Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0700607102, Paperback)
"To understand why people say 'Dear old Kansas!' is to understand that Kansas is no mere geographical expression, but a 'state of mind,' a religion, and a philosophy in one," writes historian Carl Becker in the classic 1910 essay that leads off this volume. Like Becker, the twelve other essayists and four poets try to map the spiritual topography of Kansas and explain why this particular patch of prairie is so dear. They share the conviction that Kansas represents something powerful, something significant, something noteworthy.
The seventeen selections are put into perspective by Thomas Fox Averill's headnotes and introductory essay, which makes its own contribution to our understanding of Kansas. The essays and poems (all previously published except for the last essay) are arranged chronologically, from the earliest (1910) to the most recent (1990).
"No state struggles more self-consciously with its image than Kansas," Robert Smith Bader has observed. To the reader wanting to grasp the meaning of Kansas, this insightful collection demonstrates that some of those self-conscious struggles have led to self-understanding.
(retrieved from Amazon Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:29:11 -0500)
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Wikipedia in English
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The works included are almost exclusively a celebration of Kansas history and culture. W.G. Clugston portrays life in Kansas as the great struggle for democracy and equality. Milton Eisenhower writes of the combination of Puritan ethics and southern cultural traditions that are “The Strength of Kansas.” And Peg Wherry and Denise Low look to the “straight roads,” blue skies, and “level land” of rural Kansas for inspiration in their touching tributes to a landscape that is decidedly not flat or boring. Noted Kansas author Thomas Fox Averill provides a heartfelt introduction and prefaces to each essay.
What Kansas Means to Me celebrates life in a place that is often looked over, owing to its distance from what some would call the “civilized world.” But this flyover state has much to offer to both residents and visitors. The authors here make sure that everyone understands the beauty that lies outside of the metropolis. (