Customer Reviews (1)

A captivating escape into southern small-town America
Douglas Bailey tells a tale of a small southern town's growth that's nurtured and poisoned by the virtues and vices of one of its own strong men, Buck Bannon.

At 18, Buck leaves his farm-dwelling family to seek out what opportunities await him in nearby Aven. With nothing but a shirt on his back and the will to never plow land again, Buck wheels and deals his way into the upper echelons this new town.

The story is fictional, but seems to have some basis in fact. For example, Aven is really Dothan, Alabama -- Douglas Bailey's hometown.

Also, one of the secondary characters, Tobe Parody, one of Buck's law officers, is certainly a "parody" of Tobe Domingus, a tax-enforcing, gun-slinging marshal who ruled Dothan in the late 1800s.

I enjoyed this book on many levels and especially liked the colorful colloquialisms that I'd never heard, growing up in the south myself.

I also liked the way Buck made his own way and lived by his own rules without excuses or remorse while simultaneously questioning his own motives and treatment of others.

The only part of the story I didn't like was the fact that Buck's selfishness kept him from meeting his only son. But Buck was not perfect, far from it in fact, and didn't claim or try to be anyone but himself -- human. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Research Aide
Interesting insight to a Southern farmer's life while away in the army.A beneficial aide to pulling together more of the history of this company and the regiment to which it belonged. A bit dissappointing as it did not provide more, none the less, a valued work as there are so few in existent. Would be mostly valued by those researching the 10th Confederate Cavalry. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Historical epic reminiscent of Gone With The Wind
Historical romance set in the early 19th century.Also read "Whetstone Walls," the continuation of this thrilling saga. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

Product Description
Presents the history, geography, people, politics and government, economy, social life and customs, state events and attractions, and notable people of Alabama. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Carefully researched and informative
This volume is put together the way a good biography should be.While the analysis is not profound, the reader gets a good idea of how Underwood attained the positions he did.While it is a little startling that as late as 1907 he would still call for the repeal of the 15th Amendment, contemporary Southern politicians were taking even more extreme anti-Negro positions; e.g., James K. Vardaman, in Mississippi, was crusading for no money for schools for Negroes, and Pitchfork Ben Tillman was condoning lynching!The account of the early days that Underwood was in Congress is a bit dry, detailing as it does legislative events of little significance today.The account of the 1912 Baltimore Democratic Convention, where Underwood was a candidate for President, is full of interest.This is also true of the account of his bid for President in 1924, when he became a household name because of the 103 ballots taken at the 1924 Democratic Convention in New York which started with the booming cry:"Alabama casts 24 votes for Oscar W. Underwood."Underwood is almost unique (only Henry Clay's career is comparable) in American history in that he attained a leadership position in the United States House of Representatives (in which he served for almost 20 years) and then was elected to the Senate where he again became Democratic leader, albeit his two-term Senate career was not as successful as his House career.The account of his two campaigns for the Senate, in 1914 and in 1920, are full of interest.Anyone interested in the political history of the first quarter of the 20th century in the United States will find reading of this book of value.I know I found it easy to read and consistently attention-holding.The research is carefully done and the footnotes are appropriately detailed.The bibliography is adequate.It is always good to see a biographer who has used the Congressional Record in the way that it should be in order to relate a congressional career.This is a good book, and throws light on a fascinating period of American political history. ... Read more