Books published by The University Press of Kentucky

"e; With a foreword by Stephen Ambrose and a preface by Franklin D. Anderson Forrest Pogue (1912-1996) was undoubtedly one of the greatest World War II combat historians. Born and educated in Kentucky, he is perhaps best known for his definitive four-volume biography of General George C. Marshall. But, as Pogue's War makes clear, he was also a pioneer in the development of oral history in the twentieth century, as well as an impressive interviewer with an ability to relate to people at all levels, from the private in the trenches to the general carrying four stars. Pogue's War is drawn from Forrest Pogue's handwritten pocket notebooks, carried with him throughout the war, long regarded as unreadable because of his often atrocious handwriting. Pogue himself began expanding the diaries a few short years after the war, with the intent of eventual publication. At last this work is being published. Supplemented with carefully deciphered and transcribed selections from his diaries, the heart of the book is straight from the field. Much of the material has never before seen print. From D-Day to VE-Day, Pogue experienced and documented combat on the front lines, describing action on Omaha Beach, in the Huertgen Forest, and on other infamous fields of conflict. He not only graphically -- yet also often poetically -- recounts the extreme circumstances of battle, but he also notes his fellow soldiers' innermost thoughts, feelings, opinions, and attitudes about the cruelty of war. As a trained historian, Pogue describes how he went about his work and how the Army's history program functioned in the European Theater of Operations. His entries from his time at the history headquarters in Paris show the city in the early days after the liberation in a unique light. Pogue's War has an immediacy that much official history lacks, and is a remarkable addition to any World War II bookshelf. Franklin D. Anderson, Forrest Pogue's nephew by marriage, is a longtime educator. He lives in Princeton, Kentucky.

"e;People may choose to ignore their animal heritage by interpreting their behavior as divinely inspired, socially purposeful, or even self-serving, all of which they attribute to being human, but they masticate, fornicate, and procreate, much as chimps and apes do, so they should have little cause to get upset if they learn that they act like other primates when they politically agitate, debate, abdicate, placate, and administrate, too."e; King of the Mountain presents the startling findings of Arnold M. Ludwig's eighteen-year investigation into why people want to rule. The answer may seem obvious -- power, privilege, and perks -- but any adequate answer also needs to explain why so many rulers cling to power even when they are miserable, trust nobody, feel besieged, and face almost certain death. Ludwig's results suggest that leaders of nations tend to act remarkably like monkeys and apes in the way they come to power, govern, and rule. Profiling every ruler of a recognized country in the twentieth century -- over 1,900 people in all -- Ludwig establishes how rulers came to power, how they lost power, the dangers they faced, and the odds of their being assassinated, committing suicide, or dying a natural death. Then, concentrating on a smaller sub-set of 377 rulers for whom more extensive personal information was available, he compares six different kinds of leaders, examining their characteristics, their childhoods, and their mental stability or instability to identify the main predictors of later political success.Ludwig's penetrating observations, though presented in a lighthearted and entertaining way, offer important insight into why humans have engaged in war throughout recorded history as well as suggesting how they might live together in peace.

Whether called "the good people," "the little people," or simply "them," fairies are familiar from their appearances in Shakespeare's plays, Disney's films, and points in between.

The colloquial dialogue brings to life a community attached to the land on which they had lived for generations and the victuals and rituals that kept their world in motion amidst uncertainty.

One of the last living legends of the golden age of the screen, Marlene Dietrich has reigned supreme in the history of motion pictures since she was first swept to stardom as Lola in The Blue Angel. Her long-awaited autobiography tells of her fabulous life from early days in Berlin to her Hollywood career and beyond. 24 pages of photos.

A collection of the iconic actress's surprising and heartfelt thoughts on topics A-to-Z, plus recipes.

A thoughtful analysis of John Mellencamp's numerous contributions to American popular culture over more than forty years.

"From the anti-segregation sit-ins of the 1960s to the 2020 protests in response to the killing of Breonna Taylor, the rest of the nation-and often the world-has watched as Kentuckians boldly fought against injustice. In Resistance in the Bluegrass, Farrah Alexander outlines how Kentucky's activists have opposed racism, discrimination, economic inequality, and practices that accelerate climate change; advocated for better education, more humane immigration policies, and appropriate political representation; and supported LGBTQ and women's rights, while also celebrating decades of Kentucky contributions to social justice movements and the people behind them. Resistance in the Bluegrass gives engaged citizens-and those who aim to become more engaged-inspiration and guidance for how they too can make a difference across the commonwealth. With interviews and issue-by-issue action items, Alexander reminds her readers that everyday citizens who step up to make a difference are at the heart of all social change. Optimistic and accessible, Resistance in the Bluegrass is a people's history and guide that calls Kentuckians of all backgrounds to action"--

This is the first book that profiles the rapid expansion of the student and campus farm movement.

A former Kentucky poet laureate presents an evocative look of the economic, social, and cultural transformation of Kentucky from wilderness to early settlement by examining the regional primary watershed.

A comprehensive and vivid account of the action on the Mississippi River during the Civil War.

This is the only in-depth study of the relationship between the Union Navy and African Americans during the Civil War.

When the mass suicides are remembered, it is usually comically or instructively: "Don't drink the Kool-Aid," as the majority of those who died that day drank or were injected with grape flavored Flavor-Aid.

Smoot reveals that Hitt was a champion for women in the workplace, giving his support to employment of the "Hello Girls," American female telephone operators for the First Army switchboard and working alongside his wife, Genevieve Young Hitt, the first woman to break ciphers for the United States government.

Skillfully divided into three distinct yet harmonious parts, cantillating local, familial, and personal histories, Girl Singer is a collection of lyrical and descriptive poems that offer unique insight on famous and infamous Appalachian tales from this life and the next.

Now, translator and editor Martha Noel Evans brings the young French lieutenant's story to readers in English for the first time.