Professor publishes fifth book

History Professor and Department Head, Dr. Kenneth Heineman, recently had his fifth book published Dec. 24, 2012, “Civil War Dynasty: The Ewing Family of Ohio,” and it is receiving positive feedback.


“Kirkus [Reviews] is known as a particularly thorough critic,” Heineman said. “I was not expecting anything from Kirkus. It was amazing.”


“Civil War Dynasty: The Ewing Family of Ohio” focuses on William T. Sherman’s in-laws, he said.


“Usually in all of Sherman’s biographies, the focus is on him, and they mention in passing his father in-law, who was politically influential,” Heineman said. “That never quite added up to me because it never went anywhere beyond that. This is about a self-made man from the wilds of West Virginia; Thomas Ewing who taught himself Latin at the age of seven and went on to own half of Downtown St. Louis.”


Publishers Weekly wrote, “Heineman’s fast-paced narrative brings to life a now-neglected American family as it comes into its own against the complex backdrop of a nation struggling to overcome political and social differences,” according to an ASU news release.


“I have always been interested in families,” Heineman said. “This was a chance to write a story across a couple of generations. It is an incredible family and their story had never been told. It was intriguing.”


In addition to writing five books, Heineman said he has written about 30 essays and articles, and 40 book reviews.


“In my History 1301 class, I do a lecture that draws from Tom Ewing Jr’s experiences,” Heineman said. “My [research] is also the basis of a lecture we gave for the Civil War Series.”


While writing “Civil War Dynasty,” Heineman said he received help from the English Department.


“Nicole McDaniel and the professional editing class had gone over various chapters while I was writing it as an assignment for their class,” Heineman said. “It’s really nice to have a university like ASU that have sibling departments and faculty that can help. I am very grateful for my colleagues.”


As Heineman continues teaching, he also continues his research dealing with articles from Texas politics in the 1930s and 40’s.


“Texas had some remarkable political figures in the 1930s and 40’s,” Heineman said. “It is interesting to see [what is going on under the radar].”


“Civil War Dynasty: The Ewing Family of Ohio” was published by New York University Press. It can be found on amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com, as well as bookstores nationally at a retail price of $35.00.