The Civil War in Kentucky
The Civil War is a subject that continues, to this day, to intrigue and fascinate current day historians -
among many others.
Kentucky's unique position as a neutral border state was based on the economic benefits slavery provided, leveled against the profits the northern trade routes presented.
However, the Commonweath's citizenry was starkly divided, a discourse that would not only tear apart counties and towns, but families as well. It was not unheard of for a family to lose sons fighting for opposing sides of the war.
In "The Civil War in Kentucky," author Lowell Harrison explores the conflict between neutrality and secession, the role the war played in Kentucky's history, and its long lasting effects on the Commonwealth and its citizens. Harrison specifically explores the burden of Kentucky's division in loyalty on the everyday lives of its citizens.
And as the human toll of death and destruction grew, allegiances were questioned and shifting -
and complications came to play in governing decisions and policies, effecting both social and political outlooks.
The Civil War was fought differently in Kentucky than elsewhere, with its land frequently serving as a middle ground -
the history of Lexington itself offering a prime example. And while Kentucky did not endure the physical destruction of other states, the political and economic battles that resulted were dramatic.
Harrison concludes: "It is a cliche to say that wars never solve anything; like many cliches, it is not entirely true.
Kentuckians who lived into the postwar discovered that several questions had been settled by that conflict Ö And the heritage of the war and the bitterness engendered during the Reconstruction era led the state into the Southern Democratic ranks for years to come. It has been said that Kentucky joined the Confederacy after the war was over."
Lowell Harrison is a professor emeritus at Western Kentucky University and has authored "A New History of Kentucky," "Lincoln of Kentucky" and "Kentucky's Governors," among other titles, as well.
Equine ER
Relaying "stories from a year in the life of an equine veterinary hospital," "Equine ER" offers tales akin to James Herriot as he provided the stories of his veterinary practice and its patients and friends -
both animal and human.
During a one-year stint at Rood & Riddle Hospital, author Leslie Guttman was witness to the medical and surgical treatments they specialize in -
and a way of life where house calls are still the practice.
And though house calls may be a reference to the past, the current practices at Rood & Riddle certainly are not.
But it is the connection between human and horse that tells the best story.
As Guttman readily admits, "Throughout the year I saw that people need horses more than horses need people, whether it is Ö someone with an illness or life setback who finds strength and determination through the love of a horse or the example of its courage."
The story of Mia and her horse, Selena, expresses it best. Injured after supposedly running through a fence, though more likely harmed from a competitive attack by another horse, Selena is torn, swollen and one of the most gruesome sights the vet had ever seen.
The extensive treatments add up quickly and weighed heavily on Mia, but the sacrifices were never an issue; they were made.
She moved to an apartment in a bad neighborhhood, lived on Ramen noodles and memories of vacations past -
and condensed four years of school into three to save the funds.
As Guttman observed, "A horse owner is often no different from a mother."
Guttman, a Lexingtonian and independent freelance writer, provides in her first book an emotional, heart wrenching and rewarding look at the unique connection between man and horse and a lifestyle that still exists in the Bluegrass.