Stan Paregien's latest eBook," Manatee County, Florida: Facts, Folks and Photos " is a literary tossed salad. It is an intriguing combination with one part travel guide for the beaches and other attractions in Manatee County, one part who's who of today's leaders and yesterday's heroes and heroines, one part family photo album, and one part a history book containing over 450 photos and 470 biographical sketches. It is written in a conversational style with touches of wit, wisdom, mystery and spice.
Chapter 1, "Manatee County Facts," is a quick chronological look at the main events which have happened in Manatee County since ol' Juan Ponce de Leon set foot here in Paradise in 1513. There've been a heck of a lot of other footprints left in the sands of Manatee County since then, and this book notes many of them.
Chapter 2, "Manatee County Cities & Communities," presents facts and information about Manatee County's larger cities and the smaller communities as well. All of 'em are fine places, so Stan gives you the inside scoop behind the usual road signs and flashing neon lights. Real people live here and most all of them love it, except maybe for a few diehard sourpusses. You'll find helpful lists of things you may need to find.
Chapter 3, "Manatee County Folks," is where you'll want to spent a bunch of your time. There you'll see photos and biographical sketches of hundreds of Manatee County people. Learn why the heck we do things like we do them (Hint: "Because that's how grandma and grandpa used to do it.") You'll meet some of our wonderful pioneer families, a great many solid citizens, plus a lot of folks who work doggoned hard to make this County an even better place to live or to visit.
Chapter 4, "Manatee County Photo Gallery," is a large and varied photo collection which is guaranteed to put a smile on your face, a bounce in your step and reduction of your acid reflux problem. Well, heck, two out of three hits is darned good in baseball. You'll get a kick out of the these photos -- new ones, old ones, funny ones, sad ones and all in between.
Chapter 5, "About the Author," contains Stan Paregien's bio, plus a list of his more than a dozen other eBooks available online through your favorite retailer.
The last part, Chapter 6, is titled "Resources." It contains an extended list of books and articles you can read, videos you can watch and websites you can visit to learn even more about Manatee County.
