GA

The writer, GA Watkins, has come forth as a true overcomer. He took what was dealt to him from birth and triumphed with a strong, faithful constitution and a romantic heart.

A Native Soul Transplanted is so vivid, I could hear the water of the Demerera River and taste the sugar cane in his native village. His poems take you down the road of his life from birth to present, and brings forth every emotion from laughter to tears.

Metro Atlanta is a gigantic area, and gets bigger every day. I have lived in Atlanta my entire life, but recently, while entertaining out-of-town guests, I realized I didn't really know much about what there is to do in my hometown aside from my own familiar routine.

I thought maybe a guidebook would help me out, so I got the "Newcomer's Handbook for Atlanta." I found all kinds of things for my guests to do -- it became the running joke of their trip to say that someone should "consult the handbook."

Now that my guests are gone, I have discovered that I can't live without it. When my daughter gets bored, I look up the chapters on Cultural Life, Sports and Recreation or Quick Getaways.

I've been considering moving to another part of town lately, and have found the descriptions of each neighborhood very helpful. It gives me information on the school system, neighborhood associations, bus routes and zip codes and the individual neighborhood information is easily cross-referenced with more comprehensive chapters dealing with the schooling options and systems, churches, libraries, shopping areas and more.

As helpful as it is for me, a native Atlantan, I would recommend this handbook to anyone moving here. You may find that you know more about our city than your new Atlanta neighbors.

Our family is contemplating a move to suburban Atlanta, and we know next to nothing about the area. Having just read this Newcomer's Handbook, I feel much more comfortable and knowledgable about the major neighborhoods, getting around town, the nuts and bolts of settling in (utilities, taxes, etc), and many of the cultural amenities the area has to offer. The only thing I would add is a map with enough detail to visualize what the author is talking about in her "Atlanta Address Locator" tips section. The one map in this handbook is woefully inadequate.

While at Tybee and staying at the Desto, I purchased the book and could not put it down, references to the local places are excellent and the rules on building in GA makes one think and worry.

the book was a powerhouse of entertainment. i was riveted to the pages as i really began to understand and identify with the characters. tybee island will never be the same for me. the author obviously remembers tybee island the way it used to be.

Harold Clarke is an amazing man. But before one pretends to know him, it is important to know that he voluntarily relinquished his position as the Chief Justice of Georgia's Supreme Court so that Charles Weltner, the great Civil Rights figure of Georgia's past, could become Chief Justice before he died of cancer.

Such an action is typical of Harold Clarke's character. He is an immaculate man of decency, a true southern gentleman. I will defer the fact that he knew my grandfather and cares greatly for my father and even me. The fact is that he is a hero of Georgia's often troubled judicial history, and I love him greatly.

His book is most worthy of being read. I can promise anyone who reads it that you will appreciate Chief Justice Clarke's simple upbringing and his rise to destiny.

- Jeff Berry

A pleasant trip into the past. Runs the gamut of human emotions: Nostalgia, Humor, Sadness. So very reminiscent of when times and places were simpler. I highly recommend it. Very enjoyable reading. E. F. Howard .

Saw this book in a gift shop in Savannah and wished I hadn't wasted my money on a camera. Her pictures are exactly as the real thing. What a great gift for anyone who has been there.

Mrs. Streed is and excellent artist and the copy of the book contains many interesting facts about Savannah. If you buy one for a gift, you'll end up ordering another to keep. A must have

Secret Yankees: The Union Circle In Confederate America by Thomas G. Dyer (Professor of Higher Education and History, University of Georgia) is a superbly presented historical study of pro-Union sympathizers in Atlanta, Georgia. These are Civil War participants who have been largely overlooked and ignored in both traditional civil war studies texts and popular culture movies such as "Gone With the Wind." Dramatic and personal, with special emphasis on the life and struggles of Vermont native and Unionist Cyrena Stone, Secret Yankees is an incredible insight into a little-known aspect of America's deadliest war. Secret Yankees is a seminal and significant contribution to the growing library of Civil War literature and highly recommended for Civil War Studies supplemental reading lists and academic reference collections.

Professor Thomas G. Dyer's book is a highly important and enjoyable work. All readers can benefit from this excellent work; however, for those with an interest in literary mysteries, Dyer's work offers a special treat. Who was "Miss Abby," the author of a "diary" dated at Atlanta, Georgia, 1 January through 22 July 1864? No one knew. In 1976, the University of Georgia library purchased the manuscript "diary" from a book/manuscript peddler without demanding its provenance, a decision soon to be regretted. The question of authorship was daunting indeed. Faced with a fictitious name and the swollen population of Atlanta toward the end of the Civil War, most writers would have surrendered--not so, this 20th century Sherlock. One would have thought that any stray Yankees in Atlanta would have fled like scalded rats with the first booming from Sumter, or that those remaining were securely confined in the local asylum. Not so, Dyer informs us. Yankees...in Atlanta! Aunt Pittypat would be appalled. In the early stages of his work, Professor Dyer was rightly concerned that the manuscript "diary" could be part of a published work. At an early stage he was also aware that, at best, the "diary" in the collection of the University of Georgia library was perhaps only a transcription of an unknown original document, which he yet thinks was a diary written by Cyrena Bailey Stone. After a careful search of all standard reference, and even rare sources, he found no evidence whatever that the "diary" had been published. However, as is often the case when doing original literary work, Professor Dyer's neck was stretched nicely across scholarship's bloody block. The ax fell. Well into the project, the manuscript "diary" in the University of Georgia library proved to be part of a 1903 novel, "Goldie's Inheritance/A Story of the Siege of Atlanta," by Louisa M. Whitney. To add insult to injury, there were three copies of the novel in the Georgia Room, University of Georgia (where Dyer is Professor of Higher Education and History), as is the manuscript "diary." In the words of a Confederate song writer to President Lincoln, it was "Root Hog, or Die!" Die, Dyer did not. As with Lincoln, he goes on to prove his worth by providing his readers with a new thought provoking view of Atlanta, the home of "Gone With The Wind," during the Civil War. Concerning this work, the following facts are most regrettable. Professor Dyer was not able to locate the supposed original diary of Cyrena Bailey Stone, nor was he able to locate a single example of her handwriting; hence, the manuscript "diary" in the University of Georgia library must remain in doubt, its provenance unknown. The fact that the heroine of this story, Cyrena Bailey Stone, the supposed author of the "diary," was a loyal Atlanta Yankee slave owner, and that other loyal Atlanta Yankees in her nest were also slave owners, would seem sufficient to undermine the basic premise of Professor Dyer's work. This may be so, at least in part. However, Professor Dyer's important contribution does not rest on the faults of the characters which infest his work, nor does it rely on the authenticity of the manuscript "diary" in the University of Georgia library. The thoughtful reader of Professor Dyer's superb work will soon learn why this is so. Working under the burdens I have outlined, Professor Dyer has produced an important seminal work. This work is a must for all readers of southern history.

A friend gave this book to me as a gift and I have enjoyed every recipe I've tried. The selection is unique and not "show-offish" like so many of the League cookbooks are. These are easy to prepare, quick recipes for those of us in the real world who don't want recipes for entertaining, but rather an assortment of good meals for the every day mom who just wants to nurture her family. There is a huge selection here, (over 700 recipes) but my favorites were the "Chidrens' Favorites" and the "Desperate Gourmet" section. Planner in the back is good too. My mother-in-law likes to "read" cookbooks (as if they were novels) and never cooks from them. If you're one of those people, Ma says it's also great for armchair reading.

This is the best cookbook I've ever seen! It is wonderfully organized with the best index I've found in any book. Recipes are indexed several different ways which makes locating them a snap. The party planning information is so helpful to figure out how much to make for how many people and the sample occasion menus are much more inventive than I would come up with on my own.

Thanks Jr. Service League of LaGrange, Georgia for such a wonderful book! It's so nice to find great recipes that use ingredients I have in the pantry!

When I was struggling to select plants for my garden in my new home, this book helped me to understand plants appropriate for my area, times to plant them, and many other helpful hints. This book is a great resource for gardeners all over the South!

Having Barbara Pleasant's book in hand is like having a good neighbor who shares her experience like plants from a well-tended garden. Such experience and generosity translate into a book packed with useful science, interesting and humorous history, as well as a wonderfully common-sense approach to gardening. Her month-by-month guide reminds us of not only what it's time to do but the pleasures, joys and mysteries that we enjoy when growing things - indoors and out - are part of our lives. It's hard to capture that wonder, but she seems to have done it.

In his first effort as a full-length work, Tom Peace has succeeded where others have failed. Finally, a resource for those of us who have longed for a lesson in hot-weather gardening! Rather than a book of charts and lists of what to plant when, the author provides us with the tools to make informed decisions. Resplendent with pages and pages of color photographs of the author's work, real-life examples of hot-weather gardens, this book is not to be missed. I can't wait to get started on my garden!

Gardeners in zones 7, 8 and 9 often endure drought and extremely hot and humid temperatures. Our plants often suffer as a result. This book, divided by sections of the southeast and the southwest, shows what plants will do well in these climates. The author also discusses winter gardening and how the sunbelt gardener can successfully have color in their gardens year round. The book is well organized and the photographs are spectacular. It will serve as a valuable reference to gardeners in this region.

GA Architect series of books are exceptionally well printed. The photography, sketches and insight into each architect they publish is second to none. The binding holds up well too, especially when considering how much use my GA Architect books have seen during school and later on in practice. The books are bi-lingual (Japanese/English)and the paper quality is very good. The glossy covers age well with use.

You should take good care of them as they are very hard to find once out of production, very few books make it to the USA. The sketches are a great source for inspiration and ideas and the photographs seem to capture the essence of each project very well. I would not hessitate to buy any new GA Architect book unseen. I was told the full page images are printed at 600 line/inch. which explains the clarity and high level of detail seen in the photographs that I just can't get from Rizzoli books. The square format is large and easy on the eyes, yet is not cumbersome. The Ando books (#8 & #16) especially lend themselves to this large format well. Images of Ando's chapels/churches engulf you, sucking you into the pages of the book, making you feel the spaces. The Steve Holl book include many of his artwork, so does the Zaha Hadid book. In short, very few books can tranfer you into the images, allowing you to feel and experience the spaces presented to you, GA Architect series books does that. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions (...)

ando is a pefect one who use the simple ,normal things to say more for the world