I saw the movie before reading the book, and I'm glad I did. The descriptions of competitive rowing in the book nearly made my eyes cross (and the resI saw the movie before reading the book, and I'm glad I did. The descriptions of competitive rowing in the book nearly made my eyes cross (and the rest of me go to sleep) but having SEEN the result of all this technique and talent in beautiful, fluid motion in the movie, the author's explanations made sense. The book follows three story threads: the boys' lives during the Great Depression and how their struggles shaped their characters, Hitler's preparation for the 1936 Olympic games and the false face Germany intentionally presented to the world, and as noted above, an exceptional amount of detail regarding the sport of competitive rowing. 3.5 stars ...more
An evangelical Protestant classic whose time has come and gone and which ought to be relegated to the dusty shelves of theological history, I read thiAn evangelical Protestant classic whose time has come and gone and which ought to be relegated to the dusty shelves of theological history, I read this out of curiosity. I had received a copy as a confirmation gift when I was eleven-years-old (circa 1964). Originally published in 1896 (per Wikipedia), it was surely outdated even at that time. My only memory of that original reading was a general sense of "meh."
After reading it as an adult, my impression is much stronger -- and worse. I can't think of anyone I would recommend this book to EXCEPT students of American religious history. In that sense, it is an excellent portrait of the religious fervor that ultimately led to Prohibition. There are multiple references to "demon rum" and plot lines that highlight the moral collapse brought about by saloons in working class neighborhoods and the responsibility of the educated classes to oppose them. (Yes, I know how patronizing that sounds, but believe me when I say I have softened the classist rhetoric for the modern reader.)
As might be expected in a book published in the 19th century, complex issues such as alcoholism (the modern term for those who succumb to the seduction of "demon rum") are framed exclusively in moral terms and spiritual power alone (well, and the timely intervention of good Christians) is required to defeat them. (And I say this with no disrespect to the spiritual power necessary to defeat addiction -- I am aware that the first step in 12 step programs refers to a higher power.) However, the general tone and tenor of this book is so old-fashioned that it became meaningful for me only when viewed in historical perspective.
If you are looking for a book to inspire you as a Christian and/or a person interested in positive social change, there are SURELY better books out there! Though I was amazed to see that sales of this book are still brisk on Amazon and many, many Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ reviewers are far kinder than I am regarding the current readability and value of this book. So, in the words of one of my favorite YouTube personalities, "It's just a thought."...more
The novelized version of the disgrace that was the Tennessee Children's Home Society, Before We Were Yours, inspired some of the still-living survivorThe novelized version of the disgrace that was the Tennessee Children's Home Society, Before We Were Yours, inspired some of the still-living survivors to seek each other out and meet. These are the survivors' stories (at least as well as can be pieced together from the few existing records and the victims' childhood memories). An interesting nonfiction companion to the fictional work....more
I'm so glad to live in a time when traditional (male) accounts of history are not the only accounts available. It's gratifying to hear how the other 5I'm so glad to live in a time when traditional (male) accounts of history are not the only accounts available. It's gratifying to hear how the other 50% of the population was living with, reacting to, and participating in the dramatic conflict that engulfed the colonies during the American War for Independence. ...more
While one can't help but admire the lives of the five women show-cased in this book, all born into slavery and then freed, the stories themselves coulWhile one can't help but admire the lives of the five women show-cased in this book, all born into slavery and then freed, the stories themselves could have used some judicious editing. Also, some background and contextual information would have been helpful for the modern reader to fully understand the complexities of these women's individual journeys. ...more
I rarely read true crime, but when I saw this book in the "local interest" section of the bookstore, I bought it because, well, I am local, and I am iI rarely read true crime, but when I saw this book in the "local interest" section of the bookstore, I bought it because, well, I am local, and I am interested. Had the authorities finally cracked this 40-year-old cold case, and I somehow missed it on the evening news? Sadly, the answer to that question is "no." The deaths of the four young people whose faces are on the cover of this book and who were abducted from a fast food restaurant late at night, driven to a dark woods outside of town, and murdered in cold blood remains one of Indiana's most famous cold cases.
Because I don't read much in the true crime genre, I don't quite know how to fairly rate this book. I liked it (if it can be said that anyone "likes" a book about the unsolved deaths of four people). If you've followed my reviews for long, you know that a 3 star rating from me means that you will probably appreciate the book if you enjoy the genre. After reading this book, I felt an immense sadness that these lives were ended so brutally and that those who ended their lives literally got away with murder. (Though I got the impression from the book that the police themselves felt they knew who did it -- or at least, knew one of the people involved -- but they could never prove it, partly because of a gross mishandling of the original crime scene. The Speedway* police in the 1970's were rarely called upon to solve a murder.)
So, if you are interested, the book will be at my local Half Price Books and not on my bookshelf, because I just can't look at those faces without sadness. (*And for those of you who are not familiar with Indianapolis, yes, "Speedway" is so named because the famous track that hosts the Indy 500 every May is there.) ...more
After reading this book, one thing seems certain: Mary L. Trump's extended family (which includes our president, in case you have been living under a After reading this book, one thing seems certain: Mary L. Trump's extended family (which includes our president, in case you have been living under a rock for the last 4 years) will never speak to her again. The upside of this is that, given her particular family, this is not a loss.
I won't belabor the conclusions of her book, in which she claims that our current president is so unfit for office as to be dangerous. To me, after nearly 4 years of Trump's leadership, this seems self-evident. But I will say that, once you read it, you will no longer wonder at the lack of empathy President Trump shows for the grieving survivors of COVID-19 victims. Not one person in his family could show empathy for anyone, including their own son/brother who was left to die alone in a hospital while his mother and father continued about their business at home and Donald and his sister went to a movie. You will no longer wonder at Trump's lack of generosity of spirit. Again, no one in his family seems able to manage generosity of any kind, with genuine praise non-existent and with Christmas gifts given more to humiliate (e.g., re-gifted purses with used kleenex inside) than to please. And you will have your suspicions regarding his college education confirmed; he PAID another student to take his SAT's.
In many ways this is a "poor little rich kid" story, the story of a childhood in which dollars were abundant but compassion and understanding were scarce. However, since we as a nation have inexplicably put this "poor little rich kid" into office, the potential for disaster that this emotional damage could create for all of us is terrifying. I'm begging you -- please vote this man out of office! ...more
This is the story of a little known but remarkably resilient woman, Jean Rio Griffiths, who crossed the Great Plains via wagon train in 1851 to settleThis is the story of a little known but remarkably resilient woman, Jean Rio Griffiths, who crossed the Great Plains via wagon train in 1851 to settle in the new Zion of Utah Territory. It is authored by Sally Denton, an author and investigative reporter who is also this pioneer woman's great-great-granddaughter. Ms. Denton's genealogical and historical research, coupled with extant copies of Jean's emigration diary, combine to reveal a most atypical ancestor that defies the stereotypical portrait of a pioneer woman.
Jean Rio Griffiths was born to the only surviving member of a French aristocratic family, most of whom met their fate at the guillotine during the French Revolution. In England, where her mother had escaped as a small child and then married well, Jean was raised to a life of upper class ease and then married well herself. Intelligent, musically accomplished, and wealthy, Jean balanced a life of musical performance in the concert halls of Europe with motherhood, bearing 8 children before her 40th birthday. And THEN -- insanity of monumental proportion took hold!! (That is MY interpretation and not the author's, who attempts to put the following event in historical context, but I continue to see it as a WHOPPER of a midlife crisis that Jean most surely lived to regret.)
But to continue, and THEN Jean is converted by Mormon missionaries and convinced to move to the new promised land of the Utah territory to live an exalted life for the Lord. She liquidates all her assets, kisses all of her friends and most of her relatives good-bye, and sets sail for America with her 7 children (having lost her husband and her youngest child to cholera before leaving). She makes the rugged journey across the American wilderness to finally arrive in a very young Salt Lake City to find that the missionaries had neglected to tell her a few important details. That fortune she has? It now belongs to the church. Her husband has died? Too bad, but this is an extremely patriarchal society, and as a widow, you have exactly no power. That expensive, one-of-a-kind concert piano that you have lugged across an ocean and most of a continent to play in your new home? Not gonna happen -- it belongs to Brigham Young now; God has told him so.
If you are seething with anger and righteous indignation right about now, you are in good company. I believe steam may have been leaking from my ears as I read this. The fact that Jean managed to cool her own anger, raise her children in a tiny cabin on the outskirts of the Utah Territory (she wasn't even allowed to stay in the "city" -- the Mormon fathers wanted her and her large family to farm), gain midwifery skills to supplement her meager income, and finally, finally -- ESCAPE -- is remarkable. I'm glad that Ms. Denton has plucked this uniquely resilient woman from obscurity and given her the respect she surely deserves!
"Those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." A vicious illness about which little is known, doctors shouting an early warning that"Those who will not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." A vicious illness about which little is known, doctors shouting an early warning that is largely ignored, a president hesitant to make hard decisions for fear of political backlash, some cities faring better than others based on their leaders' willingness to embrace closures and "lockdown," and most citizens willing to wear masks while a selfish few refuse -- does any of this sound familiar? If it does, rest assured it would also have sounded familiar to your forebears.
I am a history nerd through and through, so I had planned on reading this book PRIOR to 2020. Once I found myself caught up in the events of our own century's pandemic crisis, well, it seemed to become required reading. Clearly, there are parallels here to our own time, but there are also great differences -- wonderful differences. From patient zero to the last recorded death from the "Spanish flu" in the summer of 1919 was probably just under 3 years. As I sit and type this, it is just over a year since the first case of Covid-19 was identified in the USA, and I am fully vaccinated. THANK YOU modern medicine!! There is already a "light at the end of the tunnel" for us that was unimaginable for our ancestors.
Another great difference between the "Spanish flu" of 1918 and "the 'Rona" of our own time is its choice of typical victim. Covid-19 is deadliest to the elderly and those with compromising medical conditions. The pandemic of the early 20th century most often attacked the young and fit. In fact, it so decimated the numbers of young men (and women) in the workforce that, when combined with the loss of young men on the battlefields of WWI, it was indirectly one of the driving factors in raising the wages of the working class in the 1920's. The "Spanish flu" also killed more quickly (first symptom in the morning, often dead by nightfall), however, I suspect that if we were living in a world without ventilators and supplemental oxygen, a much higher percentage of the victims of the coronavirus would have died quickly, too. We are just so lucky, folks!
Finally, I will leave you with a story that simultaneously makes me feel both very old and personally connected to the stories in this book. My grandmother was 16-years-old when the pandemic of 1918 was rampant in the US. Her adored older brother Will -- who had been drafted and was scheduled to be shipped out to the battlefields of WWI -- became critically ill with the "Spanish flu." He was not expected to live, and so he was left behind in a hospital where my grandmother stayed with him night and day as his personal nurse. (Then, as now, hospitals in the midst of pandemic were critically short of staff.) To everyone's amazement, he did survive, though by the time he was fully recovered, the war was nearly over, and he was discharged from the army. Therefore, it could be said that contracting the "Spanish flu" may actually have saved Will's life by keeping him off the battlefield. My grandmother would tell this story when she wanted to point out that things are not always as bad as they seem -- a truth in Will's life, for sure! ...more
For the true history buff, Nathaniel Philbrick never disappoints. I read this book in preparation for a vacation to the "historic triangle" of VirginiFor the true history buff, Nathaniel Philbrick never disappoints. I read this book in preparation for a vacation to the "historic triangle" of Virginia, which includes Yorktown. It definitely increased my understanding of the battle of Yorktown and informed my visit, though I'm not sure my travel companions appreciated all my new-found knowledge. (I may have been guilty of over-sharing and being the trip "know-it-all." Lol) So, if you are planning a trip to the area AND you are really "into" history in a big way, definitely read this book. (And, frankly, if you are really "into" American history in a big way, read it even if you're not traveling!) ...more
Nellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Jane "Pink" Cochran, the first woman to work in what today would be called investigative journalism. Ten DaysNellie Bly was the pen name of Elizabeth Jane "Pink" Cochran, the first woman to work in what today would be called investigative journalism. Ten Days in a Madhouse, originally published as a series of expose' newspaper articles in the late 19th century, was Nellie's FIRST assignment for Joseph Pulitzer's New York World newspaper. It was also, essentially, a "trial" assignment. If Nellie could somehow manage to infiltrate the carefully guarded insane asylum on Blackwell's Island and report on the conditions there (which were correctly rumored to be horrific), she had a job with the paper. If she couldn't, well, then, popular opinion was indeed correct and members of "the weaker sex" were not fit for the rigors of newspaper reporting. Suffice it to say that Nellie succeeded in her assignment, and succeeded brilliantly.
If you should decide to read this book, I would recommend FIRST reading a short biography of Nellie Bly (intended, I believe, for a young adult audience but quite informative to readers of all ages) by Deborah Noyes titled Ten Days a Madwoman. Since writing styles change over the generations, especially writing styles used by the news media and intended for the general public, words that once kept readers enthralled can seem clumsy and archaic today. Knowing something of Nellie's personal history and that of her particular time and place will help the modern reader see past her style of writing and admire the substance of what she was able to discover and the courage it took to do it. ...more
I read this book AFTER seeing the movie. I would advise, if you have an interest in this part of WWII history, you read the book first and then see thI read this book AFTER seeing the movie. I would advise, if you have an interest in this part of WWII history, you read the book first and then see the movie. This bit of advice will appall the film's director, Christopher Nolan, who intends for his movie to be experienced from the point of view of 3 ordinary individuals: a soldier on the beach waiting for rescue, a RAF pilot in the skies above the beach trying to buy the soldiers enough time to be rescued, and a civilian boat captain racing across the channel to save those he can. None of these individuals has the whole picture of what is transpiring, none of them can predict the outcome of their efforts, and all of them are in constant, mortal danger from a steadily advancing enemy. If you see the film first -- even if you know the rudiments of the historical event -- you will feel often confused, alternately terrified and relieved, and spend a lot of time shouting at your fellow movie-goers (the movie is very loud), "Why did he do that? Who are those guys, anyway? Is he injured or just trying to hide?" Now that I've read the book, which includes a lengthy interview with Christopher Nolan, I understand that THAT type of experience is exactly what the director was trying to achieve, as it most closely resembles the experience of the actual participants in this pivotal moment in British history, based on extensive interviews with those who know best -- veterans still living who survived the evacuation at Dunkirk.
If you decide to tackle the book, be advised there is a lot of discussion of tactical strategy (and, sometimes, of the lack thereof) and horrific scenes of war -- all taken straight from first hand accounts -- that make me very glad that I have not (nor has anyone I love) ever had to be a soldier. For film buffs, there is also a chapter on the actual nitty-gritty details involved in making a historical film of this magnitude that I found very interesting. And finally, on a personal note, I wanted to see the film because I remember my father talking about the event. (At the time, he was a young paper boy hawking newspapers on a street corner, and the Dunkirk evacuation was in the headlines. Apparently, sales were quite brisk.) He found the heroism of the British inspiring. Author Levine makes a good point that, without that determined heroism (including the miraculous rescue of more that 300,000 Allied soldiers at Dunkirk), Hitler might have ultimately prevailed, and the world for all of us would be a very different place today.
This is a look at women through-out the centuries who have challenged the prevailing stereotypes and roles to which their particular era and culture aThis is a look at women through-out the centuries who have challenged the prevailing stereotypes and roles to which their particular era and culture assigned them and succeeded in "breaking the mold" to live more satisfying lives. (For those who don't know, the author is the woman who coined the phrase that provides the title of this book, never imagining that a line in a scholarly article intended for a select audience would "go viral" to become a well-known and popular slogan.) It's also a history of the modern women's movement, from the first efforts to achieve the vote for women to the present day (though published before the election of our current president and the women's marches taking place the very week-end I write this -- perhaps an updated edition is in order? Regardless, if you are marching, you are making history!)
I did not enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Ulrich's A Midwife's Tale, but that is likely a personal preference, since I enjoy reading an individual's history and then considering it against the background of the world's wider history. This book cannot go into as much personal detail, since its scope is much broader. Still, I'm glad I read this and would recommend it to anyone interested in history or in expanding the rights of women (which OUGHT to be everyone.) ...more
This is a superb book, but make no mistake, it is serious historical research and not easy reading.(The basis for my 4 star rating is the quality and This is a superb book, but make no mistake, it is serious historical research and not easy reading.(The basis for my 4 star rating is the quality and depth of the research and not necessarily readability.) For the uninformed (as I was), the book focuses on the aftermath of a series of fires that occurred in the mid-1700's in New York City that sparked a much greater emotional fire of fear, suspicion, and racism that ultimately resulted in the torturous execution of dozens of people, most of whom were black. (Not one person died in the original fires, which may or may not have been arson.)
Reading this book was difficult given the subject matter but also interesting. My mental picture of colonial era New York is now considerably more detailed and my understanding of pre-Revolutionary justice (or injustice?) more complete for having read this book. I believe any person with a serious interest in history and/or the psychology of mass hysteria (of the organized, "witch-hunting" kind) would benefit from reading this book, which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. ...more
Too much focus on individual foibles and not enough overview -- for example, the author spends a great many pages discussing John and Abigail Adams' aToo much focus on individual foibles and not enough overview -- for example, the author spends a great many pages discussing John and Abigail Adams' alcoholic son as if the reader does not understand that alcoholism is not a modern affliction (though, I grant you, the term "alcoholism" is a relatively modern one). She also devotes an entire chapter to the prevalence of alcoholism among famous writers (including her father), though I doubt that this is of great relevance to the history of our country as a whole.
A second criticism of the book is that the author occasionally makes an assertion that she treats as patently true when I suspect there is insufficient evidence to prove that point. Two examples: 1) One reason Grant was a successful Union general during the Civil War is that he was so often drunk he took unreasonable risks that, luckily, paid off. (Really? I'm not sure I can buy that a drunken general is a good one; more likely Grant was good in spite of his drinking, not because of it.) 2) Drinking (but not to the point of drunkenness) makes people more creative. (Seriously? I would have to see hard research -- and more than one outlier study -- to support that assertion before I would believe it. What I think more likely is that, IF you are socially awkward or have performance anxiety, THEN a drink or two will reduce your anxiety, and therefore, make it easier for you to express your innate creativity. I definitely don't think that alcohol creates a creative mind.)
If you are a reader looking for a solid historical treatment of the use and role of alcohol in American history, don't read this book. There are better histories out there, if you look....more
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