Southern family grow and develop before our eyes. Sills' eyes and camera allow us to discover beauty where others may see ... trash and dirt. Tina Toole develops into a Frida Kahloesque sort of chameleon-like woman, often pretty, sometimes tough, but always mesmerizing. This is one of those books that every photographic aficionado should buy.

This book won the 2000 Southern Books Competition Award of Excellence in Book Design from the Southeastern Library Association. This award is given in recognition of the book's aesthetic appeal and design and for fine craftsmanship in its printing and binding. Congratulations to author Vaughn Sills, designer Kyong Choe, printer C & C Offset, and the University of Georgia Press.

Vaughn Sills' One Family has done something, but done it very sublty; by focusing for twenty years on photographing the Toole family from Georgia, Sills has managed to photograph many families, represented by this proud and tenacious family whose corner of world happens to be the American South. You could easily call this a book "a photgraphy book looking at the rural south"; and it is, the dialogue and writings in the book sometimes show that Southern vernacular; the scenery sometimes seems typically "Southern"; but to stop there at "Southern" as a despricition is missing the larger picture. To stop there would be to miss the wonderful, wide, world of people in every day life, engaged in just simply living. The writing included in the book is revealing, personal and touching, Some of it is dialogue with family members and some is poetry by Tina Toole Truelove. These words and feelings are what help tie the book to the world at large because we see that, even in the South, people feel a certain way, have certain experiences. Yes, this book would be a great source for a vew on a part of the American South,but don't stop there on your journey with this beautifully photographed book. I treasure mine and treasure the truths I see in their faces.

This exciting cookbook presents a sampling of the artist's Georgia O'Keefe's favorites dishes. The author worked for Ms. O'Keefe for several years. The recipes are not complicated. I have made several of the dishes and all have been delicious! I highly recommend this book! Doug Moring

Lavishly sprinkled with black-and-white photographs of the artist as well as full-color food photos, A Painter's Kitchen is a feast for the eyes as well as the mind and the stomach. MAIL ORDER GOURMET

Through anecdotes, personal recollections of conversations, black-and-white photographs of Georgia O'Keeffe, full-colored shots of the simple, but elegant food displays, and the unpretentious, sometimes austere recipes of Miss O'Keeffe's favorite foods, one gets a very personal, warm feeling about this celebrated artist. Southwest International Wine & Food Revie

The month-by-month guide to gardening is a joy to look at and read, even for those of us with a brown thumb. A wonderful hostess gift (lasts longer than a bottle of wine). The recipes are simple and attractive, the book is about lifestyle.

I always look for gardening books as gifts for my husband, an seasoned avid gardener. I knew this one would give him hours of pleasure, but I was surprised to learn that I can also benefit from all the treasurers in this beautiful book. Reading the book is a peaceful pleasure that has awakened in me a strong desire to find in my own life what this author and my husband already know: that gardening is satisfying spiritual work connecting souls to nature and beauty. I can now think of five of six friends that would love the book as well.

From amateur to expert, anyone interested in gardening and the fruits of the earth will be drawn into this delightful book. For each month, the reader is given detailed instructions for simple yet elegant recipes, decorating projects, and herbal concoctions. Everyone I tried has worked perfectly. (And they make great gifts!) This book is a must have for anyone who enjoys beauty and nature both outside and inside the home.

No wonder I haven't been getting royalties on this book! Well, it could be revived soon; Arena Stage Theater, in D.C. is in the process of adapting it for stage. So, there! Author, Janice Daugharty

It's a shame that writers as gifted as Janice Daugharty don't get more attention. While the big publishing Goliaths spend millions promoting name-brand authors who churn out formulaic clap-trap, someone in New York should have the courage to do what it takes to introduce this superb writer to a broader reading public. Each line of Pawpaw Patch is a well-placed stroke of the pen which paints a vivid, colorful portrait of the very human citizens of Cornerville, Georgia. No writer has come closer to the truth.

Janice Daugharty's book jacket photo shows a middle-aged woman seated in a white wicker chair, wearing a prim, sailor-collared dress. If one were to judge by appearances only, one might expect stories about quilting bees and square dancers. Well, there is dancing in "Pawpaw Patch," but it's clogging, not square-dancing. And there are beauty pageants, and "mothers in corn-smudged frocks" and folks trading pickles for legal advice. However quaint this may seem, there is nothing cute about Cornerville, where Chanell Foster's beauty shop is the center of social activity. This is a seemingly modern town where people dress in Ralph Lauren and watch "Knot's Landing," but continue to call blacks "Negroes." Chanell and her customers are just one step removed from separate drinking fountains. When one of her childhood friends starts a vicious, racist rumor, driving her business away, Chanell is forced to confront her own prejudices and, later, those of the townspeople who have turned against her. Daugharty tells this twist-filled tale in a voice that is as rich as mississippi mud pie. Every few paragraphs I found myself pausing to savor a particularly apt image - "cup handle ears," peacock tail feathers "sweeping the corn rows like the tulle train of a wedding gown." She also has a wonderful ear for dialogue and a genius for naming - to wit, Aunt Teat, Joy Beth and Linda Gay. Swanoochee County, the setting of Daugharty's two previous novels as well as this one, isn't paradise - not by a long shot - but it's a place readers will want to visit again and again

When I read the first chapter of this book at a half price bookstore I had to have it. This book is so real, it's unbelievable. It's the story of a woman (Bobby) discovering herself through relationships (with women). It's the kind of book that can make you lost when you are done because you don't know what to do without those characters in your life!

I carried this book around in my purse for weeks after I finished it simply because I could not let it go. I think I have read it cover to cover at least 3 times and every single time I would sit there nodding up and down at certain parts. I mean Ms. Cotrell gets it EXACTLY right. The first chapter held me fast and never let me go.

*My favorite chapter was Fishlips, *Favorite use of an uncommon word "invegle" *Favorite lesbian rescue (you'll have to read it) *Favorite bathtub scene *Favorite lesbian novelist....Georgia ..........Don't miss this book! Lots o luv-Jonny

Frank and Victoria Logue are prolific writers. Their work covers hiking, camping and outdoor adventures in Georgia so this book is a natural extension of that work.

Touring the Backroads covers the entire state (don't be misled by the title). The tours are Northwest Georgia Drive, Native American Tour, North Georgia Mountain Tour, Northeast Georgia Tour, Fort Yargo to Tucker's Ferry, Classic South, Plantation, Middle Georgia Ramble, Georgia Capitals Drive, East Georgia Ramble, Southwest Georgia Ramble, Middle Georgia Farmland, Altamaha River Loop, Wire Grass, and South Georgia.

Our favorites: Georgia Capitals, Georgia Mountains (covers the Georgia Gold Rush), Northwest Georgia (takes you from the Tennessee State line to Rome), and the Southwest Georgia Ramble (highlights the Kolomaki Mounds and Providence Canyon, two underused state parks). The Native American Tour covers the Etowah Indian Mounds, the first capital of the Cherokee Nation at New Echota (now a Georgia State Park) and a wall built by Indians that pre-dated the Moundbuilders.

One of the things I like about this book is that Frank and Victoria don't assume you know esoteric facts about Georgia's history. They take you through the whole story, telling what you need to know to appreciate the stop.

I am a librarian reviewing this book for our school library which we purchased. Like the backroads, at first glance one might think there's nothing much there. Eventhough the photos are small and not color, this book makes up for it with surprisingly rich content. I gave it 5 stars for the content alone. The history and facts about this my home region were quite impressive. I only wanted the tour to slow down and concentrate more on some of the individual topics, but alas when you're on tour you only get a few moments before moving on. I've learned some things I did not know. The style of writing is intelligent and very readable. The research level is substantial in order to have uncovered these facts, that as a resident here in the backroads I know were not easy to come by. If you take a tour of any of these areas, take this book along because you won't find this information readily available aside from long hours of historical research. Facts about the history of growing peaches in Georgia along with recipes for peach cobbler and pecan pie are especially nice. Printed on alkaline paper, I only wish it was hardback.

I bought this book for the driving tours and I loved the one drive I have taken so far. But, I really enjoy the delightful stories that fill this book. It has the most amazing array of colorful anecdotes from Georgia history. It is a wonderful armchair book and an even better driving guide. I'm looking forward to doing more of the drives.

for the novice or experienced gardener. Good pictures help to identify trees native to the Southeast U.S. Excellent descriptions of trees with useful information for cultivation.

I'm glad to see this book finally available in paperback.

This book by Brown & Kirkman is the best resource I have seen for those interested in tree identification anywhere in the Southeast. It includes excellent descriptions of over 200 native trees, as well as hundreds of color photographs. There are also charts for identifying every family, genus, and species in the summer and winter. Also included is a list of many non-native species which could be confused with our native trees. Because most other books about dendrology in the Southeast are so outdated, this is definitely the best resource available for any botanist, forester, or anyone else who would like a greater appreciation of our most fascinating natural resource.

Brown & Kirkman have synthesized a wonderful, comprehensive guide to Georgia trees. Many species distributions overlap with other states, however, so this guide is useful for most of the Southeast. In addition to species descriptions, they include valuable habitat and economic information. Perhaps the most unique feature is the "Recognition difficulties with other taxa" section that is included with every species description. Now even beginning botanists can distinguish Post Oak from Sand Post Oak with ease.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Georgia Bockoven is a writer in need of more discovery, if the fact that this book is out of print is anything to go by. But it is an honor to be able to give you a recommendation here on Amazon for this book, and every other book of Georgia Bockoven.

The writing touches more than your emotions...it touches your soul. This book is about the best life has to offer, and the worst. Not many writers can capture both and do so without drowning you in sorrow or forcing a suspension of belief. Bockoven manages the feat admirably.

I could say many other things about this book, but I can't think how without revealing details that are far better discovered as you read this wonderful writer's work.

So I ask you instead...think on the following questions. Remember your sense of loss after the death of a loved one? The emptiness in your gut? Remember your sense of fulfillment when you found your true love? Remember how the joy of life at its best filled your whole being?

When you read a Georgia Bockoven book, you will remember these things. This book in particular will make you smile, and it will make you cry. Everyone I've recommended it to who has read it has loved it. This book should not be out of print. It just isn't the way it should be. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

...I don't read romance novels as a general rule. If you like romance novels, I think you will like these books of Georgia's. If you like other genres (like me) I think you might still really like this book. My friends who have liked this book are from both crowds. So, do as you will. I can only recommend, and that I do.

The way it should have been is a teriffic book full of emotions and great characters. I sure want to read it again and I think you would too!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Georgia Bockoven is a writer in need of more discovery, if the fact that this book is out of print is anything to go by.

The writing touches more than your emotions...it touches your soul. This book is about the best life has to offer, and the worst. Not many writers can capture both and do so without drowning you in sorrow or forcing a suspension of belief. Bockoven manages the feat admirably.

I could say many other things about this book, but I can't think how without revealing details that are far better discovered as you read this wonderful writer's work.

Know this, readers. Remember your sense of loss after the death of a loved one? Remember your sense of fulfillment when you found your true love? Remember how you couldn't put down a book because it captured your whole attention, your whole existence even? If not, don't read this book. But if so, get it.