1 comments about George Washington's Legacy of Leadership.

1. The Legacy of Leadership is NOT just another biography about George Washington. After attending a lecture and book signing given by the author it is obvious that this book is a labor of love reflecting years of research. As stated in the preface "The purpose of this book is to bring George Washington back into the life of all Americans." Ward Burian has certainly accomplished that and more. This book is very readable, keeps your interest and fills in all the details you have long forgotten or never knew. I especially enjoyed the information provided on all the key players of the American Revolution and how they related to washington and to each other. Ward has done a great job of tying all the pieces together. A separate chapter on "The Genealogy of George Washinton" was most enlightening as I had never seen this information presented before. The chapter "Washington's Relevancy Today" confirms that this is not just a history book but that some ideas and principles are still valid for us in the 21st century. I most highly recommend this book for everyone. Even if you think you know a lot about Washington, be assured there is much more to the story then you ever imagined.

1 comments about Young Frederick Douglass: The Maryland Years (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf) (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf).

1. Frederick Douglass wrote three biographies, or rather, he wrote his biography three times in different periods of life, each time recounting the story of his youth and escape from slavery, and then bringing the account forward to the date of writing. They are Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass An American Slave (1845), My Bondage and My Freedom(1855) and Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1881). Of the three 'Bondage and Freedom' is the most detailed and reliable account of his early slave years. 'Life and Times' smoothed out some passages. While 'Bondage and Freedom' is the most reliable of his accounts it remains the least read, the tendency is to read 'Narrative' first and then for those wanting more detail to skip to 'Life and Times'.
   
   Douglass' 1845 'Narrative' was probably the single most influential American slave narrative ever written, it was widely read and well known in the decades leading up to the Civil War. However from its first publication many contested its veracity, in particular Douglass' former white owners on the Eastern Short of Maryland. For the most part historians have taken Douglass at his word, or excused certain things in light of the context that he was trying to raise sympathy for the cause of abolition. It was not until 1980 that historian Dickson Preston, who lived in Talbot County, Maryland, did a more scientific study of Douglass' early years in slavery, going back through the records and seeing what could be verified, what made sense. Because Dickson is not black he had trouble finding a publisher since it was thought at the time any new biography of Douglass should be written by a black scholar, but with the help of James A. Michener (who was also living in Talbot County at the time working on his book Chesapeake) they found someone to publish this excellent objective historical investigation.
   
   Dickson says in the Preface "this book began as an adventure in what might be called historical detective work. I had read his vividly written first autobiography.. and had been deeply moved by its stark recital of the grimmer side of Eastern Shore slavery. I had also read - and heard, for they are still spoken on the Eastern Shore - the denials, the insistence that Douglass was a charlatan who had made up most of his life story or had it written for him by his norther white benefactors. But what were the facts?" The book then is a re-telling of Douglass' narrative using supporting facts and logical conclusions to determine the accuracy and probable truths. Through this process we are afforded a much richer and deeper glimpse into Douglass' life.
   
   The main thing Dickson discovers is that Douglass for the most part was telling the truth, but that he tended to overplay his trials and tribulations through the sin of omission - he tells the bad things but not the good. Of course this is understandable given the context of the books dual purpose as a weapon in the war against slavery. Far from being a deprived child Douglass was, at major transition points in his life, given opportunities of advancement by his white owners, he was clearly an exceptional child and not the typical downtrodden field-hand. This is not to say he was not a self-made man because he really was gifted, but others saw in him early on his great potential and he was given privileged and room to grow very few other slaves had. In the end we get a more balanced and full view of not only Douglass but the whites in his life and ultimately slave culture in Maryland as a whole, the good and the bad.
   
   I found 'Young Frederick Douglass' to be essential to understanding who Douglass was and how he came to be. Douglass' narrative is gripping but leaves a lot of open questions - Dickson's research helps shed substantial light on what was happening behind the scenes, for anyone wishing to learn more about Douglass after reading 'Narrative' it would be hard to go wrong with 'Young Frederick Douglass'.

3 comments about A Sketch of the Life and Character of Daniel Boone.

1. Houston's Boone is a diminutive book but one brimming with contemporary insights plus editor's annotations into frontier life featuring new stuff on Boone, hide tanning, buffalo, Indians, and early hunter anecdotes. An elegent little book with a gorgeous jacket, a highly collectable bit of old-time Kentuckiana.



2. Murray State University (Kentucky) history professor Ted Franklin Belue discovered the only known copy of Peter Houston's manuscript about his personal recollections of the famous frontiersman, Daniel Boone, in the Lyman C. Draper papers at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin in 1990. Written in the 1840s by a friend and neighbor of Boone's, the original manuscript was stolen from the author's grandson in 1887, but luckily for future historians, the grandson had, mere weeks before the theft, mailed a copy of the lengthy work to the prolific historian, Lyman Draper. Belue has done a masterful job in presenting this rare piece of Americana to the reading public. Replete with extensive annotations and notes, a pictorial section, and an impressive bibliography, the book goes a long way in shedding light on everyday times on America's first western frontier during the 1770s and 1780s. For those of WWA's membership who believe, as I do, that "western" writing is defined as that which encompasses the entire American frontier experience, from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific shores, this book will provide several hours of interesting reading, indeed.--Jim Crutchfield, Managing Editor, Roundup Magazine April 1998, Western Writers of America



3. Long ago Peter Houston's A Sketch in the Life and Character of Daniel Boone should have been properly annotated and published. Ted Franklin Belue has done historians a genuinely useful service in transcribing into a readily available and readable form this insightful contemporary view of Daniel Boone and the times. This is an addition to the Daniel Boone-Frontier America story, casting a new first-hand and contemporary light on the subject. Dr. Thomas D. Clark, Historian Laureate of Kentucky, professor emeritus of the University of Kentucky, and author of many books on Kentucky and the American South.

No comments about Stand Firm and Fire Low: The Civil War Writings of Colonel Edward E. Cross.

1 comments about Sojourner Truth: Liberated in Christ (Heroes of the Faith).

1. A 2007 Summer Reading List - mini review.
   
   I had placed a book about Sojourner Truth (not this one) on my daughter's summer reading list. Sunday I passed by our Church's book cart/library and was perusing the biography section when I came across this book. Now, I knew nothing about Ms. Truth when I placed it on the reading list and thought it would not be a bad idea to acquaint myself with her life. I am so very glad I did.
   
   Sojourner Truth's life gave her every right to be bitter. However, the love of Christ motivated her to have compassion, rather than bitterness, and still be a firey opponent to slavery. My favorite part of the book is the stories of her assertion of her rights to ride the street cars in Washinton D.C.

1 comments about The Lives, Loves, and Art of Arthur B. Davies.

1. I compliment the author on his thorough research, including letters written and received by Davies. Here lies part of the problem with the book. It is far too detailed. I would rarely say this, but the author verbally describes many of the paintings that are illustrated in the book. Why? This becomes tedeous.

   I also question some of the information in the book. For example, he states that he and his mistress travelled to Europe because Davies lived in NYC with her and in the country with his wife. This seems a bit extreme to me so I did some research on [internet search company] and failed to find a single cite to support this. Why would census takers care if a man lived with a mistress? They were not throwing them in jail for it. If the author makes such a far fetched statement, then he should provide evidence of it.

   The loves of Davies are not fully explored. Yes, the author tells the reader that Virginia, the first wife, shot her first husband and skipped town to NYC. This is interesting. But how is Davies affected by leading double and triple lives. Stieglitz was having his affair with O'Keeffe at this time. Stieglitz's art reflects the love of O'Keeffe, etc.

   One last example. The author states that Davies, who was responsible for the Armory Show of 1913 would give tours to distinguished guests. While doing so, his posture was interpreted as a sign of arrogance. OK. But then the author tells us that Davies did not intend to appear arrogant. How does he know Davies' thoughts at such specific times?

   The book has strong points, but the weaknesses ultimately overwhelm the reader. That's the gist of it. Check it out at a library and decide for yourself.

4 comments about Junior Johnson: Brave in Life.

1. being a relatively new fan of nascar, and having family members that work closely with it gave me the incentive to read this book. after the untimely death of nascar great dale earnhardt, i found it difficult to watch the weekly races.they seemed to be missing an important member of nascar and my reason for tuning in every weekend. after reading this book,i have changed my mind.nascar is truly the junior johnsons,the kale yarboroughs, and the ricard pettys. they made nascar what it is today. they paved the road for the newcomers. i still miss dale,but now i find i really do have another reason to tune in. i enjoy watching. i no longer have a favorite driver. i just cheer on the front runner. the book was a good read. i reccomend it highly.



2. being a relatively new fan of nascar, and having family members that work closely with it gave me the incentive to read this book. after the untimely death of nascar great dale earnhardt, i found it difficult to watch the weekly races.they seemed to be missing an important member of nascar and my reason for tuning in every weekend. after reading this book,i have changed my mind.nascar is truly the junior johnsons,the kale yarboroughs, and the ricard pettys. they made nascar what it is today. they paved the road for the newcomers. i still miss dale,but now i find i really do have another reason to tune in. i enjoy watching. i no longer have a favorite driver. i just cheer on the front runner. the book was a good read. i reccomend it highly.



3. Tom Higgins of the Charlotte Observer and ESPN and Steve Waid of WC Illus. can tell a story like no one else can. Mix Tom, Steve and Junior together and you get lots of NASCAR history AND sore ribs.



4. To all outward appearances Jr Johnson was a country bumpkin, yet this book shows beneath that "good ole boy" veneer was a sophisticated mind and drive on which crowds cheered and engineers with PhDs came for advice, the latter not covered by Tom Wolfe's book. A quality presentation.

5 comments about Sweet Caroline: Last Child of Camelot.

1. A lot of celebrity biographies, or "tell-alls", I take with a grain of salt, but this one seemed very credible when I was reading it. Most of the author's sources were people from the Kennedy's inner circle, including Pierre Salinger, Ben Bradlee etc. I didn't think this book would expose anything new, but I was actually quite surprised and intrigued. Most often I was surprised by the behavior of Jackie Kennedy and new facets of her character were revealed that made me see her in a totally different light from her Camelot image (an image which she created). A fascinating page turner!



2. Not only does this book do a fabulos job of detailing the intimate life of Caroline the only remaining survior of Camelot. But it also gives an imtimate look of the lives of her family. Jackie, John and John Jr. And even the before and after family events surrounding the assination of her father President John F. Kennedy. Whom Caroline herself, first heard about the assination from the radio. Also intimate details of the power and control that Jackie exerted over her family. Her (Jackie) extreme drive to obtain her vast wealth and to protect the family image and to shelter her and her children's privacy from the public-at all costs. The struggles that Caoroline faced with being a Kennedy, how she could't understand why she was famous for nothing more than her name. So, if you like me, enjoy reading about the intimate life of America's royal family, this book is for you.



3. this was a good book, and we got to know a lot about caroline, and how sweet she was, despite her tragedies. it broke my heart to learn that she always felt neglected without a strong male figure in her life, especially since her mother centered all her efforts on her son having a strong father figure, or risk having him "grow up to be a fruit." yet, caroline made it through. i absolutely felt sorry for her, and i don't even know how the erroneous belief that jackie kennedy onassis was such a great mother has lasted up until today. she spent most of her time on vacations and shopping, and sent her kids off to boarding school when they were so young, spending little time with them. i feel caroline suffered greatly from it, since she got taken care of mostly by nannies, and not so much by her parents, since her dad was killed when she was young, and her mother was so into shopping and money that she neglected her daughter's needs regarding the idolization her daughter felt for her father, and being there for her in this aspect. overall, a great book



4. Andersen misleads the reader when he markets this book as a book about Caroline Kennedy. In fact this author does nothing more than re-hash everything that has already been written about the family. He sells it as a book about Caroline simply because he constantly uses the possessive form of her name to refer to the actual main characters in this book (Caroline's mother, Caroline's brother, Caroline's father etc.).After reading this book, I realized that this is because Caroline has lived a rather simple and scandel free life. The only remarkable thing about Caroline's life is that it's not that remarkable. Like so many Americans, she cooks her children breakfast every morning, video tapes their school pageants, and considers being their mom her most rewarding job in life. Caroline is to be commended for her stellar academic record and her accomplishments as an author. However, without the last name "Kennedy" no one would find her life particularly compelling reading. There simply isn't enough provacative information out there to fill up an entire book about Caroline alone. Unlike her mother, she wasn't first lady of the United States, married to one of the most beloved presidents, she didn't hold up an entire nation during three of the darkest days in our nation's history, she didn't marry a wealthy shipping magnate from whom she inherited 26 million dollars and then went on to parlay that money into 200 million. I could go on and on about Jackie but in the interest of brevity, I think you've got the picture.
   That said, I believe Mr. Andersen has done a great disservice to his reader when he sold them a book complete with the tacit implication that we were to really learn who Caroline Kennedy was as a person. The information may well be out there but Mr. Andersen has yet to find it.



5. I have read all of the Kennedy biographies and there is very little new information in this biography. The first part has been covered in all of the others, and the second part has been covered in the tabloids, which makes we question the accuracy of anything here that has not been lifted from another source. I noted two parts of this book that do not appear to be in keeping with what has been well documented. 1. The books states, that on April 4, 1968, Caroline was in her classroom when a teacher came in and whispered to her teacher that Martin Luther King had been shot. Quick research on the Web states this happened at about 4:30PM EST..Are 11 year olds in class at that time? 2. The books states that when visiting the White House JFK Jr. told then President Nixon, that he used to play under his desk. Everyone knows that the famous Kennedy desk was removed when he died, and not used again until it was brought back by President Clinton.

1 comments about Great American Statesmen and Heroes.

1. The best part of this book is its documented proof of Captain John Smith's Christianity and love for the Indians. It seems to be a countering view to Peter Marshall's criticism of the action of the JamesTown Settlers.

   Also, its Chapter on Christopher Columbus is excellent. It is a perfect countering view to Peter Marshall's description of Columbus being money grabbing.

No comments about The First Ranger.