Hearts Divided: 5-B Poppy Lane\The Apple Orchard\Liberty Hall

Book Description

Grandmothers know best . . . especially these three grandmothers, all soldiers' brides. Their generation lived through war and peace, good times and bad, love and loss.

5-B Poppy Lane by Debbie Macomber
All her life, Ruth Shelton has loved visiting her grandmother in Cedar Cove, Washington. Now Ruth comes to ask advice about her own romance with a soldier -- and discovers a secret in her grandmother's past.

The Apple Orchard by Katherine Stone
Clara MacKenzie's granddaughter Elizabeth arrives at Clara's Oregon farm needing comfort. That's exactly what Clara offers -- and so does a childhood friend named Nick Lawton. But Nick wants to offer Elizabeth more than comfort. More than friendship . . .

Liberty Hall by Lois Faye Dyer
When Professor Chloe Abbot finds herself caught up in a troublesome mystery, she turns to her grandmother. She needs Winifred's expertise as a wartime code breaker. She doesn't need suggestions about her love life -- all of which involve an ex-marine Jake Morrissey!

Customer Reviews:

Hearts Divided.......2006-02-09

*** In this sweet little story collection, past and present are bridged by a common thread of love and revealed secrets. Granddaughters learn lessons about love from their grandmothers' recollections of the past, of loves they had in the WW II era. The stories are connected by email messages between the three grandmothers, but they do have a common theme. Debbie Macomber's entry that opens the anthology is the strongest of the three, however, each one is a sweet, safe read for book lovers of all ages to enjoy. ***

Amanda Killgore

Not bad..........2006-02-07

Of the three stories, I enjoyed the one by Katherine Stone the best. It was very sweet and the characters were cute. The bit about the grandmother's eyesight seemed sort of random, though... kind of like the author wanted to just throw in some information that people should know about cataracts.
The story by Debbie Macomber sort of seemed... a little dated, I guess. As I read it, I sort of wondered if it had been written years ago and was being republished, with a few updates to accomodate for technological advances (cell phones, email). It was just an impression I got from the characters, I think.
I have no real complains about the Lois Faye Dyer story. It was fine.
All in all, an okay book, but not a keeper.

three terrific Washington State novellas .......2006-02-01

"5-B Poppy Lane" by Debbie Macomber. In Cedar Cove, Washington, anti-war protester Ruth Shelton has been exchanging letters and email with USMC Sergeant Paul Gordon. However, he is coming home from Afghanistan on leave and wants to meet her in person. She has doubts because of his occupation

"Liberty Hall" by Katherine Stone. Former sergeant Jake Morrissey visits his friend Dan at the University of Washington Medical Center's rehabilitation Medicine Department where his brother in arms is getting an artificial leg installed. Jake meets English Professor Chloe Abbott whose group the Seattle's Women's Club has donated much of the medical equipment. They are attracted to one another form the start, but someone with a grudge plans to use her as a throw away pawn to get at Jake.

"The Apple Orchard" by Lois Faye Dyer. In Sarah's Orchard, Washington though he knows he will be punished by his mother's latest boyfriend, Nick rescues the toddler. Elizabeth's grandparents Charles and Clara are grateful. Years later, an adult Nick returns to Sarah's Orchard where to his shock Clara knows him instantly as Elizabeth's hero. He stays there basking in the grandparent-like love of Charles and Clara. When Charles dies he remains there for Clara. When Elizabeth returns home, she and her hero fall in love but he keeps his military experience secret from her so she has doubts.

These three terrific Washington State novellas star heroic military men and realistic women with doubts about a relationship with a soldier/veteran. The key to the tales is that diverse opinions on the Global War Against Terrorism is treated with respect and not wrapped inside phony for or against patriotic fervor while honoring the soldier.

Harriet Klausner

United in Heart, Divided in Faith: A Guide for Catholic-Protestant Couples

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Covering interfaith debates
United in Heart, Divided in Faith: A Guide for Catholic-Prot
Theoretical rather than practical

United in Heart, Divided in Faith: A Guide for Catholic-Protestant Couples
Sandra L. Stanko
Manufacturer: Suncreek Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Marriage | Relationships | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 193205703X

Customer Reviews:

Covering interfaith debates.......2004-01-15

Expertly and inspiringly written by Sandra L. Stanko (a professional writer who is herself involved with in an interfaith relationship), United In Heart Divided In Faith: A Guide For Catholic-Protestant Couples ably and informatively covers the intricate and unique problems involved in a Catholic-Protestant relationship or marriage. Covering interfaith debates, discussing difficult compromises and the universal power of praying for help, United In Heart Divided In Faith is a serious and "reader friendly" self-help guide for Catholics and Protestants focusing upon a shared future.

United in Heart, Divided in Faith: A Guide for Catholic-Prot.......2003-08-16

I thought this work is a good resource for those considering marrying across the Tiber. In today's I am okay you are okay world many people marry across denominational lines and are surprised how unhappy it can be sometimes. The best part of the book is in section three when Mrs. Stanko raises the questions about whether a couple is equally yoked. If a couple is going to be mixed they must at least have a common level of interest and practice. For example if neither of you goes it might work, if both are very involved it can work but you must deal with more theological areas first. What struggles to work is when one of you almost never goes and the other is on fire for Christ. The former sees the latter as a "whacko" and "hyper religious" and the latter sees the former as "dead weight" and "failing to supply enough evidence of your faith that if Christianity was illegal the former spouse could not be convicted". The honeymoon will end and it will not be fun for either of you if you have not throughly thought all these issues through. It is not as simple as getting an agreement on the kids and going from there. What role will prayer and worship play in your lives? Is there actually time to go to worship at Christmas with all the dinners and gifts? Do we really have to go to church on vacation? If you can't agree on these issues then you will be without your best rememdy to problems; praying together. Thanks to Mrs. Stanko couples have a resource to get these discussins started.

Theoretical rather than practical.......2003-07-04

This would be a good resource for a Protestant-Catholic couple who don't know much about the differences between their religions and want to clear up misconceptions. The book is divided into three sections. The first covers "core beliefs" that Protestants and Catholics hold in common, the second covers differences, and the third is devoted to dealing with issues related to marriage. Each chapter ends with questions for discussion. Therefore, it could be a good way to begin reasonable discussion on sensitive issues like Marian devotion, the sacraments, the infallibility of the Pope, etc. However, because of the brevity of the book Stanko is not able to deal with these issues fully, so it might be best to use this as launching pad to further reading about each other's religions. There are already books from both the Protestant and Catholic perspective that do similar comparison/contrast with Catholic and Protestant doctrines, and one might supplement this book with some of those. Occasionally, the brevity of the work means that some issues (like justification) are simplified to what may be a dangerous extent. The average Catholic DOESN'T have quite the same view of faith and works that Protestants do, though the two views are much more similar than most realize. A couple who wants to get into the heart of this issue should turn to the Lutheran-Catholic joint declaration on justification, and to James Akin's _The Salvation Controversy_ for more detailed information.

What disappointed me about the work was that I really was looking for something more practical. I think the focus on common and differing beliefs is great; it just happens that my boyrfriend and I had already done some of this by reading works from each other's denominations. I would have preferred a book that dealt more with the issues that come up briefly in Section three, which is the shortest section. I was also surprised that Stanko said nothing about the differences between Catholic and Protestant sexual ethics. The book is designed for couples who are considering marriage, and for such couples, the Catholic Church's stance on contraception and certain marital acts might be of much more than theoretical importance, but nothing whatsoever is said about this.

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A Heart Divided

a heart divided

Interesting and Endearing Addition to the YA Genre

A wonderful book about the South

An Instant Classic

A Heart Divided
Cherie Bennett , and Jeff Gottesfeld
Manufacturer: Laurel Leaf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Devil on My Heels

Luna Luna

Petals in the Ashes

Into the Forest

How I Found the Strong

ASIN: 0440228409
Release Date: 2005-12-13

Book Description

Is the Confederate battle flag a racist symbol—or a proud reminder of Southern heritage?

When Kate’s liberal-minded family moves from the suburbs of New York City to a small town near Nashville, Kate is convinced her life is over. Redford lives up to Kate’s low expectations. The Confederate battle flag waves proudly in the sky, the local diner serves grits and sweet tea, and country music rules the airwaves. Then she meets Jackson Redford III, scion of the town and embodiment of everything Dixie. And dang if brilliant, gorgeous Jack doesn’t make Kate decide that maybe her new hometown isn’t so bad after all. But a petition to replace the school’s Confederate flag symbol is stirring up trouble. Kate dives right in, not afraid to attack what she sees as offensive. Getting involved means making enemies, though, and soon, Kate and Jack—and their families—find themselves pitted against each other in a bitter controversy: not just about the flag, but about what it means to be an American.

From the Hardcover edition.

Customer Reviews:

A Heart Divided.......2006-04-09

In A Heart Divided, by Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld, Kate Pride tells the story of her experiences in Redford, Tennessee as a 16-year-old playwright from New Jersey. She shares how she met Jack Redford and eventually wrote a play with the hopes of reuniting the heart of the Redford community - divided over the meaning of the Confederate flag. She discovers who she really is and that "Purpose is: Who you touch. How you change the world. The good you leave behind."
When Kate meets Jack, her life changes. Jack is 17 and wants to become an actor, but finds it challenging to stand up to his mom who wants him to continue the Redford family tradition of attending military school. Kate's new friend Nikki Roberts is organizing a vote to change the Redford Rebels high school football team name and Confederate flag mascot. To much of the community, including Jack, the flag simply represents family history - what their fathers died for. Many others believe it represents racism. When Kate's own family becomes directly involved in the conflict, Kate brings together the feelings of various members of the community (including her own) in her first serious play, performed by Jack and Nikki. Kate's performance piece can be found at the end of the book and includes excerpts from real interviews conducted by Bennett and Gottesfeld.
This book is written with a realistic, sometimes romantic, sometimes funny style that teen girls can relate to. You feel like you're really in the little Southern town of Redford, Tennessee. The performance piece at the end is the true reward for reading the book, a beautifully written process of discovery. I hope you will read this book and find your heart touched as deeply as mine was.

a heart divided.......2005-08-11

What does the confederate flag mean to you? Is it a sign of pride and justice, or a sign of racism and hate? What would you do if you were a person who came from a liberal democratic New Jersey family and had to move to a place where they proudly fly the rebel flag? Would you say "Oh this is there culture might as well get used to it." Or would you do as the main character did and join up with a local church group and fight for what you believe in and try to have it taken down? Would you try and see both sides of the flag and try and find out what is the true meaning of the flag? Read this story, it just may change your idea of the flag

Interesting and Endearing Addition to the YA Genre.......2004-06-01

Sixteen-year-old Kate Pride is outraged when her parents inform her that they are moving. Not only moving a few miles away, but hundreds of thousands of miles away, from their beloved hometown of New Jersey, to Redford, Tennessee. Kate is horrified at the thought of leaving her closest friends behind, as well as giving up the spot that she earned in a prestigious playwriting workshop. In Redford, racial tensions quickly arise, as Kate admits that she is a very northern teenager, in a very southern town. These differences prompt her to write a play. Her play is about the town's choices to fly the Confederate flag, and the opposition that the movement causes. However, when Jack Redford steps into the picture, a Romeo-and-Juliet type love affair begins. Suddenly Jack is trying to explain to his Mother why he doesn't want to attend the Citadel, even though it is a family tradition, and Kate joins various high school students in the attempt to get the school team's name changed to something other than the Rebels, and to get the town to stop flying their Confederate flag.

The voice of Kate Pride is wise beyond her 16-years. She is intelligent and confident, determined and strong. Kate is a role model for teenage girls the world over, as she speaks to readers, rathern than down to them. Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld have created an inspirational and endearing novel that will stay with the reader for years, and, eventually go down in literary history. For once, two authors of the young adult genre have decided to give their lead character a plot, and voice of importance. A HEART DIVIDED will leave a lasting impression. Don't miss it!

Erika Sorocco

A wonderful book about the South.......2004-05-15

This is by far the best book I've read in years for young people about the experience of living in the South today. Whether the reader is white or black, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, in a big city or in a small town is much that can be gained from A Heart Divided. The best thing about the book is that the authors have written a marvelous story about a teen girl and wrapped it around a hot political issue. Even though the issue is hot, they have managed to present all points of view with fairness and with dignity. No matter what you think about the Confederate Flag and whether it should be flown today, you will feel that your point of view is represented and not smirked at. Meanwhile, Kate Pride emerges as one of the most interesting teen girls I've read about in years. She's a regular girl from a regular family, trying to figure out what it all means. This is a wonderful read for anyone age twelve and up.

An Instant Classic.......2004-04-29

Jeff Gottesfeld and Cherie Bennett have written a novel in which any student, parent, or teacher can find truths about life. As an educator, I am constantly given recommendations for good books to read; this book is one of my favorites. It deals with issues that fit not only adolescent concerns, but also with problems facing society in general: tolerance for others' differences, compassion for others' suffering, and adjustment to new situations. Best of all is the awakening of the main character, Kate, to the realization of her goals. She discovers that opening her heart and mind to life's obstacles takes her to places she had previously only dreamed of reaching. This book is one that teens and adults will read cover-to-cover!

Singleness of Heart: Restoring the Divided Soul

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Singleness of Heart: Restoring the Divided Soul
Clifford Williams
Manufacturer: Eerdmans Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0802807054

A Promise Unbroken: Battle of Rich Mountain / A Heart Divided: Battle of Mobile Bay (Battles of Destiny Collection, No. 1)

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Great perspective of Civil War History

A Promise Unbroken: Battle of Rich Mountain / A Heart Divided: Battle of Mobile Bay (Battles of Destiny Collection, No. 1)
Al Lacy
Manufacturer: Multnomah Fiction
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1590529456
Release Date: 2007-01-16

Book Description

Dramatic Tales of Love and Civil War

The Battles of Destiny series is now available in four attractive two-in-one volumes! Bestselling author Al Lacy packs each dramatic novel in the popular historical fiction series with heartwarming romance and solid moral values. Set during the Civil War, these are the tales of families, soldiers, nurses, and spies as they contend with the deadly threats posed by war and the eternal hope that springs from love. Fast-moving and historically accurate, these stories appeal to men and women who enjoy a trip back in time. Now longtime and new Lacy fans can purchase the entire Battles of Destiny classics and enjoy hours of endless reading pleasure.

It was the war that divided our country, shaping the destinies of future generations. It was the war that brought forth triumphant men, women, and families who dared to fight bravely, sacrifice unconditionally, and love without end.

THE CIVIL WAR

A Promise Unbroken

As the first winds of Civil War sweep across the Virginia countryside, the wealthy Ruffin family is torn by forces that threaten their way of life and, ultimately, their promises to one another. Mandrake and Orchid, slaves on the Ruffin plantation, must also fight for the desire of their hearts. Heartache and victory. Jealousy and racial hatred. From a prosperous Virginia plantation to a grim jail cell outside of Lynchburg , follow the dramatic story of love indestructible.

A Heart Divided

Wounded early in the Civil War, Captain Ryan McGraw is nursed back to health by army nurse Dixie Quade. In her tender care, love’s seed is sown. But with the sudden appearance of Victoria, the wife who once abandoned Ryan, and the five-year-old son he never knew he had, come threats endangering the lives of everyone involved. Between the deadly forces of war and two loves, McGraw is caught with a heart divided.

Story Behind the Book

“While studying American history in high school, I was struck with a strange fascination for the Civil War. That fascination grew stronger when I studied it again in college, and I’ve visited many of the sites where the battles took place. When I visited the Appomattox Court House in Virginia , where General Robert E. Lee signed the documents of surrender before General Ulysses S. Grant, I was struck with the thought of creating a series of novels based upon specific battles in the Civil War. I wanted to mold fictional characters with real ones and fill the stories with romance, suspense, intrigue, and the excitement of battle. That’s how the Battles of Destiny series came to be.” —Al Lacy

Customer Reviews:

Great perspective of Civil War History.......2007-03-08

This 2-in-1 Volume has 2 great books--with wonderful story lines and also a great perspective with details on the Civil War.

The characters keep you interested and you want to finish their story.

The Divided Heart (The American Palace Series, Book 5)

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The Divided Heart (The American Palace Series, Book 5)
Evan H. Rhodes
Manufacturer: Writers Club Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595272975

Book Description

The tumultuous epic of The American Palace Series continues in The Divided Heart, a tale of the most cataclysmic time in American history, a time when there were two White Houses in the nation. In 1860 the nation is hopelessly divided over the issues of States Rights and Slavery and verges on Civil War. Nowhere is that division more evident than in the hearts of Rebecca Brand and her family. Rebecca, a Southerner who believes fervently in the Union, tries vainly to mediate the deadly battle between her sons, Gunning and Bravo, a battle that began decades before when Rebecca gave birth to Bravo, her love child. Gunning, brutally handsome, is involved in the Confederate Secret Service and engages John Wilkes Booth to kidnap Lincoln, thus hoping to negotiate an end to the Civil War. Bravo, the inventor, is an advisor to President Lincoln. As always, the Brands will be opposed by their mortal enemies, the Connaughts Veronique, Sean, Carleton and the blazingly beautiful but mad Romance Connaught, Gunning s mistress. Rebecca s grandchildren, Forrest, Geary, Sharon, and especially Becky traumatized and raped years before will find their fate and salvation in the horror of war as will Rebecca.

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Another must have from Francine Rivers

Heart's Divided (Second Chance at Love)
Francine Rivers
Manufacturer: Jove Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Regency | Romance | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0515072303

Customer Reviews:

Another must have from Francine Rivers.......2005-12-28

I was lucky enough to get this book last year. I am not interested in Ms River's Christian romances and I reread her straight romance novels frequently. I have 2 of her Second Chance at Love novels that I treasure, but had not realized there was a third. What incredible good luck to find an as yet, unread novel. It's like finding buried treasure! Hearts Divided is as full of the deeply felt emotion, sensuality and well drawn characters as all her very best novels are. I can not recommend this novel highly enough.

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Very good book!!
A very good book that's set in Civil War time period
Very Boring Book!
This was a great book!
This is the best book I ever read!!!

Hearts Divided (Southern Angels, No 1)
Cheryl Zach
Manufacturer: Bantam Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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Winds of Betrayal (Southern Angels, No 2)

ASIN: 0553562177
Release Date: 1995-05-01

Book Description

Elizabeth Stafford, a plantation belle from Virginia, dreams of breaking away from her father's grasp and of being more than a proper Southern lady and wife. Her dreams seem possible at Madame Corday's Charleston boarding school, where Elizabeth learns to do a lot more than just sew. And when Elizabeth meets Union lieutenant Adam Cranfield at the Christmas ball, she is instantly attracted to his boldness -- instantly swept up by the promise of love and adventure. But to marry a Yankee would be unthinkable. The lines have been drawn between North and South. Which side will Elizabeth choose?

Be swept up in the lives of Elizabeth, Victorine, Hannah, and Rosamund as they fight for their beliefs and the men they love through the raging years of the Civil War.

Customer Reviews:

Very good book!!.......2003-07-18

Im a student at Santa Monica High and we were suppose to read a Historical Fiction book. I was really not interested in reading a historical book. But after reading "Hearts Divided" it changed what I felt about Historical books. Im really interested in reading the other books that follow this one. It was a very interesting book.

A very good book that's set in Civil War time period.......2001-08-02

This is a very inticing book and the setting is great for people who like historical fiction. Elizabeth is a southern belle who met the man of her dreams right before the war broke out. When she's caught in the middle of what her father wants, what she wants, and the middle of fighting all around her, she has to mature from the person she was and put back what her heart wants and help others in need. Will she ever be able to be with the love of her life?

Very Boring Book!.......2000-05-09

What people say in this book is very boring. Elizabeth is angry or crying on every page! You never get the sense that you are the person telling the story and the things are happening to you. Don't buy this if you want a deep romance story. Get it out of a local library and see what I mean.

This was a great book!.......1998-05-29

This exciting, romantic book was set against the backdrop of the Civil War. Elizabeth is a Southern belle from Virginia who was sent to a Charleston, South Carolina boarding school to become a "proper" young lady. But at the school's Christmas ball, Elizabeth meets Adam, a Yankee lietentant that she falls in love with. Elizabeth's father would forbid her to see him. The North and the South have become a divided nation. Will Elizabeth's loyalties lie with her country or her heart?

This is the best book I ever read!!!.......1998-05-27

I love Hearts Divided because it really could have happened and it is well written. Also the other books in this series are exellent.

Fleet Walker's Divided Heart: The Life of Baseball's First Black Major Leaguer

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A truly remarkable life filled with accomplishment and frustration, triumph and tragedy
Lost in the Details
Zang rescues Moses Walker from undeserved obscurity

Fleet Walker's Divided Heart: The Life of Baseball's First Black Major Leaguer
David W. Zang
Manufacturer: Bison Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Sol White's History of Colored Baseball with Other Documents on the Early Black Game, 1886-1936

ASIN: 0803299133

Amazon.com

For the record, Moses "Fleetwood" Walker was born in Ohio four years before the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter, attended Oberlin College, studied law at the University of Michigan, was acquitted of first-degree murder in Syracuse, was granted a patent for an artillery shell, was convicted of mail robbery in Ohio, ran a hotel, edited a newspaper, wrote a well-regarded treatise advocating the emigration of blacks back to Africa, and spent the years before his death in 1924 running a theater that offered opera, live drama, and motion pictures. All of which are footnotes to the one overriding fact of his multidimensional life: Walker was black, and in 1884, he played 42 games for the Toledo Blue Stockings of the American Association, then recognized as a Major League.

A good ballplayer, though not a great one, Walker predated Jackie Robinson to the bigs by more than 60 years, faced the same hatreds, and suffered the same indignities. The White Sox's Cap Anson, generally regarded as the 19th century's greatest star, decided baseball should be racially pure; he personally hounded Walker out of the game. Out of the game, Walker made a life for himself--an interesting, full, and often angry one that balanced precariously on the edge of racial tensions and civil rights.

He was such a socially and historically rich character that it's too bad his life found such a prosaic chronicler. Still, Zang's biography is essential because it's there. The story it tells is a necessary one. He's done fine work in unearthing the facts of Walker's life, but he never seems able to reach out and touch the man. --Jeff Silverman

Book Description

Moses Fleetwood Walker was the first black American to play baseball in a major league. He achieved college baseball stardom at Oberlin College in the 1880s. Teammates as well as opponents harassed him; Cap Anson, the Chicago White Stockings star, is blamed for driving Walker and the few other blacks in the major leagues out of the game, but he could not have done so alone.

A gifted athlete, inventor, civil rights activist, author, and entrepreneur, Walker lived precariously along America’s racial fault lines. He died in 1924, thwarted in ambition and talent and frustrated by both the American dream and the national pastime.

Customer Reviews:

A truly remarkable life filled with accomplishment and frustration, triumph and tragedy.......2007-04-11

It will come as a surprise to most baseball enthusiasts, but Jackie Robsinson was not the first African-American to play baseball in a major league. That honor fell to Moses Fleetwood Walker who achieved college baseball stardom while a student at Oberlin College in the 1880s. But Walker was expelled from professional baseball because of the devastating and pervasive racism of the day, including ill treatment by his team mates, his opponents on the field, and Cap anson, a star of the Chicago White Stockings, who drove Walker and the few other African-Americans in the major leagues out of the game, where blacks wanting to play baseball formed the Negro League teams and were excluded from the major league teams until Robinson's barrier breaking inclusion so many years later into the exclusive club that was professional major league baseball. Walker was more than just a gifted baseball player. In addition to being an outstanding athlete, he was also an inventor, a civil rights activist, an author, and an entrepreneur. Born on October 7, 1856 in Mt. Pleasant, Ohio, Walker died on May 11, 1924 in Cleveland, Ohio. "Fleet Walker's Divided Heart" is a superbly written and enthusiastically recommended biography by David W. Zang of a truly remarkable life filled with accomplishment and frustration, triumph and tragedy, and which now has made into an audiobook CD featuring the impressive narrative talents of Andrew L. Barnes.

Lost in the Details.......2000-03-23

David W. Zang's "Fleet Walker's Divided Heart" is a detailed biography of a talented, tormented, late 19th century catcher: Moses Fleetwood Walker--America's first black major league baseball player. "Fleet" Walker was born in Mt Pleasant, Ohio on Wednesday, October 7, 1857. This simple fact is mentioned on the first page of "Divided Heart." It is from this unassuming birthday that Zang begins his interesting, but confusing, discussion fo Fleet Walker. After mentioning Walker's birth, Zang tries to explain how Walker's life follows the lines of the nursery rhyme: "Monday's child is fair of face, Tuesday's child is full of grace, Wednesday's child is full of woe, Thursday's child has far to go......" According to Zang, "it might have appeared that [Walker's mother], a midwife, used the nativity as a practicum and elected to give birth across the first four days of the week."(2) Following this, Zang attempts to connect the sixty-nine years of Walker's life to the nursery rhyme by saying " For as sure as he carried a full measure of woe, Fleet Walker was unquestionably fair of face, full of grace, and possessed of an ambition that would banish his dreams to distant places....Walker had overwhelmed the simplistic prophecies of the nursery thyme to such an extent that the possibility of a four-day birthing could not be dismissed out of hand(2)." This is only one of many, needless, airy speculations (as another reviewer called them) that wander from the solid facts of Walker's life. Because of these, the true essence of the man, Fleet Walker, is lost in "Divided Heart." The facts of Walker's life are intereting enough without Zang's meandering commentaries. Throughout the book, Zang points to several beliefs he has about Fleetwood Walker. He believes that Walker had a "divided heart," as he puts it; but he never pointedly explains what he believes this divided heart to be. The reader is left to wonder if the divided heart existed because Walker was considered a mulatto (mixed race of black and white), or if the divided heart existed because Walker wanted to belong to the white race and to the black race, but never fully belonged to either. Sometimes, the "divided heart" seems to belong to the author, who never fully explains why the story of Walker's life should be important to a reader today. After reading, it might be difficult for the reader to understand the importance, too. Walker was, indeed, the first black man to play major league baseball. He played collegiate baseball for Oberlin College in 1881, and for Michigan University in 1882. He also played professionally for the minor league New Castle, Pennsylvania, Neshannocks. When Walker began playing for the Toledo ball club of the Northwester League in 1883, the state was set for him to become the first black major league baseball player. How was this possible? In 1884, the Toledo club joined the American Association. At the time, the American Association was considered a major league. In a brief, but unusually clear way, Zang explains the process: "The American Association had been formed in the winter of 1881 with the avowed intent to become a major league rival to the National League, a status it won with an 1882 agreement meant to keep them from raiding National League rosters(40)." Because of the agreement, Walker became the first black major league baseball player. Due to injuries, Walker lasted only one season with Toledo. He never again played major league baseball, nor did any other black man until Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1947. After the first two chapters, which explain Walker's rise and fall from major league baseball, Zang shows how Walker's life turned into an aimless, but somewhat successful life of entrepreneurship, invention, race theory, and jail time. He played more baseball for some minor league teams, ending his career with the Syracuse Stars in 1889. Afterward, according to Zang, Walker did "temporarily lose the attention that had been his... he would reclaim it in dramatic and unhappy ways." Walker became a mail clerk, a murder defendant, a convicted mail thief, an inventor, an author on the subject of repatriation of blacks to Africa, and an opera house owner. Generally, the state of Ohio is shown to be a hospitable home to a black man in the late 1800's. Zang excels in showing the history of Ohio's Quaker population's rejection of racism, and in showing how Walker thrived in several businesses in different towns in Ohio. The last two chapters show how much affection Zang has for Walker. Zang's details in the end give some needed energy to Walker's story. Zang even explains the cost of the lid for Walker's casket. Unfortunately, Zang's writing does not follow a chronological timeline closely enough to be easily read. For clarity's sake, the reader will turn pages back and forth to put events in some order--a job usually fulfilled by an author. "Fleet Walker's Divided Heart" is a complicated, detailed biography of a complicated, historical figure. Too bad Zang never explains "WHY?"

Zang rescues Moses Walker from undeserved obscurity.......1998-08-19

To properly understand the Twentieth Century American civil rights movement, one must understand how and why a similar movement failed during the Reconstruction years following the Civil War. Likewise with baseball history--to properly appreciate Jackie Robinson breaking the major league color line in 1947, one must understand the less salutary 1884 experience of Moses Fleetwood "Fleet" Walker.

Walker, born of middle class mixed-race parents in Ohio in 1857, attended and played baseball at integrated colleges in the early 1880's. In 1883 he left school to pursue a professional career with the minor league Toledo Blue Stockings. Baseball teams of the era determined whether to employ African Americans on a team-by-team basis, and Walker's presence on Toledo drew only occasional attention from fans and opponents.

In 1884 the major league American Association absorbed Toledo as an expansion team. Walker, by then an excellent defensive catcher, followed his team into the Association to become the first black major leaguer. Injuries hobbled Walker, however, and eventually cut his season short. The Toledo club folded after the season.

Walker returned to the minor leagues in 1885, but faced hardening racial prejudice which blocked his return to the majors. In 1889 the minor International League, in which Walker then played, joined the majors in adopting an unwritten, unofficial color line. By then Walker's career was winding down anyway.

Walker's subsequent life defies easy characterization. He patented four inventions, published a book, and owned a successful opera house--but also struggled with alcohol, served jail time for stealing from the U.S. mails, and stood trial (but won acquittal) for his role in a knife fight.

Customer Reviews:

Sibley's life related with style and authority.......2006-02-15

Rhoda Gilman has written an authoritative and interesting account of Henry Hasting Sibley's life. Although Sibley's entire life and career centered around the upper midwest, he was involved in a number of different activities, from the fur trade to representing Minnesota as its first state governor. He had many dealings with the Sioux (and other) Indians in Minnesota and the Dakota Territory, producing the "Divided Heart" of Gilman's subtitle.

Sibley was born in Detroit in 1811, a town known for its cultural diversity at the time, and he knew French and French ways. He first worked for the American Fur Company on Mackinac Island, but then was put in charge of the company's operations on the upper Mississippi. This is when he built his famous stone house at Mendota, across the river from Fort Snelling. He went to Washington in 1848 to help secure recognition of Minnesota as a territory. He was able to cede lands from the Sioux in 1851 and was elected first state governor in 1857. He opposed the harsh policies against the Indians popular with the federal government at the time, but to no avail. In 1862, as the head of the state militia, he was instrumental in subduing the Sioux at Wood Lake during the Minnesota Uprising. The following year he led an expedition into Dakota Territory to reduce the remaining Sioux. After this successful campaign he retired to St. Paul, where among other things, he was president of the Minnesota Historical Society for a number of years.

Sibley left all his papers to the Society and Gilman makes excellent use of them. She writes in a very forceful style and her book should remain the definitive biography of Sibley for years to come. Highly recommended.

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