Anyone who follows this blog knows that I have a great appreciation and interest in World War II. Please read and share this post with everyone you know. And think of the media circus, flags at half staff, and all the things that were said of Whitney Houston when she died and Michael Jackson when he died. . This hero died with barely anyone’s notice. “Shifty” By Chuck Yeager Shifty volunteered for the airborne in WWII and served with Easy Company of the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, part of the 101st Airborne Infantry. If you’ve seen Band of Brothers on HBO or the History Channel, you know Shifty. His character appears in all 10 episodes, and Shifty himself is interviewed in several of them. I met Shifty in the Philadelphia airport several years ago. I didn’t know who he was at the time. I just saw an elderly gentleman having trouble reading his ticket. I offered to help, assured him that he was at the right gate, and noticed the “Screaming Eagle,” the symbol of the 101st Airborne, on his hat. Making conversation, I asked him if he’d been in the 101st Airborne or if his son was serving. He…

Pepper: A History of the World’s Most Influential Spice by Marjorie Shaffer is a non-fiction book tracing history through the trade of black pepper

Superman – the granddaddy of all superheroes, the one who started it all, the icon who is held to higher standard in fiction and has set the standards for many of us in the non-fiction world. It’s no wonder why the franchise is almost 80 years strong and growing stronger.

There was a time when i was absolutely fascinated by the American Civil War. I read every book (reviews to come) I could get my hands on, scoured websites, went on battleground field trips and talked to other aficionados. To this day I still have a big interest in that time period, even though not as enthusiastic. At the time of this post, the books below were free or $0.99 — please check before downloading. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: The Struggle for Round Top (Illustrated) by Evander M. Law *Illustrated with maps and pictures of the battle and its important generals *Includes Table of Contents Without question, the most famous battle of the Civil War took place outside of the small town of Gettysburg from July 1-3, 1863. Over those three days, nearly 8,000 would die, over 30,000 would be casualties, and the most famous attack of the war, Pickett’s Charge, would fail Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia. The South would go on to lose the war, and when it did, the importance of Gettysburg as one of the “high tide”…

Please note: The prices for the post are cur­rent at the time of the post, please pay atten­tion to make sure they haven’t changed before purchase. Authors: If you’d like your book to be fea­tured on Tight­wad Tues­days please email me. A Medical Emergency, Major-General ‘Ginger’ Burston and the Army Medical Service in World War II by Ian Howie-Willis Australian soldiers and their American Allies won the land war against Japan in the Pacific islands because they were healthier than their enemies. The troops’ fighting spirit, their armaments, their naval and air support and their generals were certainly key ingredients in the Allied victory. Without good health, however, these other factors would have been nullified. Malaria, the great scourge of armies throughout history, threatened the health of the Allies and the Japanese alike. The army that could beat malaria would also defeat its military foe because troops shivering, sweating and shaking with malarial fever cannot shoot straight, let alone fight. In World War II the Allies eventually beat the Japanese — a victory based, to a large part, on the success of the Australian Army Medical Service in defeating malaria. Their Japanese counterpart never won this battle. Major-General ‘Ginger’ Burston led…

Enemies: A History of the FBI by Tim Weiner is a fascinating and well researched book giving an excellent treatment of what basically amounts to domestic spying

Black History Month: The Storytelling Tradition Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Alice Walker, Virginia Hamilton, and others speaking about the importance of storytelling in African American history: Muhammad Ali: The Man Behind the Myth: A look at Muhammad Ali (“the man behind the myth”) in a video interview with George Foreman, daughter Hana Ali, and biographer Thomas Hauser. Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy: Authors Remember the Civil Rights Movement Alice Walker and other authors speaking about their involvement in the Civil Rights movement Henry Louis Gates, Jr., on William Styron’s Controversial Novel: Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. on one of the twentieth century’s most jarring literary events.

When her boss’ son, Isaac, returns from the army Rachel agrees to marry him and move with the ambitious and charismatic man to the Badlands of South Dakota

A coffee table book put out by Parragon Books to commemorate the 150thanniversary of the American Civil War, full of photographs, graphics, and visuals

Mr. Ellis tries to explain what cannot be explained – the paradox which is Jefferson. The contradictions between Jefferson’s written letters and his actions