World Cat and Dis-History

Today, so they say, is National Cat Day.  Now it is true that we don't have any cats, and it is also true that it seems like any group can claim that it is "national _____ day" with relative ease, but it is for sure true that today, Dis-History made it officially onto World Cat, the online library information search engine.  So, while I won't be celebrating any cats in my house, I will be thanking Ceaderville University for its purchase of Dis-History and for entering the following description:

"Dis-history is the term used by the author to describe the influence that Walt Disney and the Disney company has had on modern American culture. This book specifically focuses on the Disney theme parks role in shaping that culture." 

As the Fall semester begins to wind down, and we prepare for the Spring, and with it, the return of my Disney and American Culture class, this is welcome news indeed!

Prohibition in Greenfield

Tonight I had the good fortune of talking about my very first book, Prohibition is Here to Stay, at the Hancock County Public Library in Greenfield, Indiana.  It was a pleasure to be the guest of both the library and the Hancock County historian.  It was fun to revisit the Reverend Edward S. Shumaker and the Dry Crusade, while also talking about how Prohibition continues to shape Indiana and the nation in very real ways.

I hope to have a couple of major announcements about Rebel Bulldog (and maybe even Dis-History) soon.  Additionally, one of these days I'm going to do a post about what I'm currently working on...a project that is coming together very quickly and in ways that may one day help create a "Butler at War" series! 

Double Dose of Rebel Bulldog

The start of the school year has brought with it a good deal of action on the book front. I hope to be sharing more soon, but here is some news on Rebel Bulldog:

Last week, I was notified by the IHS that they had received a review from the Federation of Genealogical Societies  FGS Forum.  It read in part:  "At first glance a reader would believe this book to be a collection of letters pertaining to a family, with some filler to describe how they fit into the Civil War. The reader would be mistaken, but I believe they would be most delighted in what they find instead . . . In the end, this is a very well-written book that was quite a delight to read."   I am, of course, quite glad to read the glowing review, and happy as well to see the book reaching a broad audience.

Speaking of audience, tonight I had the pleasure of talking about Rebel Bulldog to the Madison County Historical Society's Civil War Roundtable.  There was a nice turnout and some good questions from the group.  My thanks to Gerald Jones for the invitation to speak up in Anderson.

And in another update, I've started work on my next book, which will look at the Brown family, Butler University, and the Great War!

WBAA review of Rebel Bulldog

It was wonderful to discover the following discussion of Rebel Bulldog on WBAA (based out of Purdue University):

http://www.wbaa.org/post/book-review-rebel-bulldog#stream/0

Thank you, Nick Schenkel for great commentary on the book!

A Line of Praise Goes A Long Way

I received the following (via email) from a Rebel Bulldog reader today:

"I read your most recent book a month or so ago. Nicely done! VERY impressive job tracking down a lot of far-flung sources."

As an author, I can't tell you how nice it is to hear from readers!  This, and a good dose of family time, made this an excellent weekend.

I hope to be able to share a major Rebel Bulldog announcement soon.....plus updates on new and older projects (Dis-History sequel anyone)? 

NUVO on Rebel Bulldog

Many thanks to NUVO for the nice write up on Rebel Bulldog, and for including it in your expanded summer reading list!  It was fun to come upon it tonight, after spending much of today doing research on other Indiana History topics.

https://www.nuvo.net/arts/no-such-thing-as-too-many-books/article_89714a82-86c2-11e8-89a6-83a24d1728b7.html

MENSA and Eugenics

Earlier this year I was invited to speak at the annual MENSA that was going to be held in Indianapolis.  I accepted the invitation and was asked to speak about eugenics in Indiana, a topic I know a little something about having been part of a group that worked on commemorating the enactment of the first eugenic sterilization law anywhere in the world (it happened right here in Indiana in 1907).  The talk itself was before an audience of a round 50 people, who were treated with an overview of eugenics, the Indiana Plan, and the eventual repeal of the law in 1974 (thanks to Governor Otis "Doc" Bowen).

For me, it was nice to get to revisit the topic before a learned audience that asked very insightful questions.  But in preparing for today I also got to have some academic nostalgia. It has been a decade since the project came to an end (over a decade, really, as most of our work was finished by 2007).  In that time, all five of my books have been released (four of which were written in those years), I've traveled near and far, watched my kids grow from babies to tweens/teens, moved into a new house, spoken around the state (and even at some spots around the country), taught classes at several different universities, and found new research topics.  But perhaps not surprisingly, I'm never far from the Progressive era.

And that is a good thing. The Progressives are a mixed bag of reformers and reforms.  For good and bad, we live in a nation and world that they helped craft and create. Eugenics is a good example.  We have not escaped the legacy of state sponsored sterilization, after all, things like the vasectomy are with us still.  And like the negative branch, the positive arm of eugenics gave us pre-natal care and an emphasis on well child check ups.

Thank you, MENSA for the chance to speak today.  It wasn't on Disney or the Civil War, but on something equally important historically, and maybe just as importantly, near and dear to my heart.