Regional historyNew in paperback, “American Confluence: The Missouri Frontier from Borderland to Border State” (328 pages, $21.95, Indiana University Press) by Stephen Aron, director of the Institute for the Study of the American West.The title refers to “the heart of North America,” as Aron puts it, where the Missouri, Ohio and Mississippi rivers come together. His book examines the region’s history, from the Osage Indians to French colonists to Lewis and Clark.Aron’s previous books include “How the West Was Lost: The Transformation of Kentucky from Daniel Boone to Henry Clay.”Missouri natureDon Kurz, who worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation for more than 20 years, has a new book: “Missouri’s Natural Wonders Guidebook” (224 pages, 118 color photos, $22.95, Cloudland.net).Kurz — botanist, writer and nature photographer — reviewed more than 1,600 public lands and picked 100 areas to highlight. The natural wonders include prairies, waterfalls, caves, shut-ins, geologic features, trails, swamps and nature centers. And there are maps and directions (including GPS) for each one.Kurz is the author of several books about Missouri, including “Scenic Driving in the Ozarks” and “Trees of Missouri.” Notable nonfiction“His name was Giuseppe Morello. He came to New York City in 1892 from Corleone, the town in western Sicily whose name Mario Puzo borrowed to create literature’s most famous Mafioso. A half-century before ‘The Godfather,’ he was the face of organized crime in America. … (Dash) provides context for the birth of an American underworld institution, but he in no way glamorizes the gangsters who dominate his story.” From a review by George Anastasia in the Philadelphia Inquirer of “The First Family: Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder, and the Birth of the American Mafia” by Mike Dash (375 pages, Random House, $27). The book focuses primarily on New York City and uses an infamous 1903 mob hit as a jumping-off point.

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Posted on Sat, Nov. 07, 2009 10:15 PM

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Readorama | Regional history; Missouri nature; notable nonfiction

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Regional history

New in paperback, “American Confluence: The Missouri Frontier from Borderland to Border State” (328 pages, $21.95, Indiana University Press) by Stephen Aron, director of the Institute for the Study of the American West.

The title refers to “the heart of North America,” as Aron puts it, where the Missouri, Ohio and Mississippi rivers come together. His book examines the region’s history, from the Osage Indians to French colonists to Lewis and Clark.

Aron’s previous books include “How the West Was Lost: The Transformation of Kentucky from Daniel Boone to Henry Clay.”

Missouri nature

Don Kurz, who worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation for more than 20 years, has a new book: “Missouri’s Natural Wonders Guidebook” (224 pages, 118 color photos, $22.95, Cloudland.net).

Kurz — botanist, writer and nature photographer — reviewed more than 1,600 public lands and picked 100 areas to highlight. The natural wonders include prairies, waterfalls, caves, shut-ins, geologic features, trails, swamps and nature centers. And there are maps and directions (including GPS) for each one.

Kurz is the author of several books about Missouri, including “Scenic Driving in the Ozarks” and “Trees of Missouri.”

Notable nonfiction

“His name was Giuseppe Morello. He came to New York City in 1892 from Corleone, the town in western Sicily whose name Mario Puzo borrowed to create literature’s most famous Mafioso. A half-century before ‘The Godfather,’ he was the face of organized crime in America. … (Dash) provides context for the birth of an American underworld institution, but he in no way glamorizes the gangsters who dominate his story.”

From a review by George Anastasia in the Philadelphia Inquirer of “The First Family: Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder, and the Birth of the American Mafia” by Mike Dash (375 pages, Random House, $27). The book focuses primarily on New York City and uses an infamous 1903 mob hit as a jumping-off point.

| Compiled by Lajean Keene, lkeene@kcstar.com

Posted on Sat, Nov. 07, 2009 10:15 PM

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