For almost two hundred years, Arkansans have been part of America’s struggle to maintain democracy and keep the peace at home and around the globe. Homefront Arkansas: Arkansans Face Wartime Past and Present shows how war has affected those at home as well as those who served as soldiers. The chapters include: * A wounded Civil War soldier stumbles onto a homestead after a battle at Poison Springs, Arkansas, forever changing the family there * In 1875, Arkansans take sides in the Brooks-Baxter War, involving two men each claiming to be the governor of Arkansas * Arkansas volunteers follow Teddy Roosevelt into the Spanish-American War, and find troops crowded into a filthy camp as they wait to be shipped out * An African American girl leaves her native state to escape persecution, only to find that a world war is threatening to envelop her new home in England Woody’s stories provide a factual and compelling backdrop for Arkansas’s history as seen through its conflicts. Fascinated readers will follow the chronology of Arkansans who met the nation’s call both at home and abroad.

How many famous people from Arkansas can you name? You might think of a few quickly, such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton and Walmart creator Sam Walton. But you may be surprised to find out how many other famous and fascinating people come from Arkansas (or have strong ties to the state). Natural State Notables profiles twenty-one famous and fascinating people from Arkansas, including musicians, athletes, business leaders, and public servants. Among others, readers will learn about a famous surgeon who was a pioneer in kidney transplantation, a woman who kept a hospital open during the Depression, and a teacher who wrote a famous song to match a history lesson. Featured are poor people who worked hard to become successful and a rich man who moved to Arkansas, fell in love with the state, and worked hard to make it better. All of these people are "Natural State Notables," some of the many who have made Arkansas what it is today.

A man squanders his family fortune until he is penniless, loses every time he runs for public office, and yet is so admired by the people of Arkansas that the General Assembly names a county in his honor. A renowned writer makes her home in the basement of a museum until she is sued by some of the most prominent women of the state regarding the use of the rooms upstairs. A brilliant inventor who nearly built the first airplane is also vilified for his eccentricity and possible madness. Author Steven Teske rummages through Arkansas’s colorful past to find--and "unvarnish"--some of the state’s most controversial and fascinating figures. The nine people featured in this collection are not the most celebrated products of Arkansas. More than half of them were not even born in Arkansas, although all of them lived in Arkansas and contributed to its history and culture. But each of them has achieved a certain stature in local folklore, if not in the story of the state as a whole.