Stephen Chicoine

Read this in less than a day! This is a very good overview of Lithuanian history. Its intended audience is grade school kids and the objective would be to plant seeds for further research. As a kid I knew I wouldn't have the least bit of interest in this subject. It is interesting that so much history is lost on the young. Now as an adult however, it intrigues me because I know that much of what happened to Lithuania happened during my lifetime. It is interesting to read about things that happen during a time when one is self absorbed with one's own activities.

The information is presented well. It is an easy read with a comprehensive bibliography in the back should one want to go into further detail. It has sparked an interest in me to research the great leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Based on this volume, Gorbachev was not as interested in people's freedoms and reforms as we were led to believe.

About the only negative I can find with this book is that it is short and gives such a broad overview. Upon reading it, I was left with yearning to know more.

For any reading this review, I highly recommend this book. It is a good entry point for anyone interested in the history of Eastern Europe from the Lithuanian point of view.… (meer)

Editorial Reviews (from Amazon.com)

Book Description
Texas was the South’s frontier in the antebellum period. The vast new state represented the hope and future of many Southern cotton planters. As a result, Texas changed tremendously during the 1850s as increasing numbers of Southern planters moved westward to settle. Planters brought with them large numbers of slaves to plant, cultivate and pick the valuable cash crop; by 1860, slaves made up 30 percent of the total Texas population. No state in the South grew nearly as fast as Texas during this decade, and as the booming economy for cotton led the economic development, the state became increasingly embroiled in the national debate about whether slavery should exist within a democratic republic dedicated to the freedom and independence of man.
This work is centered on the role played by the town of Chappell Hill during this portion of Texas history. It offers details about the area’s pre-war prosperity as a center of wealth, influence and aristocracy and describes the angry fervor of the period leading up to the war. Men of this small town played a role in many of the major campaigns and battles of the war, and their motivations for enlisting and their tales of duty are included here. Through excerpts from their correspondence and journals, the book emphasizes personal experiences of the soldiers. Post-war adventures are also offered as the author explores Texas resistance to Federal occupation, the town’s yellow fever epidemic and a period of reconciliation as aging veterans gather at Blue-Gray reunions to reunite the nation.

About the Author
Stephen Chicoine has also written on Union officer John Basil Turchin and the issue of slavery. A decades-long resident of Houston, Texas, he currently lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.… (meer)