Identity Politics of the Captivity Narrative after 1848 by Andrea Tinnemeyer “The book’s great strengths are its close readings of understudied materials pertaining to an understudied topic. . . . Tinnemeyer makes a valuable contribution to the field with perceptive analyses and creative archival work. . . . [She] has brought together an exciting group of texts, admirably parsing them from her readers.”—Western American Literature Continue reading Praise for Identity Politics of the Captivity Narrative after 1848

From the Garden Club: Rural Women Writing Community by Charlotte Hogg “Hogg convincingly argues that the literate artifacts produced and inspired by women in post-World War II Paxton, Nebraska, in effect ‘grew’ a community of people such as herself. . . . Her interpretive lens encourages further study about women sponsoring literacy in post-World War II America.”—Western American Literature Continue reading Praise for From the Garden Club

Lana’s Lakota Moons by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve “[An] unassuming yet potent chronicle of a fateful year in the lives of two preteen cousins.”—Publishers Weekly Continue reading More Praise for Lana’s Lakota Moons

Pulp Writer: Twenty Years in the American Grub Street by Paul S. Powers, edited and with biographical essays by Laurie Powers “Paul Powers’ autobiography disappeared into a closet for 40 years until his enterprising granddaughter found it, annotated it and unveiled its extraordinary account of a writing life at the lower end of the critical spectrum.”—J. C. Martin, Arizona Daily Star, 2007 Southwest Books of the Year Special Feature Read earlier praise for Pulp Writer at http://nebraskapress.typepad.com/university_of_nebraska_pr/2007/04/praise_for_pulp.html. Continue reading More Praise for Pulp Writer

Triumph by Philip Wylie “[A]s intriguing today as it was when first released.”—BlogCritics Magazine “Triumph is an excellent example of books that warn about the horrors of nuclear war. It is a powerful reminder that we have too complacently abandoned efforts to achieve nuclear disarmament.”—Jewish Journal Continue reading Praise for Triumph

The French Navy and the Seven Years’ War by Jonathan Dull “Dull’s book is a monument to careful scholarship. With clear, concise prose, he navigates deftly through a complex tale of war, diplomacy, and politics. His book is the definitive work on this topic.”—Canadian Journal of History Continue reading Praise for The French Navy and the Seven Years’ War

In my hectic pre-holiday-travel mental state, I was at a loss to come up with a theme for today’s “This Week in History” posting. Let’s just call this week’s theme “Classical Music of the Revolutionary War as Performed by Ty Cobb in His Turn as the Finnish Scrouge in A Christmas Carol in Scandinavia, Co-starring Branch Rickey in Space.” Sound good? Great! Now, let’s see what happened… This Week in History December 16, 1770: Composer Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany.If you’re nuts for this Ninth Symphony composer, you’ll want to snag copies of The Critical Reception of … Continue reading This Week in History: December 16-21, 2007

Thoreau would be so proud… If you’ve ever been to Yosemite, Yellowstone, the Smoky Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, Joshua Tree, or the Grand Canyon, you know just how beautiful and awe-inspiring our national parks are and how lucky we are to have them within our borders. Wouldn’t it be a marvelous experience to travel across the country on a car-camping trip through our national parks? Well, that’s just what the women in Joanne Wilke’s new memoir/family history, Eight Women, Two Model Ts, and the American West did. Not only that, they did it back in 1924, “without a man or … Continue reading Linking in Lincoln: December 20, 2007

Apollo Moon Missions: The Unsung Heroes by Billy Watkins “Billy Watkins’s book is celebration of the devotion of those who worked on the Apollo program. It is a welcome reminder of a single-minded devotion to duty. Our thanks are due to all those who took America to the Moon. This book helps to spotlight some of their stories.”—Roger D. Launius, former NASA Chief Historian Continue reading Praise for Apollo Moon Missions