Books for/about - wars

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Publisher: Viking Adult
Authors: Nathaniel Philbrick

ISBN: 0670037605
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: A critical period in our history that most Americans know precious little about.
Recently I received "Mayflower" as a birthday gift from my mother-in-law. Although I read lots of books about history and politics this is probably not a book I would have bought myself.
Shame on me. In "Mayflower" author Nathaniel Philbrick has done a splendid job of clarifying just what happening in New England in the years 1620 to 1676. For sure it is a much more interesting and complicated story than I had ever imagined. From the very first chapter I found "Mayflower" to be compelling reading.
The first part of "Mayflower" focuses on the voyage itself. Personally I never knew that the Pilgrims had embarked on this journey not from England, but from the city of Leidon in the Netherlands. Nor had I ever heard of the Speedwell, a vessel the Pilgrims had purchased for the express purpose of helping them to relocate to the New World. You will learn why Speedwell was forced to abort its voyage just off the coast of Plymouth, England and how it came to be that the group travelled to the New World aboard the Mayflower.
After the long and arduous journey across the Atlantic the Pilgrims endured unimaginable hardships during the first few years on these shores. A large number would perish from disease and starvation during the early days of Plimoth colony. All the while the group would struggle to establish relationships with a number of different native American tribes in the New England area. For me, these complicated and ever changing relationships are really the heart and soul of "Mayflower". You will come to understand why certain tribes gravitated to and were very supportive of the English while others would prove to be extremely hostile. What's more you will discover why a great many of these alliances were extremely fragile and subject to change. To fully understand what was happening you have to become acquainted with the key players. Philbrick introduces us to important people like William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Benjamin Church as well as key Native American leaders like Massasoit and his son Philip. And if you have never heard of King Philips War you will come to understand why this 14 month battle between the English and Native Americans would prove to be so decisive. The inclusion of a number of large and well-marked maps throughout the book assist the reader in coming to a clear understanding of just what was happening in New England at any given time.
When my mother-in-law presented me with "Mayflower" for my birthday she mentioned that a local newspaper recommended this book as "great summer reading". I would have to concur. I simply could not put "Mayflower" down. This is a well written book that deserves your attention. You will learn an awful lot! Highly recommended!

Summary: with realistic expectations, you will enjoy this book
Mr Philbrick's 'In The Heart Of The Sea' was a gem. 'Mayflower' is a diamond in the rough that never quite achieves the same luster. It is certainly interesting and can hold your interest but somehow it is flat. If you have an interest in the subject, or in correcting falsehoods in our glorified history then you will enjoy this book. If you were a fan of 'In The Heart Of The Sea' and are looking for the next Philbrick book to captivate you like that, then you may be disappointed. Read it, enjoy it, just dont expect to be blown out of the water.

Summary: An Very Good Readable History of a Essential American Topic
This book is a very rewarding well written history on a topic I thought I knew more than enough about. I was surprised by how much I learned, some minor details other signifigant historical events which are left out of most history textbooks. Modern Americans seem to equate the Puritan settlers of this era as foreign to modern America. In reading Mayflower you reattach the humanity that links pre-revolutionary America to modern America.

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1776

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Authors: David McCullough

ISBN: 0743226712
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 3
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Summary: cleared my plate before I was done eating
It was a good book, not spectacular, but easily readable and entertaining. Lots of insightful information was presented well.

What took it down in my opinion from a 5 star book to a 3 star book was the way it concluded.... it just stopped.

There I was, reading and reading, enjoying myself, thinking I had another 100 or so pages to go (in the hardcover version). End of December, 1776 rolls around and there are a few paragraphs that seemed to be summarizing a bit, and then I turn the page and it's the biography information.

WHAT?!?!

I was literally angry at Mr. McCullough. Why'd you leave me hanging? Where was the profound insight? Where was the "give me something to think about" chapter of conclusions? Yes, we all know that the American patriots won, but come on, tell me something! Give me something that I can lean back, sip on a cup of coffee, and dwell on!

I felt like you cleared my plate before I was done eating.

Summary: Major dissapointment
Prior to purchasing this book I read several reviews
from readers. Some positive some not. After reading I must admit that I was suprised at the sudden ending. Washington had just been successful at Princeton and the war was turning in favor of the Americans . Previously MvCullough described in detail all of the battles won and lost then he devotes one sentence to the surrender at Yorktown. That's it. He previously devoted 12 lines of type describing the goods left behind by the rector of King's Chapel when the British retreated from Boston, but only one for the ending of the war. The negative reviewers were correct. This book is a bummer.

Summary: I never knew this is how it started
I became interested in 1776 not long after it hit the bookshelves and soon became widely acclaimed. Even though I consider myself to be well-educated, I knew very little of the USA's origins, and this encouraged me to read 1776 to learn more.

McCollough tells the tale of the year 1776 and George Washington in command of an infantry in its infancy. Much of the narrative is supplemented by interesting letters, journal entries, and quotes directly from the hands and mouths of the army participants, from high-ranking commanders down to ordinary soldiers, which gave the book authenticity and character. McCollough reveals a "real" side of Washington by noting not only his strengths and valor, but also his indecision and pain. In addition to seeing how Washington handled his first year as general, I also learned through the book how the life of an enlisted man was, and just how many hardships the greater army had to overcome. I was astounded to see how close we might have come to losing to England after declaring our independence. The narrative was captivating, and included many details of people, places, and battles, but not to the point that the text became overwhelming or dry.

Of this book, there were only two things I found lacking. While there were many and rich images to supplement the text, I, personally, would have like more and more detailed maps. However, the thing I found most disappointing was that only the year 1776 was covered in the book! I really wanted to keep reading, all the way through to the end of the war.

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	Suite Fran�aise Publisher: Knopf Authors: Irene Nemirovsky Sandra Smith
ISBN: 1400044731 List Price: $25.00 Amazon Price: $15.00 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: Great slice of a terrible period in time The writing, devlopment of characters with a backdrop of the worst period in history makes this novel informative and poignant. Knowing that Ms Nemirovsky was living during this time and had to end her book where she did because she was deported to Aushwitz where she died, makes this book feel more like a memoir than a novel. A must read for anyone who is interested in this period or for anyone who just likes to read a well crafted book Summary: Tyranny: Man's curse from hell Hitler, Pol Pot--mastermind of the Cambodian holocaust--Fidel Castro, and thousands of tyrants throughought history have three qualities in common: inborn hatred for humankind, delusions of grateness, and sadism.(Read my memoir; "Adios, Havana") These creatures of subhuman strain are cancers that eventually destroy the same societies that brought them to power. Though fictional, "Suite Francaise" vividly depicts the horrors these lunatics can inflict into their own brothers and sisters. Great book! It should be read by the many who do not appreciate the bountiful blessings we have in America. Summary: Beautiful Mind This book moves me. The author beautifully depicts daily scenes in the lives of the conqueror and the conquered. She finds beauty and humor amidst the monumental losses of war. She seduces with words so wonderfully choreographed I find myself reading a passage over and over just to savor her mastery of language. That Ms Nemirovsky is able to to enlighten and enrich us with her artistry under the circumstances in which she found herself elevates her to the status of Angel and reminds that no one can rob us of our hearts and minds. I am grateful for the survival of this manuscript. Summary:

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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Authors: Doris Kearns Goodwin

ISBN: 0684824906
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Summary: A Fresh Look
One would think, that after the mountains of books written about the American Civil War in general, and about Abraham Lincoln in particular, that there'd be little more to write. After all, the events she described took place only once. However, Doris Kearns Goodwin has come up with a fresh look at the Lincoln Administration. Few books before this -- e.g., Gore Vidal's fictional "Lincoln" -- told how Lincoln could turn a Cabinet full of rivals into near-apostles.

That is, of course, what the book jacket and the reviewers mention. The details she refreshes are worth a mention here as well; that's the charm of this book. When Lincoln had to get rid of an incompetent Secretary of War -- Simon Cameron -- we learn that Lincoln handled it so adroitly that Cameron himself was grateful to Lincoln when it was done.

We also see the other Cabinet members in more detail than usual. Books about Lincoln and his Cabinet tend to talk about the official lives, rather than personal backgrounds, of these people, and usually only during the war years. (Other than, sometimes, the soap opera with Treasury Secretary Salmon P. Chase and his daughter Kate). Ms. Kearns Goodwin gives us rich detail about the lives and background of other Cabinet officers like Edward Bates and William H. Seward -- going back to the days when they and Lincoln were young lawyers competing for big cases.

Perhaps that explains some of the undertakings that Lincoln and his Secretaries got into, notably the incident where Lincoln, Chase and Stanton personally guided an amphibious landing near the rebel naval base at Norfolk, Va. in 1862. We also see how his young aides John Nicolay and John Hay were key to Lincoln's official and personal support during darker periods of the war.

The author also gives us a more nuanced look at Mary Todd Lincoln. She was part of the official White House and it is interesting to see a treatment of the First Lady that isn't simplistic -- too many take the public or anecdotal figure at face value and leave her looking like a harpy. The author has shown Mary Todd Lincoln to be a far more complex -- and somewhat unexpectedly sympathetic -- figure than we've been led to believe.

It's a lively and very human story, as Ms. Kearns Goodwin tells it, but it's also newly vivid Civil War reading for anybody who thought they had read it all.

Summary: Everyone Has Rivals
Lincoln's greatest political rival to win the Presidential nomination was William H. Seward. Lincoln, through methods I will likely never be able to capably emulate or comprehend was able to make close friends out of some of his most significant rivals.

I will have to re-listen to this biography again and again to try and decipher more of Lincoln's methods and genius, because I'm not smart enough to have discerned many of them in the first listening.

Richard Thomas (The Waltons' John Boy) reads this biography extremely well.

Lincoln led our country through it's most contentious, violent and deadly historical period. Historians will probably always debate if his methods of change were too quick, creating too many unnecessary casualties. But the issues were so great and so consequential for human rights and for government by the people - I doubt I'll ever be able to form a decisive opinion of "what would have been better." Nevertheless, I will try.

For those of you who don't recall the history, when Lincoln was assassinated, the plan was to assassinate his Secretary of State Seward, and Vice President Johnson simultaneously (much like modern terrorism's trend to time multiple violent events simultaneously). Seward barely survived due to some freak circumstances. As Seward was recovering, for several days no one told him the President had been killed so that he did not have that concern during his intensive care recovery.

However, Seward looked outside his hospital window and saw the flag at half mast and said to the man attending him, "The President is dead." The man, following orders, tried to deny it. But Seward continued, "Because if he were not, he would have been the first to visit me." I cried uncontrollably upon hearing this (truthfully, I cried through most of the 2nd half of the final tape, and during the recounting of Lincoln's son's death). The book does an excellent job of reminding us of the fears we have of losing people we love.

I recommend this book on tape for it's replayability. Lincoln believed in reconciliation. He believed in not trampling on a defeated enemy. He had great compassion for the Confederate soldiers. He was a man of letters. He was a man who believed in the importance of well phrased writing. Somehow, through his constant humor and fitting anecdotes, he mades friends of enemies. I aspire to learn more of his wisdom, for he had skills I don't possess.

I recommend buying this book on tape. When you aren't using it, pass it around to your friends, family, and children.

Summary: Excellent narrative of Lincoln's life and times
When it seems that more and more books are being written with an ever narrowing focus - a battle, a speech, "A Day in the Life ..." - it's a pleasure to pick up an old fashioned well researched and well written history that one can sink his or her teeth into. Team of Rivals is just such a book. Although per se there is nothing "startling" or "new" in this biography, the author's perspective/premise - examining Lincoln's growth, evolution, his success(es) and failures in conjunction with the members of his Cabinet - does yield a fascinating look into the multi-faceted character/mind of Abraham Lincoln and proves that 140+ years after his untimely death there is still much to learn from this man. Because of this, Team of Rivals is a welcome and worthy addition to the ever growing catalog of Lincoln history. The only caveat I have in recommending this book would be to a reader who wanted to start here in understanding this complicated time in U.S. history. The amount of information and the number of topics covered might be overwhelming. (Starting with other Lincoln bios by Guelzo or Donald; Battle Cry of Freedom by McPherson on the US Civil War would provide background and are excellent books in their own right.)

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America: The Last Best Hope (Volume I): From the Age of Discovery to a World at War

Publisher: Nelson Current
Authors: William J. Bennett

ISBN: 1595550550
List Price: $29.99
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Easy to read History of the US.
Bill Bennett has gone from teaching us about virtue to teaching us about American History. Volume I is easier to read than any high school or college history text and Bennett leaves out all the Blame America deconstructionism so prevalent in history texts today.

Volume I progresses from the Age of Discovery to August 1914. It presents the promise of America and though it shows blemishes to the ideals of our Republic it does not wallow in cheap guilt. The best sections to me are those dealing with the American Revolution and the Civil War. Bennett presents the Founding Fathers and their ideals firmly entrenched in the promise of the English Enlightenment and shows how badly things could have gone by presenting Tom Jefferson in Paris during the Terror.

His Lincoln is the greatest American President. A messianic figure who sacrifices himself to save the nation. The Great Emancipator who is willing to pay in blood for the excesses of "that peculiar institution", human bondage.

Towards the end I was also intrigued by the protrayal of Teddy Roosevelt, the youngest president and also one of the most interesting. A hawk on foreign policy, he also fought to reign in the trusts that were stifiling economic growth at the end of the 19th Century(I was about to say "the end of the last Century" but that's Bill Clinton's era!)

I would reccomend this book especially for high school and college students looking for a different take on American History from what they are getting in Class.

Summary: Fixing revisionist's version of history
Great read! This book corrects much of the garbage about American history that is taught to our kids in the public schools. It is an insightful, interesting book that takes you from it's discovery to adolescent America. Every parent should read this to help their kids learn the real history of America. I can't wait for volume 2.

Summary: An honest and readable history
Enjoyed the book immensely. Very refreshing to read an American history written by someone who so obviously loves this country. As grandchildren of Christian immigrants who came from Europe and from Iran with nothing more than the desire to become "refined American people", we appreciate a history which does not waste paper with meaningless self-flagellation. Our only criticism is that it was too short - would have liked to see several subjects treated in greater detail.

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	War of the Dragon Queen (D&D Miniatures Product) Publisher: Wizards of the Coast Authors: Miniatures Team
ISBN: 0786938870 List Price: $19.99 Amazon Price: $12.99 Usually ships in 24 hours Buy this book from amazon.com or from amazon.co.uk	Avg Cusomer Rating: 5 Reviews: Summary: FINALLY, a good set of minis I just got my 3 boxes of these minis and I was expected something like the last ones, a ton of the same dumb minis and big ones that no one wants. But I was pleasantly surprise. My big ones were the aspect of timant, a dracolich and the huge fire elemental! All were nice! I also got the green dragon which is very nicely done and some great little guys, the aasimir(sp?) will make a great full plate paladin and the dwarvan defender is classic! I even got a little copper dragon. Another one that I'm really happy with is the Blackguard on a Nightmare... it's got that red clear-ish plastic flaming feet. It could be I got a lucky draw, but I think I try three more and see! Well done! Summary: The best Miniatures set to date Of the D&D Ministures set, this is by far the best in terms of quality and content. However, I highly suggest that if you want speedy delivery, you avoid Amazon.com when it comes to purchasing these products. I currently have 6 Packs on Order with Amazon because it said it would ship within 24 hours - however, I was told today (A week after purchase) that they are now backordered to August 8th. If you don't mind waiting the weeks / month(s) it may take for Amazon to stock and ship these items, it's a great value. If you want instant gratification, go to a game shop or buy on Ebay. Summary: Okay, it's not out yet, BUT I REALLY WANT IT Ever since I first played D&D and fought my very first dragon, I have pined for some truly cool looking dragon miniatures to plonk down in front of my players. And this set. This set looks to bring the pain. I wait with baited breath. Please don't disappoint, Wizards. Please. Summary:

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Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival

Publisher: HarperCollins
Authors: Anderson Cooper

ISBN: 0061132381
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 5
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Summary: Riveting, personal and honest
I'm not a big on television but I saw Anderson Cooper in an interview that he did to promote the book. I was very impressed with his humility and sincerity on the show so I bought the book. I read the enire book within 24 hours as I was riveted to the page. He described his privledged upbringing as the son of Gloria Vanderbilt and the tragic losses of his father and brother intermixed with his struggles to make it as a television journalist, reporting on the greatest tragedies of our generation. He gracefully interwove these stories with imagery and honest reflection about his personal journey and struggle to find happiness and meaning in life with so much loss. There are not a lot of answers or candy coated endings but taking the journey with him certainly causes one to relect. He is an amazing storyteller.

Summary: Enthralling
Cooper casts an intimate light upon the tragedies that he has professionally covered, as well as his own personal darkness. With a clear eye, he humanizes the tremendous loss felt by war torn and weather ravaged peoples. Based on his parentage, he could have chosen a cushy postion anywhere - but Cooper threw himself into the line of fire of bullets and hurricanes. Whether it be part of his persona or genuine- Cooper appears to open his heart to the people he meets; infact, seems to generally want tp help them - not just get the best video feed. Yet he is far from ignorant about the expectations of his job.

This was my first attempt with an audio book - I had my doubts BUT I was exceptionally moved by Cooper's memoir. Of course, having read it himself there is an added empahsis on the his personal attachment to the material.

Summary: Everyone Should Read This Book!
I have never watched Anderson Cooper on television, but I LOVED this book. It is a sad book - he shares his own hardships and the tragedy of the wars he has covered, but it is incredibly real and heartfelt. You can feel the sorrow that he feels and it will change you. The world will lose a little of the glossiness that I think blinds Americans. We live in a very privileged society and we don't see the lives that most people live. This book should be required reading.

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American Gospel: God, the Founding Fathers, and the Making of a Nation

Publisher: Random House
Authors: Jon Meacham

ISBN: 1400065550
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Summary: A MUST READ FOR ALL RELIGIOUS CITIZENS
If there is anything negative to say about Jon Meacham's excellent review of the role of religion in American public life, it is this: The folks who most need to read it probably won't. These, of course, are the fundamentalists, pentecostals, and similar groups whose goal is the domination of our national life (see Kevin Phillips' American Theocracy for a thorough investigation of the damage they have already done to the body politic). Meacham has been criticized for failing to take seriously the grave danger these folks pose for the republic, and there is truth in this. For instance, his description of Jerry Falwell's supposedly stunned reaction to the 1973 Supreme Court decision in support of aborition, Roe v. Wade, sounds like something written by Falwell's press agent. In reality most right-wing Christians greeted the decision positively. It wasn't until they needed a hot-button issue to push their political agenda that abortion became anathema. Even with noting this, however, it is still fair to say that Meacham has made a major contribution to the several efforts now underway to restore some perspective to the discussion of the role of religion in American public life. Americans are beginning to realize that the fundamentalists and pentecostals cannot and must not have what they want, any more than atheists like the (in my opinion) certifiably insane Madalyn Murray O'Hair can be allowed to banish all God-talk from public life. The American Gospel, Meacham says, is the news that religion PARTICIPATES in American public life without controlling it. I believe it is fair to say that the witness of courageous and faithful Christians hastened the end of the Vietnam War and the success of the Civil Rights movement. What's more, that witness also hastened the end of apartheid in South Africa. Now, the Christian presence which gave rise to such witness, usually called the mainline, is suffering from the activities of those who considered that witness a threat not to the republic but to their own domination of the political and economic life of that republic. Those reactionary elements gained control of the Republican party and have used fundamentalist and pentecostal churches, once ridiculed by the mainline, and have been used by them. The result is an unholy alliance that Meacham's book can help to redress. Until just recently, the fundamentalists and pentecostals were the only ones talking. Now more reasonable voices, voices grounded in what Meacham (himself a practicing Episcopalian) calls an appreciation for humility and history, are at last beginning to be heard. Read the book. Pass it on, not to your fundamentalist or pentecostal neighbor (by now, I suspect, only what Reinhold Niebuhr called the "vicissitudes of history" will quiet their voices), but to the person next to you in your Presbyterian or United Methodist or Disciples or United Church of Christ congregation. We're the ones who need the hope and energy generated by Meacham's slim but wise volume.

Summary: The Original Understanding About God and Politics
Anyone writing a book on the relationship between religion and politics invariably traces the lineage of their thinking to the wisdom of the Founding Fathers. Both Christian fundamentalists and secular humanists will claim that they are the true heirs of the so-called orignal intent or original understanding regarding church and state.

Jon Meacham, managing editor of "Newsweek," has written a long historical essay trying to stake out a compromise position between the two. Notwithstanding the copious notes and bibliography, this is not a work of academic history, by the author's own admission. The history of the role of religion in American politics would require a much bigger book.

According to Meacham, the Founding Fathers believed in both religion and freedom of conscience. The American Revolution established freedom of thought, and hence freedom of worship. At the same time they did not want to take religion completely out of politics, for they believed religion would bolster the foundations of government. The Founders encouraged a "public religion." (The expression was coined by Benjamin Franklin.) The evidence of public religion can be seen everywhere in our founding documents with phrases such as "Creator," "Nature's God," "In God We Trust," "One Nation Under God," etc.

Meacham points out that these documents do not make any references to Christ or Christianity. It is a fantasy on the part of Christian fundamentalists to think that they occupy a privileged position our system of government. Inspite of the many efforts to introduce the Christian religion into the Constitution, all attempts have fallen short. With the enormous numbers of different religious groups in the New World, and by the fact that many had fled the Old World to escape religious persecution, the Founders were determined to keep a extremism in check.

The prime mover - pardon the expression - behind the separation of church and state was Jefferson. And it was in his home state of Virginia that freedom of worship was first written into law. Other states had their official churches and some did not allow non-Christians to run for office. The issue was contentious but the example of Virginia prevailed when the First Amendment was written. The First Amendment codifying that Congress shall make no law regarding the establishment of religion.

The so-called public religion was a kind of generic big-tent religion that embraced many different religions. It guaranteed equal rights of conscience. Although Meacham's narrative of the original understanding of the balancing act between church and state will have its detractors, he has done an excellent job of reestablishing the middle ground.

Summary: Mary Urbanski "book club reader"
This was a difficult book to get into. The frist few chapters were long and read very much like a history text book. The later chapters became more interesting. Bottom line while it was a good review of American History I doubt that this would be book that anyone would read for pleasure. It is at times tedious and it would be an excellent read for someone taking a history course in college.

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