RUMPOLE'S AMERICAN NEPHEW
584742
I just loved this book!  As a practicing criminal defense attorney who also served 6 years on the bench let me just report that the stories in this book are more true than not.  If you are looking for a great read and a bellyfull of laughs pick up this wonderful tome.  My wife kicked me out of bed because I was laughing so loud (snorting and chortling as well) that she opined she couldn"t read her own book with me making all that noise.
3428444
When I was a school boy on summer vacation I casually chatted with my stepgrandfather about the things I had learned over the year about the American revolution. And then I said I wondered if I had any ancestors who had participated in the conflict.

He looked me right in the eye and told me his family secret. His ancestors had participated. They had been Loyalists. Their home had been New York but like the overwhelming majority of Loyalists, they chose to Stay in the US after the war.

They may have been loyal to Britain simply because they had always seen themselves as part of Britain, but after the war they were hardly a King and Country lot. Most simply wanted to be left alone and live out their lives in peace.

This book, which I acquired soon after it was published is the story of this peticular group, seen through the eyes of select individuals, who were between fifteen and twenty percenty of the American population in the thirteen colonies.  It tries to give insight into what was their mindset as well as give the reader their history.  It certainly gives that for all their loyalty, Britain was hardly a caring or sharing host.

I cetainly disagree with the author's attempted portrayal of Thomas Hutchinson as an Imperial Statesman who was a participatting member of the British Empire.  Thomas Hutchinson was a local politician who saw himself in Massachusetts in positions of authority in Massachussetts. He looked to Parliment for patronage to gain local power. In many ways he and men like him are no different from the Nabobs of India who went to men like Clive and made the deal that for British backing they would go forth to tax the locals dry and share the loot. Men like Ben Franklin, the 'Rebels', also looked to Parliment but for seats. Beyond this little disagreement I have with the author, this is a great book to read.
801096
Enjoyed reading the book.  Found out it was written by a cousin and it is a great addition to our family history!
3227658
In this volume, the British officer supervising Nathan Hale's execution demands a story where America doesn't look so good. Hale tells a tale from the days of slavery, specifically about Harriet Tubman. She was one of the most successful abductors on the Underground Railroad, a system that smuggled slaves out of southern states before the American Civil War (and a bit during the war). The slaves went as far as Canada to ensure their freedom.

This story starts with her as a child. She was born Araminta Ross and her whole family was owned by Edward Brodess, a land owner on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She had many varied tasks as a child, none of which she was very good at. Her owners were hard on her, even causing a head injury that seems to have caused narcolepsy, the condition where people unexpectedly and suddenly fall asleep. During this unnatural sleep, she had strange visions of the future, including nearby dangers. This ability comes in very handy (sort of--she does fall asleep at unexpected moments) in her life. Later she married the free black man John Tubman.

She fled to Philadelphia when her family was starting to be "sold South," i.e. her siblings sold to plantation owners who lived further south where conditions were much worse. After establishing herself as a free women, she changed her name to Harriet. She then began working to get the rest of her family out of Maryland. She also led anyone else willing to escape from slavery. When the war broke out, she worked as a spy for the Union and freed about 800 slaves in a daring raid on the Combahee River in South Carolina. She went on to a "happily ever after" life of retirement with her family in New York.

The book chronicles her exploits in an exciting and engaging manner. There aren't as many jokes as in other Hazardous Tales books but it still has a light enough touch that things are never too grim to put off readers. The Underground Abductor is another great book in the series.
1214662
I picked up this Rumpole book from John Mortimer after hearing about the series for a long time but never actually reading any of the books. Apparently, Mortimer has been writing about Rumpole since the early 1970s!  This book was written by Mortimer after a 6 year hiatus of writing about Rumpole so fans of his from what I have read seemed quite happy that he chose to bring this character back into existence.

The book is laid out as a series of six short stories; all about Rumpole who is a lawyer in England. Rumpole is portrayed not always in the best light--kind of frumpy and out of sorts and even a bit of a mad scientist type. He solves cases on behalf of his clients in not always the most direct of routes but in a way that exonerates his clients in a sometime surprising way. I enjoyed a few things about the book including the often funny up and back with his wife who is as sarcastic as it comes. I liked the story "Rumpole and the Asylum Seekers" the best as it both portrayed the difficulties of people coming from a foreign land trying to escape persecution but also had a real surprise ending.  "Rumpole and the Teenage Werewolf" was also quite good.  Overall a nice set of stories and it made me want to pick up a few more of the series so I can learn more about this very interesting character named Rumpole.

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4522086
I am the great niece of Sam Galloway.  My maternal grandmother was the daughter of Roscoe Galloway.  There were many details our family did not know about Sam.  I knew Sam as an older man in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He was married later in life and had a daughter.  I visited their house and to my experience Sam was a kind and gentle man.  I only found out a few years ago that he had shot a sheriff.  It was not talked about much in our family.  Sam had helped my mother's family out during poor times.  My mother was close to Uncle Sam.  This was to me, a great story of the history of my mother's family. The thought and detail that went into the telling of this story was amazing.  I would like everyone to know that it truly was a story of Sam's redemption who was such a kind and generous man to our family.  Thank you for treating him fairly.
385739
A wonderful treat for lovers of the American Constitution.
2086769
In Cavalier and Yankee: The Old South and American National Character (1961) William Taylor examines literary fiction of early 19th century America and its role in shaping the national character.  He elaborates on the popular 19th century theory that the North had been settled by one party to the English Civil War, the Roundheads, and the South by the other, the royal party of the Cavaliers.  The Yankee was a direct descendent of the Puritan Roundhead and the Southern Gentleman of the English Cavalier.  These two ways of life steadily diverged from colonial times and many Americans after 1861 believed that these differences between North and South had brought on the Civil War.  Taylor traces how this idea grew and developed in the first half of the 19th century.  Also, Taylor asserts that the Cavalier ideal was significant because it defined a tendency in southern thought which ultimately affected political events.

Taylor believes that Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is a significant work of American literature; its publication probably did more than any book ever published to alter the American image of the South.  At the same time, John Brown's raid of 1859 altered the southern image of the North; to southerners, John Brown personified northern predatory intentions as well as destructiveness, conspiracy, and hypocrisy.

Finally, Taylor asserts that the line between North and South was psychological and not physical.  In summary, Taylor reveals the differences between North and South through the lens of literary fiction.  This literary fiction affected the psychology of both regions and was a factor in southern sectionalism.  I liked this book a great deal as it presents a unique perspective on the causes of the American Civil War.  Highly recommended.
4568447
Horace Rumpole is mad as heck and he's not going to take it anymore!

John Mortimer's latest offering in his Rumpole of the Bailey series, "Rumpole and the Reign of Terror", finds Rumpole at his grouchy best.  His grouchiness is not directed at his usual targets: Hilda (She Who Must be Obeyed) Rumpole or his colleagues at his law chambers. Instead, Rumpole has targeted his verbal slings and arrows at anti-terror legislation passed by Parliament in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks and the terror bombings in London of 7 July, 2005.  Rumpole (and presumably Mortimer) believes that elements of these Acts threaten to destroy some of the civil liberties Britons have fought for since Magna Carta.  Specifically, and despite his loathing for the bus-bombing terrorists, Rumpole is apoplectic at elements of the legislation that allows Britain's police and security forces to detain suspected (non-citizen) terrorists for an indefinite period without benefit of counsel or a formal presentation of charges. In other words Rumpole see a threat to two legal precepts he holds dearest:  the right of any suspect to seek relief from possibly unlawful detention via the use of the "great writ of habeas corpus"; and the presumption that a defendant is innocent until proven guilty.

Rumpole falls into his latest case, in this case something akin to a legal crusade, by accident.  He is defending one of the Timson clan (the crime family that has provided Rumpole with a reasonable income (a claim disputed by Hilda no doubt) for his entire career on a run of the mill breaking and entering charge.  One of the Timson `girls' seeks Rumpole's assistance. Her husband, a Pakistani-born doctor, has been arrested and detained on unspecified terrorism charges.  The wife is convinced that her husband is innocent and Rumpole takes the case.  To Rumpole's chagrin the Timson clan fires Rumpole because they are patriots and refuse to do business with anyone who helps terrorists.  Rumpole is stymied at every turn trying to get a trial for his client in order to determine his guilt or innocence until he finds a bit of information about one of his protagonists that he uses to great, if not ethical advantage.  To add to Rumpole's woes, She Who Must Be Obeyed is busy locked up in a room typing her memoirs.

The above description of the plot may make Rumpole and The Reign of Terror sound a bit more depressing and less funny than the typical Rumpole story.  Fortunately, this is not the case.  Despite the fact that Mortimer has taken on a serious subject, Rumpole, Hilda and the usual suspects retain their usual eccentricities.  Mortimer writes with a light touch, even on a subject as serious as terrorism and manages to pull it off even as Rumpole sputters on in a caustic fashion about Tony Blair and his `new Labour' minions.  Rumpole remains a delightfully drawn character. Further, Mortimer provides excerpts from Hilda's memoir-in-progress and they serve as a  humorous Greek chorus that sets out popular sentiment that runs contrary to Rumpole's ideals.

I very much enjoyed Rumpole and the Reign of Terror.  I understand that many readers, even Rumpole fans, will not share Rumpole's view of the sanctity of `the law' in a time of terror.  However, Mortimer's writing is first-rate and funny as always and I don't think a divergent viewpoint should keep a potential reader away from another wonderful story of the trials and tribulations of the great Rumpole of the Bailey!  Enjoy.  L. Fleisig
707433
Reprint of a nice little booklet published by my great-grandfather, Forrester Lore Taylor. He and his best friend, Joseph N. Moreau, given credit as the author, made a trip to New York State, financed by Mr Taylor's boss, Dr William Wright of Philadelphia, PA. Their quest was to meet and obtain personal quotes from all who had known Thomas Paine personally while he was alive, and so, print the truth regarding him, hoping to counteract damage done to his personal character by an earlier "fake news" biography written in England. The author of that biography later recanted and also tried, in his own way, to undo the damage he had done. Near the back of this reprint, it shows that it was copied from issue #183 of a numbered, limited edition. Notes by "the Publisher" (my great-grandfather), found in the first few pages of the booklet, show that he intended to publish a 2nd version once he and his friend had returned from their service in the Civil War.  As his friend perished during the Battle of Salem Church on 3 May 1863, a 2nd version was never published.
1809479
Rumpole has returned, in spite of the age of his alter-ego, John Mortimer (84 years at the time of this book's publication).  Rumpole has not lost his wonderful sense of humor; he goes after ignorant government policies (delightful example: "Anti Social Behaviour Order" [ASBO] where the government punishes people under the charge of being anti-social without due process).

Mrs. Rumpole shares with the readers (in her journal) her idea to read for the bar.  In the meantime, Rumpole decides to pursue the idea of 'taking silk' -- becoming one of England's Queen's Counsel.  He may be a bit old to be a junior barrister, but who will defend the Timson family if Rumpole becomes one of the exalted of the Old Bailey?
2788710
Enjoyed the  colourful story of USA History. I recomend for children and history Buffs. Rush Revere enjoyed writing this book.
1789147
Excellent story of two very interesting people told by a nephew.  Their journeys are amazing.  We learn of their lives and experiences through correspondences and the nephew.
146456
Two American presidents have been the sons of previous presidents (who were also Vice-Presidents). Interestingly, neither of these sons achieved a majority of the popular vote.  In early 1825, the House of Representatives (in proper Constitutional form) gave us John Quincy Adams to be our 6th President, one of our most underrated. In early 2001, a  right-wing Supreme Court gave us George W. Bush to be our 43rd, one of our 2-3 worst. In this book, Unger has given us a fascinating portrait of an early president, a critical period in our national history, and a deservedly sympathetic look at a man whose public service to our nation began when he was a young teenager and only ended when he died in the U.S. Capitol building. One of the only two presidents to hold Federal office as a former president (William Howard Taft was Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court), Adams spent 17 years in the House of Representatives. His journals, begun as a teen and continued through his life are one of the most important diaries of a public figure in American history. A big plus for me is that J.Q.A. one of the few (if not the only) American presidents who knew Dutch.  Like several of the good books I've read recently, I learned of this one when I heard an interview with the author on National Public Radio, an institution for which I am eternally grateful.
3960096
I enjoyed this Rumpole novel very, very much. Having read law, I find it fascinating. The characters are well fleshed out, and you see all the foibles lawyers are heirs to. Interestingly, though Mortimer was of a left-wing persuasion, Rumpole can't stomach social service workers!
3971938
When Sir John Mortimer died in early 2009 I figured we'd seen the last of Horace Rumpole, the immortal Old Bailey hack.  So I was delighted to find this book of Christmas stories has been published.  It may be the last time new Rumpole stories appear, and I'm happy to say that the five stories included here are in the best Rumpole tradition.

Rumpole aficionados will be glad to know that all the familiar beloved characters are represented here: She Who Must Be Obeyed, the ever thieving Timson clan, Phillida Erskine Brown and her unsuccessfully philandering husband Claude, Uncle Tom and Judges Bullingham and Graves, to name some of my own favorites.  Above all we have Horace Rumpole himself, smoking his cheroots and swilling Chateau Thames Embankment and always standing for the defence.  The crimes included here include the usual petty thieveries and suspicious bodies turning up in inconvenient places, and Rumpole tells their stories in his usual irreverent and lively style.

I'll miss Rumpole badly when there are no more new stories to publish, but I'll always keep his Collected Works close by, next to the exploits of Sherlock Holmes and Lord Peter Wimsey, and I foresee these Christmas stories becoming a new holiday tradition for me and his other followers.
3575550
I am the great great grandson of Captain John Watson Morton. I purchased this book from Amazon.com and recommend them for their speedy and good service. I also highly recommend this book for an honest, and straight reporting of the events surrounding General Forrest by his most astute and capable Chief of Artillery, a legend in his own right.

Often in the space of years we see books written about the great Forrest by others who have no real idea of his true nature, and thus merely regurgitate already known facts about him without having known anything in the first person. That this is a narrative by his own friend and associate makes this book a MUST have for any student of his genius and wizardry on the battlefield. He and his men are truly american geniuses, successes, and patriots and their like is something to be honored and cherised, rather than the nasty evil stories and lies purpetrated by liberal carpetbagging yankees who would have you believe lies instead of factual events surrounding the war for southern independence. When viewed with honesty, one is felt small by the towering greatness of these men.