Local books define summer reading MAYLON RICE

A brand new summer book, fresh from the fingers of the Postcards of the Past collector in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Ray Hanley, comes a science-fiction, action and adventure thriller – “Reunion In Time.”

Hanley, a historian and collector of post cards of Arkansas, has written his first fiction, which wraps around the May 1911 reunion of Confederate Veterans in Little Rock, with a twist for 2011 – a century later.

At the time, the 1911 event was perhaps the largest event ever held in Arkansas. There are plenty of twists and turns in Hanley’s 342-page thriller.

Published by Outskirts Press, this is Hanley’s 21st publication, but his first turn in the fiction barrel. It is a pretty slick read.

••• Another new author, but longtime writer and reader of the newspapers in the state, Tim Kessler, editor of the Eagle-Democrat, down in Warren, has released a novella, “A Long Road To Nowhere,” published by BHC press.

Kessler is a native of Rapid City, S.D. Arkansas newspapers he has worked for include the El Dorado News-Times,

Ashley News Observer and Wynne Progress.

His book is about a fictional county in Arkansas, a difficult task to do, but is a decent read.

Kessler writes about a “chain of explosive events set in motion as Ashley Jean Devareaux dies in a horrific traffic accident in Finley County, Ark.”

From there the quiet town seems to be devastated by a blue-light rapist and a wayward municipal judge.

It is quite the summertime tale down in Southeast Arkansas.

•••

A fine book about World War I, The Great War, and the role women played in that war, is out by Butler Center Books down in Little Rock.

“Faithful to Our Tasks,” by Elizabeth Griffin Hill, is a treasure on that era in our state’s history.

The United States was a vital, if brief, participant in World War I — spending only 18 months fighting. But that short span

marked an era of tremendous change for women as they moved out of the Victorian 19th century and came into their own as social activists during the early years of the 20th century.

•••

A local author, Lucas Roebuck, a Siloam Springs City Board member, has debuted a science fiction/romance work, that is, well, generating a little stir.

“Waypoint Magellan,” is modern-day science-fiction with a dab of romance thrown in. Roebuck, a staffer at John Brown University, has self-published through Shadowlandspress.com for distribution and sales. Roebuck also has roots in Northwest Arkansas journalism. He has worked for The Benton County

Daily Record in Bentonville, Northwest Arkansas Times in Fayetteville, and the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader.

••• Another Butler Book, out later this summer, is Revis Edmonds’ reflective look back at the gubernatorial race of 1990 which brought two of the state’s most prominent politicos, Sheffield Nelson and Tommy Robinson, into one of Arkansas’ most bitter political battles — and it also signaled the state’s turn toward the Republican Party.

The volume is aptly named “A Red State Rises: How a Governor’s Race Transformed Arkansas and National Politics.”

Edmonds goes behind the scenes to uncover the relationships, personalities, and traditions that produced a famous Arkansas political rivalry and ushered in a historic shift in its politics.

The historian says he has become, “fascinated with how relationships mold politics in small towns like Hope and how Arkansas has mirrored small-town, personality-driven politics on a grand scale.”

It is a political book not to miss.

As always there are more books than can be listed here. Check your local independent bookseller for more local, regional and state offerings.

The best bargain for good local reading is the Arkansas Historical Association and its $20 individual membership for four issues of the Arkansas Historical Quarterly.

Back to politics next week, when Memorial Day is over.

And there is plenty to write about.

Maylon Rice is a former journalist who worked for several northwest Arkansas publications. He can be reached via email at maylontrice@yahoo.com. The opinions expressed are those of the author.