The Patriots: Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the Making of America by Winston Groom is a history book focusing on the relationships, personal and professional, between the three American founding fathers mentioned in the title.
In Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the Assault on American Democracy by Derek W. Black, a professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law, provides context for the ongoing debate about public education, vouchers, charter schools, and more.
About: The British are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775 – 1777 by Rick Atkinson is a history book, first of a trilogy, which describes the first 21 months of the American Revolutionary War. Mr. Atkinson is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and historian. 800 pages Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. Language: English ISBN-10: 1627790438 My rating for The British are Coming – 5 Buy The British are Coming from Amazon.com* More Books by Rick Atkinson* Thoughts: We always learn about the heroics of the American Revolutionary War, but many seem to forget that it was still war, brutal and violent with small acts of heroism as well as nation building events. In his book, The British are Coming: The War for America, Lexington to Princeton, 1775 – 1777, historian Rick Atkinson doesn’t forget that, quite the opposite, his narrative thrives on those subjects. The books description of battle and tactics, especially those in Boston (Lexington, Concord), are vivid, exciting and informative. The author puts in a lot of detail which he either simply made up, or discovered by conjuncture. For example, how did he know that the soldiers wet shoes squelched? You either assume, or try and find out what the…
This is not a comprehensive book, and it is not meant to be one. It’s a quick primer for those interested in the subject and would give one a sense of what they would like to read next.
Thomas Paine’s work influenced many radicals during, and after, his lifetime. These radicals called for such extreme change such as ending slavery, women’s equality, fair wages and so on.
An excellent biography of a President who was probably the most influential person to hold office between Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln
A non-fiction book telling the harrowing story of the folks being stuck on top of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in one of the coldest winters recorded.
Ms. Abbott manages to tell four different stories, switching marvelously between them while keep distance and judgment.
The book follows Reagan from his youth, his Hollywood career, his presidency (which gets the lion share of the book of course) and to his death.
As a fan of history, I really enjoy the small, intimate stories which give a most excellent background to world events, and this book is filled with them. It was wonderful to read about the friendship, intimacy, companionship and service the staff provides the families who are on a world stage and sometimes can feel lonely and battered.
