5 comments about Unchained Memories: Readings from the Slave Narratives.

1. Amazing book. I've never read one like it. Quite interesting. Honest experiences. An eye-opener. Anyone interested in history will enjoy this. I am.



2. In this beautiful, historical collection of slave narratives and photographs, we are given a look inside the lives of actual slaves being interviewed as part of a project conducted by the Works Progress Administration. With more than forty interviews, UNCHAINED MEMORIES is a work of art that provides a well-rounded look at the lives of slaves. It includes insight into their living conditions, thoughts about slavery, their families and even the details of actual slave auctions. It is a sometimes sad collection, but much needed to help us understand the progress our ancestors have made in the world.

   Through their accounts, we are able to see the pain and suffering as well as the spirit and pride of those born into slavery, learn from it, and pass it along to our children. This is a wonderful resource for not only African American families, but for anyone interested in history and the period of slavery and its impact upon the African American race. It is compiled with the grace and dignity deserving of a people who have been through so much!

   Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
   of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers




3. This book is hard to read. It is hard to wade through the cruelty.

   There are stories here of families being split apart by an uncaring master class. Children were callously sold and permanently separated from their parents. Husbands and wives were similarly split up.

   Frankly, it makes you sick.

   Then there are the stories of brutality. Again it makes you sick. How could the slave owners have sunk so low?

   If you are looking for well written stories that bring the institution of slavery to life for you, this is not the book. What you get here are very short and very simple reports by individuals. There's nothing here that you didn't know already. This is not a great work of literature.

   This is just a punch right in the nose to make you wonder how slave owners could have been so cruel.




4. "...Oh freedom, Oh freedom, Oh freedom over me. And before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave and go home to my Lord and be free"
   __Old Negro Spiritual

   The words of the spiritual above must not have been uttered to these beautiful human beings who have graciously allowed interviewers from the 1930's Governments Works Progress Administration to chronicle their life stories. For if the words above had been uttered, the slave experience, from an intimate and painful point of view, would never have received the credence they due. Tales of slavery are still passed down from generation to generation, and traditions still are followed but to see a book like Unchained Memories is special. Quite simply, this is a beautiful book. I'm so thrilled to have been given the opportunity to read it and experience it and learn from it. I can treat the book as a textbook, a factual accounting of the lives of former slaves who have wonderful stories that they don't mind sharing with the world. For that reason alone, this book has earned a permanent place on my coffee table, for all who enter into my house to experience. Something about the actual words of former slaves bound in book form validates an agonizing time in American History.

   Unchained Memories is well researched and magnificently laid out. At the beginning of every chapter is an introductory text that accounts for the tenure of the time, followed by a poignant quote and then brief narratives begin. My one regret is that the narratives are so short, when biographers obviously spent a great deal of time with these people. I am grateful that there is an extensive bibliography at the back so that I can, at some point, go and read the entire account by the former slave. Oh where will I find the time? If you read this book, I would highly suggest that you get a copy of the HBO documentary of the same name and watch it as well. There is nothing like "hearing" the words spoken by African American actors of today in the vernacular of the time.

   I'm glad that Unchained Memories was published, and quite fittingly made its debut during Black History Month. These former slaves are the reason why Black History Month is perpetuated now and a fitting tribute for remembering from whence we as a nation have come.




5. An exquisite pictorial and narrative exploration of the institution of American slavery, this book provides readers with the opportunity to experience from personal recollections what it was like to live under conditions of slavery. The text format, an artistic balance of photographs and primary sources, is composed of interviews with former slaves conducted in the 1930s by the Federal Writers' Project. Each chapter focuses on a particular aspect of slave life - auctions, work, family, special occasions, providing a deeply etched portrait of hardships and abuses as well as examples of strength of character and quiet dignity. A worthy addition to one's library!

5 comments about We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends.

1. This was an interesting book. Every historian has a favorite story about one of the greatest American presidents-Abraham Lincoln. He talked plain, told funny stories, and acted like a relative of the family. However, Lincoln had few friends in his life. You can actually count the number on a pair of hands. The reason was Lincoln's upbringing in very isolated areas of Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky. The death of his mother at an early age also stunted his development. Except for two individuals (Speed and Herndon), Lincoln had few long term friends.
   
   Professor Donald goes into all the close friends Lincoln had. He examines the relationship with Speed, and lays the fact that Lincoln had a really close relationship with Speed.
   He also examines his relationship with Browning, Herndon, Seward, his two presidential aides, and a bodyguard. Many others may have known Lincoln, but few knew him in a personal way. Lincoln was a very lonely man with plenty of burdens on him. It is a wonder he managed to guide the country through the Civil War without many personal relationships.
   
   Donald examines all of Lincoln's close personal relationships. He disputes the present accusations that Lincoln was gay with good historical facts. This is a good read for those interested in the Civil War.



2. Donald's book "Lincoln" is incredible. So maybe I was unfairly expecting too much.
   
   But I didn't learn much from this book. He makes the point that Lincoln did not have any very close friends and therefore there was no one that could truly speak of what Lincoln was thinking.
   
   Much of this book discusses the relationship Lincoln had with each of the people involved. And it then talks some (not a lot) about that those people wrote or said.
   
   But to me, Lincoln did not come out of what was said. I didn't find myself seeing anything new.
   
   Get his book "Lincoln" instead.



3. David's confusion about Lincoln's sexuality is shown by his going back and forth on the question of whether Abe was in love with Anne Rutledge. At present he seems to deny the legend, which he endorsed a few years ago when Douglas Wilson revived it, having previously followed his mentor J. G. Randall in denying it. Talk about Senator Kerry-like flip-flopping. David, to all appearance a Kinsey "O," is obviously even more at sea about homosexuality. He quoted the obnoxious remark made by Charles B. Strozier (a type who would have fascinated Cesare Lombroso) that a homosexual (or bisexual, in the case of Lincoln) couldn't have led the war or even gone into politics. Have they forgotten Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar? Did they never hear about their bisexuality? But Donald did for a time acknowledge a homoerotic bond between Abe and Joshua; though he has made the outrageous claim to me that no single American president ever had sex with another male.
   When I put C.A. Tripp in contact with David Donald, whom I described to Tripp as the leading Lincoln scholar, I warned him that however much he might learn from David, he could not even hope that David would accept the thesis that Abe had homosexual experiences, and I predicted that David would write a preemptive strike. It duly appeared: We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends.
   John Lauritsen, an aesthete of unrivaled sensitivity, tells me that in We Are Lincoln Men David writes on two levels: one for the public ("the great unwashed"), who couldn't bear to learn that some presidents were gay; and on another for the initiates, when he describes the banter between Abe and his hardened male secretaries, which borders on camp. At any rate, David certainly notes the electric homoeroticism.



4. David Herbert Donald has produced an interesting portrait of Abraham Lincoln through the eyes of those who can claim to have known him best. By taking a "friend's eye" view of our sixteenth President, Donald peels back some of the mystery surrounding this very private and guarded man. Some, but not all. As Donald demonstrates, Lincoln was unusually adept of shielding much of his inner self even from most of his close associates. Whether by insecurity at his humble origins and self-taught manner or, (as I am more prone to think), by the design of a very focused ambition which was early on and constantly navigating his life's journey, Lincoln only let those he knew intimately get so close.
   
   The friends (some early life companions, young adulthood companion Joshua Speed, law partner William Herndon, some-time political ally Orville Browning, rival and then acolyte Secretary of State William Seward, and private secretaries John Hay and John Nicolay), give portrayal of Lincoln at every stage of his life. Most give testimony to Lincoln's ultimate reserve, but all have insights, shared thoughts and anecdotes that provide a great depth of understanding at what formed the man and to some extent what made him tick.
   
   Although Donald has a minor psychological theme of motherless-children (Lincoln's mother died at an early age; he benefited from a loving step-mother who he gave great credit to), and the nature of friendships running through the book, most of this is good, solid history. I personally thought the psychological stream could have been left out of this book, but it only occasionally intrudes and never surfaces enough to dominate any chapter of Lincoln's life.
   
   It is instructive to view Lincoln through the lens of those who know Lincoln best, particularly those who knew Lincoln before he was great. Donald has added another valuable work on this most significant and interesting of Americans.



5. Luckily, I was able to find the Large Print edition at the public library. Written in the modern history style, forming opinions instead of using factual information, he even changes his mind from his earlier writings, LINCOLN'S HERNDON (his law partner), saying he has grown "skeptical" about what he had passed on as facts. Feelings don't matter in factual history.
   
   He intimates that Abraham Lincolnn had "questionable" relationships with Joshua Speed with whom he boarded and shared a room and Ann Rutledge, though Lincoln seemed to have avoided becoming involved with women. He quotes Stephen Ambrose whose opinion was that presidents need a confidant "who can be trusted absolutely never to divulge a secret."
   
   These six spotlighted as "intimate friends" to Lincoln all divulged the letters and confidences they were trusted to keep secure! They profited from the assassination by writing books. His personal secretaries, the two Johns: Hay and Nicolay were no exceptions.
   
   For a private, "close-mouthed," self-educated, diversive president, he had no real friends as a youth, nor as President. He enjoyed his sons, playing on the White House lawn with goats and other farm animals. You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy. Did Mark Twain say that?
   
   Since his orations were considered on a par with Shakespeare, I am wondering if they had speech writers for the presidents back in the 1800s. Are those really his words and beliefs? Did JFK really come up with the "Ask not what your country can do for you" or was that also phrased by some speechwriter? Lincoln was a good actor, sought public influence with his Civil War addresses.
   
   Mr. Donald has won two Pulitzer prizes for his earlier books about Lincoln and many concerning aspects of the Civil War. But I would not call him an expert like Geoffrey C. Ward or William Davis. He is a good researcher.

2 comments about Unveiling Kate Chopin.

1. I hope this is a good biography of Kate Chopin, an author whose work I admire. However, if you read this book, I suggest you be very careful of trusting any conclusions the author reaches based on anything less than complete evidence.
   
   Emily Toth makes many assumptions and interpretations which are shaky at best. For example:
   
   Bud Aiken is a representation of Albert Sampite because they share an initial (A). That's weak at best.
   
   Alcee Arobin is a representation of Albert Sampite because the first and last pieces of Albert Sampite's name make Alcee, thus: Al---- -----e becomes Alcee ... say what?
   
   Early on, Toth says evidence suggests that Oscar Chopin helped his mother escape from her husband's (his father's) house. Most of her evidence is based on her interpretation of Oscar's character and what he would have done. Later in the book, she states Oscar's assistance to his mother as an established fact!
   
   I could go on and on but that's enough to give you the idea.
   
   Also, Toth's writing is overblown and florid, especially at the ends of paragraphs where she states her conclusions.
   
   Probably Toth's underlying research and scholarship are sound. It's a pity she marred the book with conclusions she seems to want to be true, and writing that doesn't serve the subjecct.



2. Emily Toth wrote Unveiling Kate Chopin after the remarkable recent discovery of Chopin's diaries and manuscripts. This intimate perspective paints a whole new picture of her life and work. Throughout this biography, Toth draws parallels between actual experiences from Chopin's life to characters and incidents in her writing. Suddenly, her stories have new depth of meaning. Toth begins her saga when sixteen-year-old Eliza Faris, a genuine Creole, married thirty-nine-year-old Thomas O'Flaherty, a wealthy businessman in St. Louis. A domineering patriarch, O'Flaherty sent his daughter Kate away to boarding school at age five. Although the reason why is unknown, Toth suggests "a dark family drama triggered sending Kate away." Shortly after this, Thomas O'Flaherty died in a tragic train wreck, and Kate came home to stay. This incident of her father's death closely parallels Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," with a different twist at the end. Toth describes Chopin's childhood as a paradise dominated by women. Life bloomed until the Civil War brought the invasion of the Union army to St. Louis. Speaking out against the Union, Kate herself narrowly escaped imprisonment. Union soldiers intruded the family's home, committing, what Toth refers to as, an "outrage." Chopin married a sensitive and wealthy young Louisiana Frenchman, Oscar Chopin. A non-conformist, Kate never quite fit in with his people, displaying such radical behavior as smoking, walking alone, riding bareback and astride, and lifting her skirts to provocatively show her ankles. It is no wonder that she felt like an outsider, similar to Edna Pontellier in The Awakening. After her husband's death, Kate began developing as a professional writer, following the classic rule of "Write about what you know," and submitting her stories to newspapers and magazines. She learned that as long as her heroines never triumphed over their men, they were accepted. Her passion was for exposing the realism of social problems women faced in a world where men wrote the rules. Audiences embraced her book Bayou Folk, yet they looked past the courageous qualities of the women characters, seeing only the quaint local color. In April, 1899 Chopin published her finest work, The Awakening. The crushing reviews of her masterpiece labeled it "morbid," "unhealthy," "not wholesome," "shocking," "crude" and "sex fiction." Thus the novel modern audiences celebrate Kate Chopin for writing, brought her career to a scandalous end. Like Edna in The Awakening, naked and unveiled to the world, she had swum out too far. Chopin died a few years later in 1904. Toth portrays Chopin as a brilliant creative woman with the courage to brave the controversy against conventional traditions of Victorian America. She captures the sensitive world where Chopin bloomed and relates how it cultivated the genius who wrote of subjects nearly a century ahead of her time.

2 comments about American Heroine: The Life and Legend of Jane Addams.

1. This truly outstanding and detailed biography of Jane Addams surveys the founder of Hull House, a social reformer who was one of the most admired women in American history. American Heroine recounts her life, work and ideas, providing chapters which go into far more depth and detail than most reviews of her life, probing the philosophy behind her works and the atmosphere of her times.



2. Jane Addams was a remarkable woman. This book is the best biography written of her life. She was a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in her later life. Her liberal views of American society are covered thoroughly by this author in his chapters of her early work at Hull House, and her later work for world peace. A must read book for every woman, because Jane Addams was truly an American woman.

4 comments about FDR and Lucy: Lovers and Friends.

1. Unlike many other traditional biographies, "FDR and Lucy" is a fast read that gives its readers a true overview of FDR's long-term relationship with Mrs. Lucy Rutherfurd. "FDR and Lucy" is a very focused account of someone who was clearly close to Franklin's heart and does not lead the reader astray with too much coverage of the historical events happening at the time.



2. When I first started graduate school in history, I used to speculate as to how there could be another biography of Lincoln or Washington, or who ever without some newly discovered source of information. I came to learn that historians reevalute existing sources in light of new events and/or place their own unique perspecitve on the materials.
   
   In the case of Resa Willis' FDR AND LUCY, Willis did none of the above. When a new book comes out on a subject in which one has interest, there is always hope that there is some new sources or new perspective. While doing a fine job of research and writing, Willis adds nothing new to a story that came to light in the 1960's after the death of Eleanor.
   
   Willis quotes children and friends of FDR and Lucy Mercer but as another reviewer said - there's nothing new. The story is stretched a bit with the inclusion of lots of basic facts about American history. There is a decent amount of information about the geneology of some of the characters, but other than showing the Mercer and FDR lived in a relatively close circle of friends and relatives, its old hat. She offers some speculation. Did FDR have an hand in arranging the marriage of Lucy and her husband Wintrop Rutherfurd. But she offers no anwers. She talks about FDR's circle of women friends but the author draws no conclusions about these relationships or how they reflected on FDR's personality.
   
   One of the amazing things about the relationship between FDR and Lucy is that the servants never talked. In the 21st century, all of the servants and secret service agents would have published tell all books. As an African American, whose family lived in Aiken, I always found it amazing that no one in the African American community, who clearly would have served as servants, ever mentioned a visit from the President. I've looked for the railroad siding that was suppose to have been built to accomodate the President but have never figure out where it was.
   
   Willis takes no sides in relating her story. She relates the story of two people who had an affair and the came to be great friends. She provides an insight in to life at the White House during the War years but there is little character development.
   
   If you know nothing about FDR and Lucy Mercer, read the book. If you know the least little bit from previous readings, don't bother.



3. Resa Willis tells the story of a time in American history as skillfully, objectively, personally, accurately and compassionately as humanely possible in 152 pages. How refreshing!
   
   You are privileged to hear about all the FDR doings and Eleanor Roosevelt doings along with all the important players.
   
   And, you come to learn how a great man so deeply loved by so many women could be fundamentally lonely.
   
   Some would call it Eleanor's sweet revenge.



4. I was expecting a thorough examination of the love affair between FDR and Lucy Mercer. The affair has been common knowledge for forty years and it's always touched upon in Roosevelt biographies and documentaries. But this book is a rather crushing disappointment, padded with much unnecessary and repetitive information. Most of the book consists of boring material relating directly to Lucy's life as Mrs. Rutherford in the 20's and 30's. Personally, I was expecting more details on FDR's affair with her throughout WWI, Eleanor's discovery of her love letters in Franklin's suitcase, and then the hysterical control-monster, Sarah Delano Roosevelt, demanding Franklin dump Lucy or risk losing his inheritance. Now that is the stuff of legend!
   
   Instead we get a dreary narrative with no new information. The book picks up a bit when Lucy re-enters Roosevelt's life in the 30's and spends considerable time with his in the closing years of his life. Most of their meetings took place in Warm Springs, Georgia, and also in the White House. FDR's daughter, Anna, was the one who invited Lucy to the Executive Mansion while Eleanor was away on one of many tours during the war. It's mindful to recall a remark from Alive Roosevelt Longworth in this context: "Franklin deserves a good time. He was married to Eleanor!"
   
   If you know little about the mechanics of the Lucy-Franklin alliance, this is a well-written and entertaining book. But if you know more about the pair, it wouldn't be particularly revealing. The characterization of Eleanor is especially weak. While I'm not advocating adultery, let's face facts: Eleanor was frigid, disinterested in sex and in the 30's took up close "friendships" with people like Lorena Hickock (who makes Yogi Berra look gorgeous in comparison). I really can't blame a man as charming and handsome as Franklin Roosevelt pursuing sex outside of marriage. His choice may not have been the "moral" one (whatever that means), but it was the only logical thing to do under the circumstances.
   
   To sum up, if you're an FDR newbie, this would be nice. If you're not, forget it.

5 comments about Landon Carter's Uneasy Kingdom: Revolution and Rebellion on a Virginia Plantation.

1. I read this book while on vacation at Colonial Williamsburg, Virgina. It would be hard to imagine a better atmosphere in which to consider it.
   
   The focus of the book is the conflicting world views of the patriarch, Landon Carter (whose plantation is in the Williamsburg area), his slaves, and his son. The book illuminates the cognitive disconnects and churning dissatisfactions that plagued Carter, his heirs, and their plantation slaves because of rigid social separation, institutionalized deceit, and the dissolution of personal and power relationships at the coming of the American Revolution.
   
   I generally dislike social histories -- however necessary they may be -- if only because they seem always to be selective, poorly documented, and subject to easy contradiction. This one -- perhaps because it is so concentrated on the microcosm of one Virginia family -- manages to come across as solid, scholarly, believable, and a pretty good story to boot.



2. Mr. Isaac's book is an excellent idea and almost perfectly executed. Far from being a "psycho-babble" book, Mr. Isaac explores in a powerful fashion the life of a man in such a way that we very much get to know him. Carter is a man who we have all met, known, or even lived with at one time or another.
   The only thing that I disagreed with was the ordering of the book's treatment of Landon Carter. I would have appreciated a more chronological presentation. Still, I understand why Mr. Isaac wrote it using the organization based on subject matter, but I disagree.



3. The author draws profound implications from diary passages which seldom appear to support those implications. The attempted parallel between Carter's plantation life and the revolution is labored, particularly the "father" analogy. Although one takes the point early in the book that King George and Landon Carter are both "fathers," this point is incessantly repeated, to the point of irritation. There is little hard evidence given for the proposition that King George, who was about 24 years old, was viewed by many 50- and 60-year-old colonists as a "father," or that the Revolution was symbolic parricide. The author spins simple diary statements into Carter's views of the cosmos, and this is seldom supported. The author also refers to Carter throughout as "Landon," as though they were personally close. The events chronicled by the diary are, in themselves, quite interesting. It is the psychological speculation that makes the book hard to get through.



4. By editing and contextualizing the voluminous diary of Landon Carter, Rhys Isaac has made a significant contribution to the social history of early Virginia and colonial America. By placing excerpts from Carter's diary within a larger framework of colonial society, readers can gain a more thorough understanding of the changing mores of mid 17th century Virginia. Carter emerges as a flesh and blood person throughout the book, though rarely sympathetic when seen through the eyes of 21st century readers. Of particular impact were Carter's regularly inhumane interactions with slaves and increasing inability to reconcile relationships with his own children. At times the book is abstract and academic in style, yet the end results are more than justified for anyone with an interest in knowing more about our "peculiar institution" and the origins of American society and culture.



5. This book isn't as popular as it should be because the title makes it seem something of a dry academic tome and, let's face it, Landon Carter doesn't have the popular name recognition of Alexander Hamilton (i.e. Chernow), George Washington (i.e. Ellis) or Benjamin Franklin (i.e. Wood).
   
   The star of the show in this case is Carter himself rather than the author. Dr. Isaac does a wonderful job of framing and interpreting Carter's diary to make a coherent analysis of the profound social changes which occurred during the Revolutionary period. Carter was a first hand witness to the transformation of the American society from a rigid colonial society based on patronage to a participatory, republican society in which people made lives for themselves. The transformation is nothing less than a journey of existential self-discovery for Carter, which is something ANY person can appreciate. So this book is not just a biography of a member of the Virginia planter aristocracy, but a reflection of the undermining of the feudal, patriarchal social structure Americans largely rejected during the Revolution. And it illustrates that the highly dualistic interpretation of Americans of the period as either "patriot" or "loyalist" is largely a modern historical construct with little basis in truth. Marvelous work by one of the foremost historians of American colonial history.

No comments about Viva Elfego!.

5 comments about I Am Jesse James.

1. I was a bit disappointed in this book. I did like the bike photos that were shown... not many. Lots of filler of Jesse and his gang posing with guns. What looks like porn stars on the bikes.... I would rather just see the bikes man. I don't need to see pictures of Jesse playing tough guy holding a shotgun or burning money. Or his freaking dog dish with the WCC logo on it... my god. It makes you wonder what he is trying to make up for. His bikes are cool. They need to show more of them. And the text is pretty much a joke too... F this and F that. Its like a big kiss up to Jesse as a bike god or something and F the rest of you. If you pay full price for this book, you deserve to get beat down by Jesse.



2. Don't expect any lessons on how to build a custom Harley Davidson. This book is just pure eye candy. Considering that bike magazines are so expensive this book is worth buying for inspiration. As a 'coffee table book' (whatever that means!), it serves its purpose well, which is why I'm giving it 5 Stars.
   
   I'm not really into custom Harleys (As far as H-Ds are concerned I would prefer a Buell X1 Lightning or Sundance Performance Super XR1200) but I appreciate the effort, skill and craftsmanship that goes into each of his bikes. Jesse James is famous because he's the real deal. He can actually do his own metalwork, shaping sheetmetal into a tank or fender, and does his own welding. His style is a bit on the extreme side of things, yet isn't bizzare or cartoonish, which is probably why he's successful.
   
   I bought this book because I wanted to know ... "Who is this guy?" ... "Why is he so famous"? I've created a couple of special edition automobiles ... but why am I not even half as famous? :) We could all learn a bit about marketing, advertising and promotion from Jesse James. If you want to read about Jesse James himself, buy the Mike Seate book "Jesse James, the man and his machines".



3. I am a big fan of Monster Garage and of Jesse James. I bought this book after reading The Man and His Machines thinking it would provide an insight into who Jesse is and some details about his life and his struggles. The photo's of the bikes are great but I have seen those same photo's over and over again. I expected to see more photo's of Jesse. I also expected it would be a more autobiographical book, not something I needed a magnifying glass to read and finished within the hour. Jesse needs to release a true autobiography. His fans would love it.



4. I received this book as a gift, which is the only reason it's not in a trash can right now. People are paying $17 for a bunch of recycled photos, only 40 or so of which portray Jesse James, along with a few hundred words of unreadable text? This is the "authorized" biography? Is the man's life so horrible that no one could write about it? Frankly, this book is an insult to Jesse's fans. If you want to read about Jesse, buy "Jesse James: The Man and His Machines," by Mike Seate.



5. This book's title just scream's "kids book" ... This redneck is a moron and his picture book and last review say it all. Any good book is not read "in about an hour".. if you're looking for a biography.. look elsewhere. I saw this book at the checkout in wallmart (if that tells you anything)... and read it while waiting in line. This picture book was meant for inbreeders and morons and I thought it was a good laugh... don't waste your time.

5 comments about A Son of Thunder: Patrick Henry and the American Republic.

1. A must read for anyone interested in Henry and the time period.
   
   It does go easy on Henry with his battles with Jefferson.



2. ......he was a fictional character. A couple of years ago, I had this book on my desk, and a Nurse tried to argue with me to the effect that "Patrick Henry wasn't real". Poor soul, I never did convince her...Even if you accept that he was real, all you probably know is an eight second sound bite from an 8-10 minute speech. There was a LOT more to Mr. Henry than that.
   
   This was no enigmatic Tom Jefferson or glacially distant George Washington; Henry was the nicest, and most personable of men. What you saw was what you got. Oh, he was tough in the courtroom, and in legislative debate, but he was, in most ways, an ordinary man supporting his [large] family with an extraordinary talent. He had his troubles: the initial failures at running a tavern drove him to the law [Who were the three signers of his law license? That's still debated]...his first wife's long mental illness, and eventual death just as The Revolution was starting would have taxed any man. But, Henry had a mission, and kept going.
   
   At the time of "Liberty or Death", Patrick Henry had been a prominent legislator for ten years. Remember the "Stamp Act"?...And, before that, the "Parson's Cause", our first important court case on religious liberty? And after the famous speech...first elected Governor of Virginia...Militia Colonel...bitter opponent of ratification of the US Constitution...father [along with George Mason] of the "Bill of Rights". His ratification debates with John Marshall are the stuff of legend. Though Henry and Marshall were opponents, they remained friends, and law partners.[The famous Randolph murder case] Both were surpassingly nice guys. Henry was the father-in-law of Marshall's opponent, and enemy, Judge Spencer Roane. Marshall was so nice that his enemies liked him: Roane was so acidly unpleasant that even his friends couldn't stand him.
   
   Henry had but one real enemy, and that was his political ally, Mr. Jefferson. The circumstances go back to the aftermath of Jefferson's unhappy time as Governor. The story is beyond this review, but was probably a misunderstanding. These are the two men largely responsible for our own freedom of religion; very different men. Henry was a lifelong devout Christian, and loyal Anglican, the nephew of a Priest, the son of a Vestryman. But, he always supported liberty. He was taught toleration early by his "dissenter" mother. [Dissenter doesn't mean athiest: in Mrs. Henry's case, it means Presbyterian: in some cases, Baptist. Methodists weren't dissenters; they were considered a branch of the Anglicans].The "Parsons Cause" was far from his only court case on the matter. When Baptist minister John Weatherford was jailed in Chesterfield County, near where I live, for preaching the Gospel, Henry got him out of the charges, and quietly paid his costs.[Weatherford didn't find out till later who had paid his fines]. Baptists telling this story will usually leave out the fact that an Episcopalian lawyer got Weatherford out of the mess...Episcopalians leave out Weatherford's name...From me, you get both. Though Mr. Jefferson wrote the "Virginia Statute on Religious Freedom", Patrick Henry laid much of the practical foundation.
   
   On a personal note, I am honored to be, occasionally, one of the actors who regularly present a reenactment of The Second Virginia Convention of March 23, 1775 at St. John's Episcopal Church in Richmond. Yes, the original site is still an active Church. I'm not Mr. Henry, I'm either John Tazewell, or Thomas Nelson, jr. Should you ever get a chance to see either Mike Wells or Kevin McGranahan play Patrick Henry, take it. Different men, different renditions, both superb. Which do I prefer? Of course I don't dare say, since both are friends, who might read this. The honest answer is I don't know. My wife prefers one, my son and daughter the other, but I prefer both. This fine book is sold in the gift shop at St. Johns, and at Scotchtown, Henry's home in Hanover County. It is well written, and comprehensive. It is, sadly, the only academic biography of Mr. Henry we have in print. Robert Douthat Meade, famed as biographer of Judah P. Benjamin, wrote a wonderful two volume biography of Mr. Henry, published in 1957, and in 1969. Good luck finding it. But, even if you have Dr. Meade's [I do, signed; I won't tell where I got it, but it set me back $55], I can recommend this volume strongly. It's time you knew...



3. Before moving to Virginia I, like many Americans, only knew Patrick Henry for his famous sound-bite, "...give me liberty or give me death." This well-written book has helped open my eyes to the depth of Patrick Henry and the significance of his contribution to American life. Consider his accomplishments: self-made attorney, elected several times to the Virginia House of Burgesses, elected to serve in the first Continental Congress, colonel in the pre-Revolutionary Virginia militia and three-term Virginia governor. He did all of this before he was 45 years old. He was a successful farmer and land speculator. He was a faithful sponsor of religious freedoms and political rights. Once our independence was established, he fought for a 'bill of rights' to protect us from the federal government. We owe a lot to Mr. Henry and, curiously, most people barely know his name.



4. 
   
   I enjoy history. I enjoy reading about the history of The United States, and the history of the world. While earning a BS in Physics I took almost enough history credits to get a BA in History. Through all the history I've read Patrick Henry seemed to be a supporting actor in the creation of the US.
   
   Last year my family and I went to Colonial Williamsburg. For one of the events Richard Schumann acts as Patrick Henry. Mr. Schumann stands out under an Oak tree. He greets the audience, informs them of the events of the day (in 1776) and then takes questions from people. I was so fascinated and so enjoyed this the first day I went, that I went every day I could for the rest of the week, and when recently we flew back to the East Coast to see Washington DC and Colonial Williamsburg, I went again.
   
   In response to some questions, Richard Schumann as Patrick Henry will "speculate" on the future. I asked if he thought there would be any good biographies written on him. As a typical Patrick Henry speech, he responded with a five to seven minute answer. He talked about the first biography written, about 30 years after Patrick Henry died, and gave the background on a number of other biographies written over the last 200 years. Finally he recommended "A Son of Thunder" by Henry Mayer.
   
   This is a well written book. It is informative and engaging.
   
   The book moves chronologically through Patrick's life. It starts with his ancestors, focusing on his parents. We learn of some of the major events in his childhood. As a child Patrick Henry was pretty easy going and had little drive. One he got married Patrick Henry finally grew up and started studying to become a lawyer.
   
   Patrick joined Virginian politics and led a major change. For decades politics were run by the Virginian aristocracy. Patrick worked with the common men. He supported them, and they supported him.
   
   Patrick is known for his ways with the spoken word. He was very gifted. The book gives some insight into how he developed this gift. As a lawyer he lost few cases. In fact after he beat Thomas Jefferson in a case, Thomas Jefferson gave up law.
   
   Patrick Henry was very influential in the creation of the United States. The first ten amendments, the Bill of Rights, are largely due to Patrick Henry forcing James Madison to commit to supporting them.
   
   The book shows that Patrick Henry was a good man. He had a few flaws, but Patrick Henry rates high in my mind for making the effort to make a difference.
   
   This is a good book to read. If you have any interest in the creation of The United States of American, this book is worth reading.



5. Few biographies manage to avoid the perils of the genre, and this one is no exception. Mayer celebrates his subject, misunderstanding Henry as a fore-bearer of Jacksonian democracy and failing adequately to appreciate Henry's conservative commitment to social hierarchy, genteel leadership, and religious establishment. As a consequence, Mayer cannot convincingly explain Henry's espousal of Federalist politics in the 1790s, which makes sense only if we abandon any lingering neo-Whiggish inclination to find in Henry a self-conscious commitment to democracy.

   There have been numerous other biographies of Patrick Henry. I would still recommend Moses Coit Tyler's 1887 PATRICK HENRY, which was reprinted by Chelsea House in 1980 with an introduction by Lance Banning. William Wirt Henry's three volume PATRICK HENRY, LIFE, CORRESPONDENCES, AND SPEECHES (originally published in 1891 but recently republished) should be used with care, since W.W. Henry incorrectly attributes a number of letters and other sources to Patrick Henry which more recent scholarship has established were written by others. Richard Beeman wrote a good analytic biography, PATRICK HENRY: A BIOGRAPHY, in 1974, which provides an excellent brief introduction to Henry's politics. The most comprehensive modern scholarly biography remains Robert Meade's two volume master-work, PATRICK HENRY (1959, 1967).

   Mayer's prose is far more sprightly than Meade's, but Meade provides the more balanced and judicious treatment, and Meade's documentation of his conclusions is much superior. While Mayer updates Meade and Beeman in a number of places, his work does not supercede theirs, and should be read in conjunction with the earlier scholarship. Mayer's is a good book, especially as an introduction to a general audience. It is not, however, a work of historical biographical scholarship in the same class as, say, Drew Gilpen Faust's biography of James Henry Hammond, nor is it researched with the same meticulous care as Meade's account of Henry.

5 comments about The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: or, Gustavus Vassa, the African (Modern Library Classics).

1. If I could recommend a particular edition of the "Interesting Narrative," it would be the Penguin Classics revised 2003 edition. I much preferred it to this one. The Penguin edition has far more explanatory and textual notes, and it includes many letters Equiano wrote. (Which the Modern Library edition does not do.)



2. Saw the wonderful movie Amazing Grace & this man was a part of the real history of that time & wanted to read more. Excellant transaction. Thanks



3. This book is not for those with a passing interest in history. This is a book about a man who was trying to change his time. He did so by sharing his life. It is really good. But it is not that easy to understand.



4. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It does not speak as much about slavery as I thought and speaks a lot about ship life. There is a wonderful chapter on his faith. I recommend this book to those who desire to know about life during the late 1700's especially for a black man.



5. I can't help but think there's some bit of embellishing on the part of Equiano here, which calls the veracity of everything into question.
   
   As a semi-fictional account of a freed slave at that point in history, it's an interesting book, I suppose.
   
   There are probably more interesting and inspiring books related to Olaudah, Wilburforce, and the entire Abolitionist movement, although after reading this and a sub-average book on William Wilburforce, I lost steam on the topic.
   
   Get yourself a DVD of Amazing Grace, accept it at face value, and don't slog through Equiano's work in a tedious exercise of cross-checking facts, that quite frankly makes you look terribly pedantic, fella.