Folks, light your fire and your pipe and sit back and read this book! It may take you until spring to finish...903 pages. Rebecca DeArmond ---------- > From: rdea <rdea@seark.net> > To: James Willis <james.willis@coe.murraystate.edu> > Subject: Fw: book signing > Date: Monday, December 21, 1998 2:01 PM > > James William Willis: YOU ARE A WRITER. YOU HAVE THE > MAGIC TOUCH!!!!!! Below is a message I wrote a friend this > morning about your book. I understand all the research and > organization it took to produce this book. That is impressive > in itself, but my emphasis here is on your writing. James, > it is good. Really good. > For several months now I have been wondering how in > the heck I can get my material in presentable form for a two > mile wide, 359 mile long stretch of a bayou in 5 counties and > a parish. After looking through your book, I feel ashamed of > myself! My task ahead is nothing compared to what you did. > my heartiest congratulations to you! well done! > Rebecca > > I looked at the book more than an hour this morning. > > I am REALLY IMPRESSED with it! From this slight reading, > > I find that he writes with good style, power, often light touch, > > very personal...many allusions to the classics in well-put places. > > This is the first book written on ark cnf in western theater. > > His prologue is antebellum Arkansas, 10 pages long and excellent > > description. The introduction, from quiet homes and first beginning, > > is just wonderful.. My god, what a TOME! > > I believe you would really like to read this book. > > just a few examples of what I call great writing: > > "Youth believes its power is immortality, but eternal life is not the > > power of youth - choice is. the American Civil War was an > > adventure born not of desperation but of choice, and in the summer > > of 1861, each man made his coice freely, not always easily, but freely." > > "For an individual, nothing is o easily effected or so > > undemanding as being born into membership of a generation, albeit form > > the membership of a few generations much is demanded and much is > > effected. The men who fought the American Civil War were one of these > > generations. For four years they fought in a war that was the single > most > > important event in this country since its founding. This was could not > > have been > > fought without them, but their saga is not one of mighty men but one of > > mortal men composed of mere and humorous clay. Never bigger than > > life, these men often found life to be bigger than themselves. > > "Men such as these George Eliot had thought of when she wrote > > in 'Middlemarch.' 'If we had a keen vision of all that is ordinary in > human > > life, it would be like hearing the grass grow or the squirrels heat beat, > > and we should die of that roar which is on teh other side of silence.' > The > > Arkansas Confederates, men 'ordinary in human life,' began teh war filled > > with passion and vanity, ignorance and arrogance, prejudice and pride, > > distinctions > > mistaken for strengths by themselves and by their admirers. As the war > > progressed, those ordinary men learned and changed. They gew into an > > awareness, losing their ignorance, arrogance, passion, vanity, and pride. > > As tehyleanred, they began to hear the silence, thought at first only > > faintly and still distant, about which Eliot wrote. As the war > continued, > > tjhe soldiers continued to learn, to change, until eventually these > > ordinary men of Arkansas saw with'keen vision all that is ordinary in > human > > life,: > > they heard 'the grass grow' adnt eh squirrels' heatbeat...the roar which > is > > on > > the other side of silence." >