The Golden Age of American Lighthouses by Tim Harrison and Ray Jones

Title: The Golden Age of American Lighthouses, A Nostalgic Look at U.S. Lights from 1850 - 1939
Authors: Tim Harrison and Ray Jones
ISBN: 9780762712762
Publisher: Globe Pequot, 2002
Paperback, 176 pages
Genre: Non-Fiction, History
Rating: B
Source: Purchased at Bookman's, Phoenix, Arizona

First Line: Every form of human enterprise has passed through a halcyon epoch fondly remembered as a "golden age."

Tim Harrison (publisher and editor of Lighthouse Digest magazine and president of the American Lighthouse Foundation) and Ray Jones (writer or co-writer of many books about lighthouses) know their stuff. They've compiled an impressive collection of vintage photographs and fascinating history that will make any lover of lighthouses smile.

Not only are the lighthouses themselves showcased, but the work lives and day-to-day existence of lighthouse keepers and their families are also discussed. Being a lighthouse lover myself, I greatly enjoyed this book, although I do have one small quibble with it: the vast majority of lighthouses mentioned in this book are on the Eastern seaboard, and in particular, New England.

Although I would have preferred more mentions of lighthouses on the West coast, this is a wonderful compilation of photos and history that would be a welcome addition to any lighthouse lover's library.

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Northwest Rainforest Pioneers: Narratives and Photography

Title: Northwest Rainforest Pioneers: Narratives and Photography
Author: Claudia Harper
ISBN: 1571883452/ Frank Amato Publications, 2004
Genre: Poetry, Photography
Rating: DNF

I did not realize from the book's description at Paperback Swap that this is a collection of the author's narrative poems and photography. If I had, I would not have ordered it. My success rate is rather hit or miss with this type of book, and I always want to base a reading decision upon physically seeing the book and going through its pages.

I barely started reading when I knew that I was not going to finish. I love poetry and photography, but I'm very subjective about both. Harper's narrative poems just didn't "grab" me, and I didn't care for her photographic technique.

In a case like this, I feel as though I should create a new rating category: NMC--"not my cuppa". NMC would mean that I made an entirely subjective judgment call in not finishing the book, and that my decision should not be taken into consideration if you're deciding whether or not to read this book!

Review-- Only Opal

Title: Only Opal, The Diary of a Young Girl
Author: Opal Whiteley
Editor: Jane Boulton
Illustrator: Barbara Cooney
ISBN: 0698115643/ PaperStar Book, 1994
Genre: Children's Books, Diaries
Rating: A

First Line: My mother and father are gone.

Thus begins the remarkable diary of Opal Whiteley, written when she was five and six. Born sometime around the year 1900, Opal was orphaned and raised by foster parents in Oregon. Opal's parents loved books and nature, and they passed these loves on to Opal. Her foster parents couldn't be any more different. Her foster mother calls her a nuisance, and Opal frequently has to miss school to do chores. Opal misses her parents. She is lonely. Her diary is the only place where she can be true to herself.

When I feel sad inside I talk things over with my tree. I call him Michael Raphael. It is such a comfort to nestle up to Michael Raphael. He is a grand tree. He has an understanding soul.

This is the first book I've read which so clearly delineates the inner life of a child in the child's own words. Feeling unwanted and alone, Opal takes comfort in the nature around her. Like me, she has a penchant for naming her favorite wild creatures, although her names are much grander than mine. (The male Gila Woodpecker who lives here has been named Gregory Peck.)

Editor Jane Boulton has done an excellent job of choosing the diary entries that make Opal come to life. Her decision to leave Opal's misspellings and grammatical errors lends verisimilitude to the book, and Barbara Cooney's brilliant watercolor illustrations are perfect for the text.


Although there is A Note About This Book in the back which tells how Opal's diary came to be published, I still wanted to know more. I found this website in doing a search, little knowing that a controversy has surrounded the diary for decades.

No matter which side of the controversy you may fall on, Only Opal is a poignant, wonderfully illustrated piece of writing that stays with you.

Review-- True Bluegrass Stories

Title: True Bluegrass Stories: History from the Heart of Kentucky
Author: Tom Stephens
ISBN: 9781596295452/ The History Press, 2008
Genre: US History
Rating: B

First Line: Pristine and primeval in the mid-1700s, Kentucky first entered the consciousness of American colonists as an "Eden" or "El Dorado of the West," the next place an energetic young man could enter penniless and see his dreams come true.

It was at about this time that several of my own ancestors packed their wagons and moved to Kentucky. They did quite well there for about a century before the next itchy-footed generation picked up sticks and moved to Illinois, which is where I was born.

I've been to Kentucky many times and have to admit that one of my favorite parts of the state is indeed the Bluegrass, so I picked up this book fully expecting to (1) enjoy it and (2) learn something. Both my expectations were met.

This is a collection of stories from Stephens' Looking Back column in Kentucky Monthly magazine. I can certainly see why the column is popular. He covers a lot of history in these short articles, and he does so in an entertaining and informative manner. As many times as I've been to the Bluegrass, I still learned several things such as: why there are so many Shelbyvilles and Shelby Counties in the United States, just what makes bourbon different from whiskey, and the life of the woman "Hot Lips" Houlihan in M*A*S*H was based upon. I also got to revisit some favorite places such as Pleasant Hill ("Shakertown"), outside of Harrodsburg.

Anyone who's interested in United States history, and in particular the history of Kentucky, should add this book to their reading.

REVIEW: Down Cut Shin Creek

Title: Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky
Author(s): Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer
ISBN: 9780060291358/Harper Collins
KidLit/History, Ages 8-12
Rating: A

First Line: They were the darkest of times, the years following the crash of the stock market in 1929.

Sometimes finding the road to a new reading passion is a little bit of a miracle. I stumbled across an excellent blog called Appalachian History, and one day I came across a post there about the pack horse librarians of Kentucky. It was if my mind was set afire. The Works Progress Administration was the largest part of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's New Deal, and the WPA was responsible for the pack horse library system of Kentucky. Cast-off books and magazines were donated and sent to book centers in the remote mountainous region of eastern Kentucky. The items were gone through, repaired, and given to young (mostly female) workers who saddled up their horses and mules and rode up into the mountains where there were no roads. Often their only trails were following stream beds.

Every two weeks, each pack horse librarian would set out with new books, magazines and pamphlets and stop by one-room schools and cabins along the route. At first, the proud, poor people who lived there were sceptical, but these librarians were people known to them, and the residents rapidly came to look forward to their visits with great enthusiasm and joy.

Down Cut Shin Creek is a marvelous book about this little known library program that came to an end in 1943 with World War II. (It wouldn't be until the late 1950s that this area once again had access to library materials.) Full of information, it is also packed with period photographs that bring the whole thing to life. I have nothing but admiration for these pack horse librarians who, for the monthly salary of $28, traveled through every imaginable sort of terrain and weather to bring the outside world to people who were starving for it.