A very well-written, well-researched look at the politics, cultural sentiments, and particular incidents that led to the start of the Civil War. It shA very well-written, well-researched look at the politics, cultural sentiments, and particular incidents that led to the start of the Civil War. It shows what the political climate was before everything went down, and shows what led to the secession of South Carolina followed by other states, and what ultimately led to the actual firing on Fort Sumter which kicked off the Civil War so many of the participants didn't think would really happen.
I started this book not long after Inauguration Day in 2025, a time super fraught with anxiety and fear over the state of our country, the political situation, and what was to come. I had to stop reading this for a while because the things that were being described struck a little too close to current events - and those previous events literally led to civil war. There is a strong prevalence here of the "fake news" philosophy - Lincoln wrote many times about how no matter how many times he stated he was not going to interfere with slavery in states where it already existed, the South and its supporters had already made up their minds that that was exactly what he was plotting and nothing would change that view. I also don't know whether it's comforting or not to know that so many politicians have always been so obviously out for their own self-aggrandizement and increase of their own power... Some of these people are so disgustingly arrogant and self-absorbed it is really gross to read about. (I'm looking at you, Edmund Ruffin and James Henry Hammond.)
There is a LOT of page time devoted to the culture and mentality of the Southern "chivalry" and it is extremely discouraging to read. You can see how a lot of the attitudes of the slaveowning culture hung around through the Jim Crow years and probably still contribute to some people's attitudes today. Some of these people really convinced themselves that slavery of the Black population was a right, a duty and an absolute good, and they definitely believed that the cotton industry was of the highest national and international importance. It's wonderful that the personal diaries of some of these people still exist so we can get that sort of "insider" perspective, but I have to say, some of them drove me crazy! Mary Chesnut in particular is a great example of how Southern "chivalry" life was dominated by politeness and honor etc., and yet she is absolutely scathing when talking about others.
Annnnnyway, this book took me forever to get through, but just because it is so full of detailed information. It is WELL worth the time and Erik Larson's writing is, as always, interesting and entertaining....more
Well, this doesn't answer the question of what really started the Los Angeles Central Library fire, or whether Harry Peak was guilty of starting it, bWell, this doesn't answer the question of what really started the Los Angeles Central Library fire, or whether Harry Peak was guilty of starting it, but it gave a ton of information on the evolution and current state of public libraries. Having worked in the public library for four years before my younger son was born, I identified very strongly with the employees and I have seen in person many of the issues discussed.
The writing flows pretty smoothly, and I probably would have felt it was more compelling at the end if I hadn't had a day-long raging migraine when I was trying to finish it up....more
I'll have to look this up and find out if there is really a story about Dick Whittington's cat. And also to see if he was from such a humble backgrounI'll have to look this up and find out if there is really a story about Dick Whittington's cat. And also to see if he was from such a humble background. I really liked the artwork in this book....more
I have only read a few of her posts, but I'm always impressed by how thorough and calm her writing is. The stuff going on in politics today is infuriaI have only read a few of her posts, but I'm always impressed by how thorough and calm her writing is. The stuff going on in politics today is infuriating, but her posts make me feel like I can get informed without someone trying to rile me up and provoke an emotional reaction.
I felt the same way about the book. It lays out how the meaning and practice of democracy has changed all through America's history, and how the concept of it has been reinterpreted and used by various political and ideological groups to further their own ends.
Getting such a timeline of the events of the past 4 or 5 years was.... infuriating, but almost comforting, in a way. Here it is, laid out in the printed word - these are the things that happened, and yes it was as bad as I remembered but at least I know someone was paying close attention.
The last third of the book went back to the Founding Fathers again and all the way up to the present. It felt a little repetitive and I wasn't clear on why it was being gone over again. I guess I was expecting the last chunk to be more about how to wake up our country's democratic impulses or something, but it was more like a continued history lesson/review.
Anyway, I'm glad I read it and I learned some things - like the fact that some of the shady players of today are the SAME shady players who were on Nixon's team. Yikes....more
I was reading Billy Dee Williams' memoir What Have We Here? and he was really good friends with James Baldwin. His discussion of the civil rights moveI was reading Billy Dee Williams' memoir What Have We Here? and he was really good friends with James Baldwin. His discussion of the civil rights movement got me to go pick this up. At the library. It's moving and powerful, with clear writing and ideas. And sadly, still relevant 59 years later....more
Awfully hard to categorize. There is a lot of biography here but also fanciful suppositions on what could have been if Ada Lovelace had lived longer aAwfully hard to categorize. There is a lot of biography here but also fanciful suppositions on what could have been if Ada Lovelace had lived longer and she and Babbage really created the Difference Engine. I don't for a second pretend to understand the workings of this (theoretical) machine, but I definitely learned a lot from this book. I love that there are so many quotations from primary sources incorporated into the dialogue, and the concept for the book is great....more
The first section of this book is a comprehensive history of public houses in Dublin. It explains the reasons they developed, how they fit into Irish The first section of this book is a comprehensive history of public houses in Dublin. It explains the reasons they developed, how they fit into Irish culture, the experiences of pub owners and pubgoers, and how the pubs and pub culture have changed over time. The rest of the book is chock full of oral histories from publicans, barmen, and pub regulars. The annoying thing is, so much of the oral history was directly quoted in the first section that the book feels really repetitive. Also, because everyone telling these stories is from basically the same era, there is a huge amount of overlap and they make a lot of the same points over and over.
And the font is SO TINY. I actually used a page magnifier for much of this book.
It's definitely an interesting read but I think it would be better in documentary form - it would be great to hear these people tell their stories and you could show the pictures along with it. As a book it's kind of dry....more
Definitely a product of its time, and as such not going to be looked on very favorably today despite its Caldecott win. I appreciate Lawson's respect Definitely a product of its time, and as such not going to be looked on very favorably today despite its Caldecott win. I appreciate Lawson's respect and admiration for his parents' and grandparents' heritage and hard work. Also it is interesting to see how people of such widely varying backgrounds came together to form a family....more
I've had this book for many years - I can't say how many exactly because I somehow forgot to put it in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ - and I finally picked it up on a whiI've had this book for many years - I can't say how many exactly because I somehow forgot to put it in Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ - and I finally picked it up on a whim. It is well worth the read. Pyle was an excellent writer, who did the world a great service in providing an up close look at what our armed forces were experiencing during World War II, while they were experiencing it. I imagine it was a source of interest and hopefully some comfort to those waiting at home, too.
Unfortunately it did remind me of the casual racism of the time, how he sometimes had a "colored boy" to clean his room etc. And also I kept thinking how he writes how these were such good men, but in the context of the time that doesn't mean they weren't racist or homophobic or treated their wives terribly. When he describes people's background or what they are provided for entertainment it reminded me how much everyone was expected to conform to a fairly narrow range of behaviors and that's just how it was. That doesn't take away from the amazing efforts and sacrifices they made to win the war.
Pyle definitely humanizes the German and Italian foes more than the Japanese, and honestly that was baked into military policy at the time.
This was an important job Pyle did, and I'm sorry he didn't live to see the end of the war. I think he left an amazing legacy behind....more
I picked this up because we moved to North Carolina four and a half years ago, and I thought it would be good to learn more about the background/histoI picked this up because we moved to North Carolina four and a half years ago, and I thought it would be good to learn more about the background/history of the state. It was fairly interesting, but it did read as rather dated especially in its treatment of racial issues. It seems the author repeatedly wants to demonstrate how great North Carolina was for....not being as racist as the rest of the South. I guess that's good?
Well, anyway, I did learn some things, especially the origins of a lot of familiar place names....more
I've had thus book since at least 2007... probably longer. In 2001 I got to visit Bannockburn while on a bus tour in Scotland, which is probably what I've had thus book since at least 2007... probably longer. In 2001 I got to visit Bannockburn while on a bus tour in Scotland, which is probably what prompted me to pick this up at a book sale.
Have to say, this book was mostly a slog for me and read sort of like the Bible, with tons of people/clan/place names that were hard to keep straight. It didn't help anything that the various Scottish and English lords and knights were frequently changing sides. This was a brutal, violent time full of squabbles, politics and betrayals and I bet it was no picnic to be a commoner or peasant just trying to eke out daily living in this environment. Even knowing some English and European history going in I was still shocked at how heavily the royal families were intertwined - like the Scottish king owing fealty to the English King for English land holdings, and the English king in turn owing fealtytotheFrenchking for holdings in Aquitaine etc. - what a mess!
There are also some plain old shocking events in here, like surgeons delivering a baby alive from Robert the Bruce's daughter after she was killed from falling off a horse, or the Queen of England (along with her lover) rebelling against her king and trying to take over England for France (not to mentioning trying to starve and mistreated husband to death and when that didn't work, cauteriziing his organs from within via a hot poker up the butt so there would be no visible wounds and they could say he died a natural death!).
Robert the Bruce does come off as pretty darn humane by comparison, and he was a great tactician as well....more
An extremely thorough history describing the rise and development of cosplay as a hobby and in some cases a profession. I learned a lot, especially abAn extremely thorough history describing the rise and development of cosplay as a hobby and in some cases a profession. I learned a lot, especially about the early days of sci-fi conventions in the 1930s. It's already gotten me reading C. L. Moore's Northwest Smith stories.
The one area I felt this didn't cover very much wax anime cosplay. I don't think the author does anime cosplay and likely doesn't have as many contacts/sources relating to it, but that part felt a little light.
I also would have enjoyed more pictures, but I also know that wasn't really the point or focus of this book and I bet it would be really hard to decide who to put in and where to draw the line.
This is a great primer for anyone curious about cosplay, how it got started, and how it has evolved due to technology etc....more
The artwork in this book is lovely. I can't really vouch for the accuracy of the story, but it did make me want to learn more which is always good. I The artwork in this book is lovely. I can't really vouch for the accuracy of the story, but it did make me want to learn more which is always good. I don't know how much gets taught about Leif and his discoveries in schools but it's a really interesting part of history....more
I was lucky to find this book at a free day at a local book sale. They had so many books left they wanted as much of it to find a home as possible andI was lucky to find this book at a free day at a local book sale. They had so many books left they wanted as much of it to find a home as possible and I certainly reaped the benefits.
This was a fast, informative, entertaining read describing the history, habits and experiences of the ravens at the Tower of London - and their Ravenmaster. Highly recommended, and now I want to follow the ravens on social media....more
Loading...
