Note from the Blogger

These mini-reviews are intended to be short recommendations, not full blown literary reviews. Please feel free to add your own comments. -- Tim Drake

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Paducah Gateway: A History of Railroads in Western Kentucky (1978) By Donald Lessley

 

Today most people think of Paducah as a river town because its location is where the Tennessee River flows into the Ohio River, just a few miles east of where they will jointly meet up with the Mississippi River. With flat boats and then steamboats the river was a major throughfare of pioneer America. What people don’t know is that it was also a key city in the early days of railroading – Paducah Gateway covers that history.

Both sides of the Ohio River had dozens of short line railroads moving people, agricultural commodities, timber, and coal, lots and lots of coal. In the book author Donald Lessley puts all of that in a roughly chronological order with failures and mergers eventually narrowing the railroad companies down to basically the Illinois Central Gulf, the Burlington Northern, and the (Norfolk) Southern RR – all three are still active. They faced a common challenge however, getting across the river: to the north with an end goal of Chicago; and to the south with an end goal of either New Orleans or Mobile. Hence, Paducah, KY with its established ferry to Brookport, IL became a key transfer point. Today it is hard to imagine, but before bridges trains were decoupled and placed on ferry boats, three or four cars at a time, and then recoupled on the other side. The time! The expense!

Importantly, the IC (Illinois Central) owned and profited from that ferry. When later the IC was asked to join with other lines to build a two-track rail bridge across the river at Metropolis, they declined. They would later have to lease access to the bridge when it opened in 1917.

Although that decision was questionable, the IC would turn Paducah into a rail hub by building its repair shop there, growing the small city into an IC “factory town” employing thousands in what would evolve into a massively large building complex and roundhouse – steam engines needed regular maintenance. The expertise developed at the complex would result in not only the IC but also other rail lines sending their engines to Paducah. When the entire industry turned from Steam power to Diesel power, the shop turned with it. But diesel engines required far less maintenance resulting in a significant downsizing of operations over the years.

Perhaps the most interesting of the chapters in the book deals with the Ohio River flood of 1937, the worst in the city's history and before the city's reknowned flood walls had been completed. With a 60 foot crest, it impacted railroading (and everything else) particularly the maintenance complex & round house. 

Today the former complex is one of the City of Paducah's major urban renewal challenges, what to do with these huge, mostly vacant buildings. 

Passenger traffic declined locally as it did everywhere else in the country as a result of America’s love affair with the automobile. All local stops except for the IC’s iconic City of New Orleans train, now operated by Amtrak, were eliminated, and it only has a flagged stop in Fulton, KY, passing by at 3 in the morning.

Mr. Lessley’s book contains extensive reference material, far more than my oversimplification can relate. History buffs would benefit from it, and railroad buffs will love it. I bought my copy at Paducah’s Railroad Museum.

Recommendation: I liked it, but I’m both a history and railroad buff, not to mention I live in Paducah. 

Friday, May 16, 2025

All Boys Aren't Blue (2020) By George M Johnson

 

All Boys Aren’t Blue is the #1 target of book banners in the United States.

The American Library Association compiles an annual list of books targeted for banning. The complaint filers are interesting: per the ALA, 72% of book ban attempts are initiated by public officials egged on by campaigns organized by far-right political organizations, not by individuals. Interestingly, only 16% are initiated by parents.

To no surprise, four of the top ten books on the 2024 targeted list, including All Boys Aren’t Blue, are there because of “pro” LGBTQ subjects and/or authors. The political far-right just can’t stop bashing LGBTQ people for political gain -- just look at this year’s constant bashing of trans individuals if you don’t believe that. What better way in their minds to distract voters away from issues like corruption or billionaire tax breaks? But ask one of them if they personally know, or even know of, a trans person and you will get a blank stare.

The argument of course is they are protecting their children. From what? From exposure to the real world? So, what, they want their children to enter the real world without a clue? LGBTQ people have existed throughout history. At what age do they think becoming aware of gay people would be okay, 30, 50 70?

And then there is the issue of statistics. Let’s say All Boys Aren’t Blue is in a library. In all likelihood there will be at least 5,000 (small library) to 100,000+ (university library) other books there too. The impact will be none, with one important exception.

The exception is the person utilizing the library because they are or think they might be LGBTQ. Dick and Jane do not cover that topic. Parents emphatically do not discuss that topic. The bullshit in the locker room is not helpful. And religious organizations are likely to condemn it, or at minimum ignore it. The common early question among all gay people is this: am I the only one? There is a reason that LGBTQ kids are twice as likely to commit suicide. People who want to “protect” children are responsible for that statistic.

Imagine, if a kid had even one nonjudgemental resource to turn to.

If you are a Black “sissy,” or a White, Latino, Asian one, looking for answers there is no better starting point than George Johnson’s memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue.

Recommendation: Yes.