Good introduction to the main city of the Mississippian
civilization that covered much of the middle of pre-Columbian North America.
More archaeological than I needed, but very good.
Absolutely fascinating history of the Amerindians in North
and South America the year before Columbus arrived. Really well written and
immensely informative. Made me wish the Europeans hadn’t come.
Incredibly well researched and very informative history of
European voyages of exploration of North America. I really learned a lot about
the French and how they moved deep into the continent on the rivers and lakes.
Great background to my study of American history.
Morison’s incredibly researched history of the European
voyages of exploration of all of Latin America, including the Caribbean area
and South America, as well as Bermuda, Florida, and California. I am much more
interested in North America, especially those that lead to the British
colonies.
Deeply impressive, though dated, history of the arrival of
European colonists in North America. Highly intelligent, bitter, and a
masterpiece at the time of its publication. Very good. Will be reading more of
him.
Part of my study of American history. Very informative and
enjoyable overview of the founding of the British and French colonies in North
America, though it was work getting through it. Especially liked Quinn’s
writing style, and the European context for colonizing. Good foundation and
learned a lot. Well worth it.
Mayflower Nathaniel Philbrick
A very readable history of the Plymouth colony and King Phillip's war that drastically changed the development of America and European - Native relations. Highly engaging, and just scholarly enough, though I wish the notes had been formatted so you could actually connect them to the text they referred to. Really enjoyed and learned from this book.
A very readable history of the Plymouth colony and King Phillip's war that drastically changed the development of America and European - Native relations. Highly engaging, and just scholarly enough, though I wish the notes had been formatted so you could actually connect them to the text they referred to. Really enjoyed and learned from this book.
Beautifully written, incredibly informative overview of who
came to North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, the
nature of their lives here, and the peculiar culture that developed into
America. Couldn’t put it down. Easily one of the best history books I have ever
read.
Stupendously informative history of the social, religious,
political, and even personal construction of the British colonies on the
eastern shores of North America. Everything about the struggle to create and
sustain them was unbelievably brutal and savage, from external and internal
forces. Beautifully written so the incredible detail never becomes burdensome.
Excellent.
A detailed introduction to the lives of colonial Americans.
Perfect social history for me. Exactly the information I wanted about British
colonial life in America. Really liked it, very profitable.
Rather than an intellectual history per se, this is
Morison’s catalogue of the origins of theology, history, literature, especially
verse, and science in 17th-century New England. A little dry and out
of date, but also profitable.
Good, brief introduction and overview of the British
colonies up to 1774. Sparse, but very useful information. Glad I read it.
Excellent history of how the American colonies were viewed
and portrayed during this period, especially the British colonies of North
America. Lots of good information, especially about the first half of the 18th
century. Not so interested in the concept of American exceptionalism, at least
how it’s used in the 21st century. Well worth it.
Excellent social history of sexual mores in colonial America
from the first settlements through the 18th century. Turns out,
there was a lot of independent activity, even among the puritans. Thoroughly
researched and well written. Very detailed and informative.
Fascinating first-hand account of Mittelberger’s emigration
to America in 1750, and his experiences and observations while here. Filled
with useful and interesting information
about what the colony was like then. Excellent.
Outstanding history of the British colonies in America at
the middle of the 18th century. Wish he hadn’t spent so much time on
The Great Awakening, but he ties it to the revolution. Beautifully written,
well researched, and full of valuable information. Really good.
Excellent overview of the 1754-1763 war that removed the
French presence in North America and established a sense of independent
identity in the British colonies that led to their rebellion ten years later. A
very well written and very informative introduction.
Outstanding history of the war that really set the stage for
the rebellion that became revolution a decade later. Anderson’s massive
scholarship provides incredible detail, and his conclusions provide insights
into American character and history. Clearly, even beautifully, written.
Really, really liked, and profited from, this book. Kind of sad it ended.
Another excellent and fascinating history. This one
concentrates on the social upheavals caused by the Treaty of Paris in 1763 that
ended the Seven Years War. Britain, France, and Spain blithely exchanged
territory and people they didn’t really own, and caused more havoc than they
ended, particularly the destruction of thousands of years of American Indian
nations and the beginnings of the American Revolution. Well researched and
engagingly written, couldn’t put it down.
The Invention of Air: A Story Of Science, Faith,
Revolution, And The Birth Of America Steven
Johnson
Interesting and informative history of Joseph Priestley’s
influence in chemistry, religion, and politics, especially among the founders
of the United States. Very well written. Especially interesting sidebars on the
nature of intellectual progress and new paradigms. Really liked it.
Fascinating account of how the people of the Massachusetts
Bay colony rose up in 1774 and overthrew British rule, in particular response
to the Massachusetts Government Act.
Does an excellent job of setting the stage for Lexington and Concord
that triggered the full revolution. Very readable and informative, if a little
ideological, which I didn’t mind. Really enjoyed it.
Though a children’s book, a good overview of the military
encounter that started the American War of Independence. Much more content
about the years and causes that precipitated the conflict than expected. A
good, quick, intelligent read surprisingly filled with information.
Well written history of the beginning year of the American
Revolution. Demythologizes 1776 as the crucial year by examining the social,
religious, and economic demographics and causes of the revolution, as well as
the political, in well-researched detail. While stating that there was no
religious cause of the revolution, he wastes a lot of time identifying
religious demographics, which are really only ethnic, and his claim of the
unbroken connection to the English civil war of the 17th century, is an
unconvincing waste of time. Otherwise, a lot of really good information. Nicely
done, very useful.
Disappointing “popular history” of the first pitched battle
of the American War of Independence. Huge amounts of extraneous information
that I consider irrelevant. Tone, and specific statements, disparage the
patriots without justification. Only a couple of chapters with information
about the actual battle, though that information, and the information about the
siege, is good. Expected it to be better. Too bad.
Wonderful history of probably the key year of the American
Revolution when Americans declared what was already essentially a fact and came
within a hair’s breadth of losing it. Well written, thorough, non-mythical, I
especially liked that it relied very heavily on primary, first-hand accounts
such as diaries and letters. Fascinating and full of good information. Loved
it.
Outstanding examination and history of the ideas that
caused, and were, the American Revolution. As usual with Bailyn, very well
written and highly intelligent. Details the development of ideas (e.g., logic
of rebellion, representation and rights, sovereignty, sources of power, the
contagion of liberty) and the reasoned arguments, primarily through the
omnipresent pamphlets of the time, that helped develop them. Highlights the
reasoned and highly intelligent thinking, one of the things about this period
of history that I like so much. Excellent, couldn’t put it down.
Common Sense is the pamphlet that influenced pretty
much everyone who helped bring about American independence and was read by
hundreds of thousands of common people. Embarrassed to say I had not read it
until now. Especially interesting to read The
Crisis issues as I read about the events Paine, who was fighting with the
colonial army at the time, discusses. One of the founding intellectual
documents of the United States.
Well-written and interesting history of the summer of 1776 as the war of independence heated up and the continental congress wrote and published the Declaration of Independence. The battles are covered in less detail than in McCullough’s 1776, but the information about the congress filled in gaps for me. Focuses on Adams, Washington, Jefferson, and the Howe brothers. Very profitable and enjoyable.
Excellent narrative history of the origins and progress of
the American Revolution through the treaty of Paris in 1783. While there must
be gaps in a book only a little over 600 pages that covers such a complicated
subject, there is a lot of good information. Very well written in a clean,
simple style. For me, it was like reading an engrossing novel. Very useful,
really liked it.
Concise indeed, but full of useful information. Filled in
gaps for me about the southern campaign of the Revolutionary War, and provided
a good introduction to the postwar struggles for statehood, a constitution, and
against the Amerindians in the western territories the Americans wanted. Nicely
written. Very glad I read it.
Outstanding narrative and collection of maps and diagrams,
showing the social, political, and military causes and issues of the revolution
and war. Found the descriptions of the battles especially useful. Filled in
gaps in other narratives. A lot of really good information about areas of the
war outside North America, and native American involvement, as well. Very, very
informative.
Brief, but very useful outline of the main points of the
Revolutionary War from the causes to the aftermath. It includes some good
narrative, as well. Very helpful in seeing the sequence of the major battles.
Outstanding single-volume history of the American Revolution
from 1754-1800. It’s amazing that Ferling could cram so much useful
information, covering so many crucial years, into a well-written, compelling
narrative. This is a very good book. Really enjoyed it and learned a lot.
Problematic popular history of the creation of the United
States from 1776 – 1803. After claiming that it would be a mistake to view the
founders and what they did through the socio-political lens of the 21st
Century, Ellis proceeds to do just that. He is especially disparaging of
Jefferson. Good information about attempts to deal with native American
populations in the territory acquired in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, and the
intrigues of the Louisiana Purchase. Tone and self-referential disingenuousness
disturbing.
Another excellent analysis of the American Revolution. Like
his other books, Wood is writing political history, discussing the arguments
and ideas that propelled British colonies of the 1740s into a full-blown
republic in the late 1780s. Little about the war or society, much about the
political mutations that occurred. Very good, very readable.
Much more a discussion and analysis of the political ideas
of the founders than history or biography. Most interested in Jefferson,
Madison, and Burr. As usual with Wood, highly intelligent, thorough, and
insightful. Some of the intricacies of their political arguments got a little
tedious, but an excellent work. Very good.
Excellent history of the severing of the monarchical “ligaments”
that held together colonial society. The result was not only radical, it was
contrary to what the founding fathers wanted, a commerce-based political and
social democracy. As usual, Wood is detailed and highly intelligent. Very well
written with emphasis on primary sources. Really, really good. Here endeth my
study of the American Revolution, for now
The Annotated U.S.
Constitution and Declaration of Independence Jack N. Rakove
Nice volume that contains copies of the two founding
documents of the United States with facing-page, paragraph-by-paragraph
commentary. Having just read several histories about the creation of both, I
didn’t need the annotations, but very well done. Great review.
Nathaniel Philbrick
Very well written, highly-informative intellectual biography of a pre-eminent figure in American intellectual history, and someone I have been interested in for a very long time. James is the American philosopher, if that is not an oxymoron, who articulated pragmatism. Covers all James’s work in detail while clearly showing us James the man. Provides a good glimpse of American intellectual and social history of the time (1842-1910), as well. Excellent use of letters to and from him. A very, very good biography, really enjoyed it and profited from reading it.
Very good, very well-written history of the epochal election
of 1800. Excellent backgrounds on the four participants, and an important overview
of the preceding, crucial, decade of American political history. While I was
familiar with the framework of these events from Ferling’s A Leap in the Dark, this book provides much
more detail. I agree with the assertion that this election was the culminating
act of the American revolution. On a personal political note, it’s really a
good thing Jefferson won.
A deeply disturbing history of the “slave power” that
dominated American politics until the Civil War. The title comes from Timothy
Pickering’s appellation for Jefferson who was elected in 1800 solely because of
the federal ratio, slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for voting. For me, there
is too much about Pickering, and a little too much banter aimed at other
historians who have gotten it wrong. But I learned a lot about the influence of
slavery in American history, all of it horrible. For example, ¼ of all U. S.
presidents owned slaves, and the war with Mexico was fought, and the annexation
of Mexican territory occurred, to provide new slave states. Wills does an
excellent job discussing really ugly history.
Interesting and informative social history of the new United
States of America from 1776-1820s. Full of good primary sources and statistics,
and many believable generalizations based on them. Captures convincingly the
population, economic, social, and religious explosions that filled the void
left by the dissolution of the colonial monarchical structures. Works as a good
transition into the 19th century.
Ambrose’s very engaging, at times exciting, account of
Meriwether Lewis’s involvement in the great expedition through the Louisiana
Purchase. Though Ambrose seems to idolize Lewis, he is also clear-eyed about
his mistakes. Sad about his suicide. Good, helpful maps. Enjoyed this history very
much, learned a lot.
Engaging and informative history of the war of 1812. Like
Langguth’s other histories, it is very well written. At times, I couldn’t put
it down. Covers enough of the causes and circumstances leading up to war to be
very useful. Also liked the very interesting chapter on the war’s aftermath.
Another outstanding work of history writing by Wood. Filled
with immense amounts of information about the crucial beginning 26 years of the
American republic’s politics, economics, law, religion, society. Highly
intelligent analysis, very well written, well presented. This is what all
history writing should be like. Really learned a lot. Loved it.
Interesting, well-written history of the United States from
1815-1848. Reynolds covers all the main topics, economy, religion, society, and
even intellectual and artistic development, with all the culprits and heroes.
Very good survey of the period. Enjoyed it.
Detailed, thorough, over 800-page history of crucial decades
in the development of the United States as a nation. Not as interested in the
extensive details about political maneuvering and religious intensity, but they
were, indeed, part of the time. Strange final chapter on the beginnings of
feminism that seemed like a current academic requirement rather than an actual
history of the period. Even with the stiff, rather lifeless prose, a lot of
good information. Really glad I read it.
Another pretty interesting, though bloated, history of a
single event, this time the sinking of an American whaleship by an enraged
sperm whale in 1819. It captured Americans’ interest so much that both Poe and
Melville wrote novels about it. Some interesting facts such as the information
about Nantucket society, that 4/5ths of all whaling was done by American ships.
Didn’t really like it that much.
Joseph Smith is the quintessential American trying to make
his way on the frontier, his life even follows the frontier as it moves west.
He seems, more and more, like a character from a Twain novel or Melville’s The Confidence Man. Though Bushman
is an apologist for the Mormon church, this is a respectable history. Good
example of the Jacksonian times.
An outstanding monograph covering the failure of the
Kirtland Safety Society Anti-banking Company that caused so many problems in
Mormon Kirtland and undermined Joseph Smith’s role as prophet. While it is
extremely scholarly, well-reasoned, and very thorough, it is also a little too
apologetic of Joseph, but extremely valuable historically nonetheless.
Excellent example of life on the United States frontier during the early 19th
century.
Interesting history of these three religions’ sexual
ideologies. All three blossomed during the early decades of the 19th
Century, thus my historical interest. Though it reads like a Ph.D.
dissertation, it is filled with good research and insights. Interesting to me
that each movement Foster documents perfectly reflects the sexual desires of
the founder, though of course, they all say it’s from God. Good distinction between polygamy of Joseph Smith and
Brigham Young.
Enjoyed it.
Horrifying, difficult to read, history of the forced
expulsion of the five “civilized” Amerindian tribes, especially the Cherokees,
from the United States for only two simple reasons: greed and racism. Andrew
Jackson is an even worse figure than I thought he was. As usual, Langguth’s
prose is engaging, and this time his history is more thorough and less
episodic. Learned a lot about the Cherokees. Very informative about a tragic,
and shameful American history. Really liked the book.
History of the period leading up to the beginning of civil
war. Written in florid, sometimes almost pompous prose, with too many asides
for the reader and comments about what other historians have done, would have
preferred “just the facts, ma’m.” And it didn’t really provide information I
wasn’t already getting from other, better sources. Disappointing. Too bad.
Gossipy rather than scholarly, admittedly very repetitive,
account of the interplay of the lives of some of the greatest writers and
thinkers in American history, all congregated in Concord, Massachusetts in the
middle of the 19th century. While Cheever acknowledges their genius,
she is disparaging of the men, but always sympathetic to the women. The book is
like an exposé, not much about their work, it became very tedious. Deeply
disappointing. Too bad.
Interesting, somewhat out of the mainstream, essays about
the Civil War by scholars writing today. Read most of them when they appeared
in The New York Times. Because of the
historical perspective and the short length, quite a few new intricacies I at
least, was unaware of. Very valuable.
Original and entertaining history of the beginnings of the
Civil War focusing on out of the ordinary characters and histories little
known. Well-written and very interesting. Because many of the stories are not
readily familiar, provides a broader understanding of how individuals were
affected by the political trauma. Very valuable.
Well-written, thorough, especially for a single volume,
account of the American “Civil War Era,” as the subtitle states. Many details
about political party internal struggles and voter demographics, and financial
foundations for the war, all necessary, but tedious. Excellent detail and
analysis of most battles, and all of the important ones, amazingly lucid
descriptions of the tactics and movements. Disappointing, truncated ending
and epilogue which deals with nothing is
a haze of unanswered questions. Overall, very valuable.
Outstanding collection of maps related to the Civil War
battles. Also, great photographs, good text and descriptions and narrative.
Really helped understanding what happened in each battle, amazingly lucid
descriptions of the tactics and battles. Invaluable accompaniment to any
reading of Civil War history. Really useful.
Incredibly detailed, very beautifully written, 1000+ page
“narrative” of the last 18 months or so of the Civil War. Impressive use of
primary sources, though nothing is footnoted. I guess that’s why it’s a
narrative. Even though I read other books before and simultaneously, I really
learned a lot from it. Many powerful images from the narrative are stuck in my
mind. Really enjoyed reading about the North’s victory and the destruction of
the elitist, racist society of the South. Very, very good, notwithstanding the
inappropriately reverential eulogizing of Jefferson Davis at the end.
Original news articles covering the war. Disappointed that
they are not produced as facsimiles, but I understand that that wouldn’t have worked
spatially. Also, the included DVD was useless, didn’t work in either of my
computers, too bad. That having been said, this is an invaluable historical
source, well organized, well presented. Thoughtful and helpful annotations,
inclusion of interesting drawings and photographs from the published editions.
Also includes dispatches from other papers, even from the south. Many of the
histories I’ve read and learned so much from use the same accounts assembled
here. Excellent to have these original accounts compiled together.
Well-written, detailed history of Sherman’s campaign to take
Atlanta and its aftermath. Excellent, extensive
use of primary sources for everything. Though Bonds is not a
“professional historian,” this is a very good history of events that I find
deeply interesting. Sherman is my namesake, and the more I learn about him, the
more I like and admire him. I really liked the Afterward. Well done and very
interesting.
Incredibly detailed, sometimes excruciatingly so,
well-written account of each day, November 15, 1864 – January 21, 1865 of
Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah, and it’s occupation. Outstanding
research, relies primarily on first-hand accounts. Another excellent book by a
“non-professional historian.” Ends with an outstanding summary analysis. For
me, this was an excellent book, informative and well done.
Whitman’s poems about the Civil War. His usual beautiful
rhythms and powerful images, especially in poems such as “The Wound Dresser.”
Also read his poems about President Lincoln. Makes me very sad. Excellent
addition to my Civil War reading.
Deeply troubling and well-written brief firsthand account of
Douglass’s life as a slave in Maryland. As bad as I thought slavery was, this
account portrays it as worse than I imagined even though Douglass’s tone isn’t
bitter or incendiary. The ugliness, violence, and hypocrisy of slaveholders is
astonishing and sickening. I wish I could have read how he escaped, but I fully
understand why he could not record it. My view of our history is changed, and
it is nauseating that ¼ of U.S. presidents have owned slaves. Everyone should
read this.
Very readable overview of the mismanagement of the post
Civil War period from 1865-1877. As with his other books, Langguth uses the
main players for the framework of the history. Very informative for me
especially about Andrew Johnson’s corrupt mismanagement of Reconstruction and
racist policies that led to the Jim Crow south. Reinforces the point that the
failure of Reconstruction wasn’t the unsuccessful reconstruction of the union,
it was the betrayal of the negroes by allowing the construction of a social
order in the south almost as brutal and discriminatory as slavery. Deeply
tragic.
Extremely-detailed, scholarly, highly-intelligent history of
the attempts to reconstruct the defeated confederacy as part of the greater
United States and create a new social order with Negro equality in the conquered
states. The failure to do so, caused by racism, in the north as well as the
south, incompetence, greed, political infighting, and economic depression,
spawned the deeply depressing and revolting institutionalization of
illegitimate white supremacy that lasted a century. Very good, essential but
depressing read.
Excellent, well-written intellectual history of the
short-lived meetings in 1872 between Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., future
associate justice of the United States Supreme Court, William James, the father
of modern American psychology and the philosophy of Pragmatism, and Charles
Sanders Peirce, logician, scientist, and a founder of semiotics. Among other
things, details the horrible impact that the slaughter and suffering of the
Civil War had on the intellects of the United States. leading directly to the
concept of Pragmatism. Excellent.
Economic history describing the explosion of American
capitalism through the gilded age to the end of the 19th century.
Excellent distilled explanation of the attempts at economic reconstruction of
the south after the Civil War, and the economics of the conquering of the
peoples and spaces of the great plains. Interesting accounts of the waves of
immigration, the complete corruption of the political system by all the money,
the urges to imperialism, and the ongoing conflict between capitalism and
democracy during this period. Learned a lot. Very good.
Very well written (e.g., “the Populists sought to pull the
New Deal through the sleeve of time”), well-researched, highly intelligent, and
erudite history of the United States in the last third of the 19th
century. Interesting emphasis on Tom Scott’s unacknowledged place in financial
and political corruption. Gripping accounts of the horrors of southern
“redemption,” the Great Railroad and Homestead strikes, and the People’s Party
juxtaposed against the conspicuous and disgusting opulence of the moneyed
class. Really enjoyed the uncompromising, accurate point of view. This is a
very good book.
“Feminist” history of a Trump-like woman, mean financially
and emotionally. Nothing about her seems admirable, even her wealth was
initially inherited. Wallach’s praise, written in young-adult-like prose,
centers solely on the fact that she was a woman, and liked “nothing better than
to best a man.” She valued “influence and position.” I found her to be an
example of what was bad about the whole period. Didn’t like Green or this book.
History of the Cynthia Ann Parker story that was the
foundation for the John Ford film. I was far more interested in the actual
history in the first 2/3rds of the book. Great American history
about the Indian-White wars in the southwest. Very well written and researched.
Really liked it.
Nathaniel Philbrick
At turns compelling and stuffed with useless facts,
Philbrick explores the epic imagery and facts of Custer’s fateful battle on the
Little Big Horn river. I was much more interested in the Amer-Indian histories
than the military rivalries and infighting, but both are well documented. I
think Philbrick’s proposed reconstruction of the demise of Custer’s command is
plausible. Found Sitting Bull a much better man and leader than Custer. Pretty
good book.
Interesting, well-written introduction to Ingersoll, his
historical place, and his ideas. Too much a polemic telling us what we should
take from it, especially the letter at the end, but much good information
nonetheless. A fascinating figure. Very Good.
Very well written, highly-informative intellectual biography of a pre-eminent figure in American intellectual history, and someone I have been interested in for a very long time. James is the American philosopher, if that is not an oxymoron, who articulated pragmatism. Covers all James’s work in detail while clearly showing us James the man. Provides a good glimpse of American intellectual and social history of the time (1842-1910), as well. Excellent use of letters to and from him. A very, very good biography, really enjoyed it and profited from reading it.
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed
America Erik Larson
True crime book about the 1893 Chicago World’s Columbian
Exposition and the serial killer in Chicago at the same time. Fascinating
history of the fair and the many things that developed from it. Not nearly as
interested in the speculative serial killer sections. In general, good.
Collection of photographs taken between 1890 and 1910.
Interested because this period is toward the end of Mary Ann Burnham Freeze’s
life. Disappointing for me because they are concentrated in the Eastern U.S.
But it was worth it.
Disappointing book on the conceptual framework for the Woman
Suffrage Movement in the United States. It’s not a bad book at all, it just didn’t have
specific information I needed for my work on Mary Ann Freeze. Too bad.
A large picture book reminiscent of books that accompany PBS
series. Great pictures from the Woman Suffrage movement, brief biographies of
the major, and some minor, players, and useful history, though brief like the
biographies. Good overview but not an in-depth scholarly work.
Engaging and informative intellectual history of the general
adoption of the concept of Spencer’s notion of “the survival of the fittest” in
the United States. Follows the lives and intellectual development of the
eminent thinkers and personalities who spoke at the late-1882 banquet, as well
as Spencer himself. Good history of the period as well as the influence of the
concept. Excellent read.
Informative, well-written, and useful history of the push to
continue American expansion beyond our borders once the frontier was closed.
Really enjoyed the focus on the people and not just what they did. William
James turns out to be a hero, to me, by not being swept along. Teddy Roosevelt,
notwithstanding his later reformist work, was an egotistical, malevolent jerk.
Unsurprisingly, Hearst was an evil, unfeeling manipulator. Learned a lot. Good
bridge into the twentieth, American, century.
Since I first heard about Tom Horn, it has amazed me that he
was hanged just two years before Albert Einstein published his theory of
relativity. The juxtaposition of those two lives captures the incongruity of
the American frontier and civilization. This is Horn’s account of his life
written in jail while awaiting execution. Very readable and interesting. Also
includes letters and affidavits about him. I especially liked Ms. Kimmel’s.
Fascinating and enjoyable.
An account of the cruise in 1904-1905 to cement U.S.
colonies in Asia with in-depth background to it. Completely undermines Teddy Roosevelt’s manly image.
Good description of the powerful racism everywhere in American culture,
especially in Roosevelt’s policies toward Asia, the depth of Roosevelt’s
personal racism is staggering. Astonishing how Roosevelt and Taft completely
bungled policy toward Asia. Bradley does a pretty good job of showing how their
policies led to our involvement in World War II in the Pacific. Found Alice to
be kind of interesting. Informative and mostly convincing.
Well-written, fascinating, and detailed account of their
aerial achievement. As usual, McCullough is not interested in tearing down the
images, and in this case that seems appropriate. Gained a profound respect for
the brothers’ thrilling and monumental achievement and the way they
accomplished it. Very engaging and enjoyable history of something I have always
loved. Really liked it.
Well-written, engaging history of the year in United States
history. Unfortunately, the subjects are more what would be considered for
sensationalist journalism than social history, such as the sordid Shaw murder trial,
the around-the-world auto race. But the other points of focus were highly
relevant to where the U.S. was then and how it would develop throughout the 20th
Century. Pretty good.
More of a survey than a primary-source history, Chambers
covers these years in broad strokes. American society changed dramatically
because of massive immigration from southern and eastern Europe, rapid
urbanization, and sweeping industrialization. He gives a glancing account of
the Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson presidencies, but much detail about what is generally referred
to as the progressive movement that resulted from all the change. Also,
America’s shift from isolationist to interventionist foreign policy. Pretty
good introduction to the first two decades of the 20th century. Overall,
worthwhile, especially since I had trouble finding histories about these two
decades.
Bloated “history” of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915
that helped eventually to nudge the U.S. into World War I. Filled with
unnecessary information like what clothes one of the babies was wearing, and
extensive commercial background on one of the passengers. It’s like Larson included
anything he found, relevant or not. Written a little sensationally, like true
crime rather than real history. Disappointing.
Well-written, informative, serious history of the period in
the United States. Excellent, concise explanation of Wilson’s reluctant move to
war. Good explanation of the social, cultural, and political movements and
trends of the 1920, the political and social fundamentalism surprised me.
Brief, but effective overview of the causes of the 1929-1932 crash and
depression. Well worth it.
Very well written, highly intelligent, very well researched
history of America’s economic and political ascendancy to world leadership.
Amazing detail on the economic and political maneuvering of the belligerents in
the war, after it, and through the 1920s. Not nearly enough about the domestic
situation in the United States for me, but that is not a criticism of this
excellent, impressive book. While his understanding of European economics and
politics, and America’s growing involvement, in this period is impressive,
wasn’t really what I was looking for. But an excellent book.
Far too much detail on all the tiny parts of the military
buildup, excruciating. Lifeless prose that is really just an accretion of
lists, the authors love nothing more than a list, the longer the better. Descriptions
of the WW I battles are somewhat better, but also more useless detail. No real
social, intellectual, or cultural history. I think they over-emphasized the
centralization of government power, as demonstrated by the 20s and early 30s.
After nearly 500 pages, don’t really feel like I have an understanding of the
U.S. in these two momentous years. Too bad.
Embarrassingly over-written, sensationalized account of the
1918-1920 influenza pandemic. I guess that’s what happens when you’re telling
an “epic” story rather than just a history. Wasted a lot of time plowing
through Barry’s verbosity. Interesting, very short, account of how viruses
work, especially the H1N1, in particular. Book is at least twice as long as it
needed to be. Excruciating by the end, and nearly nothing to show for it. Too
bad.
Excellent little book with good, representative photographs
of all the high points of the decade in the United States, with a small nod to
Europe and the rise of fascism. Very useful summary, quick read.
Disappointing rumination on how the twenties have been
understood rather than a history of the period. More a meta-history, with
abundant reference to scholars who have written about the twenties. No real
history here, but plenty of self-referential interpretation. Waste of my time.
At least it was short. Too bad.
Another volume on “the lost generation,” this one much more
personal and impressionistic than Flowering.
Really liked the brief essays on Eliot, Joyce, and Pound, and their influences
on the lost generation, and the depictions of Joyce. Very interesting social
history as well as literary, Cowley captures an American generation’s
development as well as their literary ambitions and accomplishments. Excellent
depiction of the growing corporatization of American life in the 20s. Harry
Crosby’s life and death was the perfect example of the generation, as Cowley
says. Very good, very well written.
Beautifully written, first-hand literary history and
analysis of the generation of writers who flowered after World War I. First
chapter is one of the best descriptions of WW I I’ve ever read. Also, an
excellent description of the American expatriate colony in Paris in the 1920s.
Made me want to re-read most of the eight authors covered, especially my
favorite, Hemingway. Very well done, really enjoyed it.
Entertaining popular history of the many interesting events
that occurred in the summer of 1927 in the U.S., such as Lindbergh’s flight,
the Yankees, a notorious murder case, and others. Worth it, but not profound.
Beautifully written, insightful memoir of the 1930s while
Cowley worked as an editor at The New
Republic. Chapter one is an outstanding overview of the social situation of
the Great Depression. Excellent description of the enticements of Communism for
intellectuals, especially writers, of the period. Interesting account of
Cowley’s involvement with the Harlan County coal strike. The chapter “Grass
Grew in the Streets” is a fascinating depiction of the things people did to get
by, especially in the early years of the depression. This is an excellent
depiction of the literary, intellectual 1930s in the United States. Made me
wish we were still like that. The few insertions of purely personal history
worked very well. I loved this book.
Brief but excellent history of the conditions of the
depression and dust bowl in the 1930s, and the resulting migration of hundreds
of thousands of people to California. Clear, simple prose highlighted by
excellent Dorothea Lange photographs. Not a lot of detail, but good broad
strokes for an effective overview. Goes well with my other reading on the
period.
Detailed political history of the United States through the
depression and WWII. Very thorough, balanced account of The New Deal, but
disappointingly meager information on the actual American people, subtitle
should read “The American Government in depression and war”, there’s no social
or intellectual history at all. Interesting historical, political, and economic
assessment of The New Deal. Good chapter on the buildup to war. Fascinating
account of the contortions the Roosevelt administration went through to aid
Great Britain while remaining “neutral.” The war is described in only broad
strokes and emphasizes major encounters, political as well as military, and
Kennedy kind of skips around. Language is a little too flowery for a serious
history book, which this is, but that’s not really a criticism. Overall,
disappointing because even after 858 pages and with all the facts he presents,
my understanding of the 16 momentous years described did not grow at all. Too
bad.
Excellent pictorial history of the final 100 days of the war
from German, Japanese, and allied sources. Impressive collection of
photographs, detailed charts, complex maps, and primary documents. Very
thorough, especially about the war in Europe. Extensive explanatory text, as
well. If I have a complaint, it’s that the pictures and text, because there are
so many of them, are small, and so, a little difficult to see. But that is not
really a criticism. Much less coverage of the war in the Pacific, but what
there is is thorough. This is an important historical reference gem.
Very readable, highly informative history of the last weeks
of World War II in the Pacific. Excellent details about the struggle within the
Japanese hierarchy about whether to surrender, Hirohito’s decision, and the
subsequent failed coup, even though the book was written in 1967, and
Hirohito’s full military influence wasn’t yet known. Fascinating accounts of
the two atomic bomb missions, rescue of prisoners in China by the OSS, the
arrival and tension of the first occupiers and their fear of being murdered,
etc. Very interesting, enjoyed every page.
Jacobsen begins with the POV that the use of former Nazi
scientists was wrong in every case, and there is no discussion of the pros and
cons. She writes an exposé rather than a history, in the style of a true-crime
book, though her research and documentation are pretty good. Wish she had taken
a more scholarly approach. Found the accounts of the search, capture, and
interrogation of the scientists very interesting. The narrative rambles and is
a little unfocused, again because of the exposé approach. Veers off topic in
the last few chapters, and her prose
gets overwrought. Good appendix listing “Principal Characters.” Not bad, don’t
regret reading it.
American Prometheus: The Triumph
and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer Kai Bird and
Martin J. Sherwin
Excellent biography of Oppenheimer. I’ve been fascinated
with him since I was young. Focuses in great detail on the witch hunt to
rescind his security clearance during the hysteria of the McCarthy era, as the
subtitle indicates. Difficult and infuriating to wade through the extensive
excerpts from the transcripts. Very well done and very interesting.
Well-written, overview history of the decade when the United
States became the country it is now. While not exhaustive, this is a thorough
account focused on the people who embodied the staggering postwar affluence
that generated suburbs, rock and roll, malls, big cars, fast food, McCarthyism,
the pill, the beginnings of the women’s movement, huge Hollywood stars like
Brando, Dean, and Monroe, the Cold War, the Korean War, Ike, desegregation, the
generative stages of the Civil Rights Movement, the great migration, and the
“changes that were taking place every day in more subtle ways because of the
ferocious commercial drive of television and its effect upon both consumers and
industry.” A very, very good book, informative and readable, really glad I got
to it.
Collection of four thoughtful, very well-written, and
insightful essays/lectures. The statistics on the wars of the 20th
century are staggering, especially the wars from 1914-1945, in which at least
187 million people were killed. Hobsbawm sees clearly the problematic nature of
the Bush administration’s attempts to declare itself an empire and act like
one. His distinctions between the British empire and American hegemony are
obvious to self-evident. An excellent, stimulating, and enjoyable book.
Bacevich’s history and analysis of the crises facing U.S.
governance, foreign policy, and the military, as
exemplified by our involvement in the Middle East. Well reasoned,
convincing, and really well written. Also, deeply depressing. Continued in a
recent article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-bacevich/iraq-assumptions_b_6210920.html.
Risen’s continuation of what he started in State of War: The Secret History of the CIA
and the Bush Administration. Deeply depressing, detailed
accounts of specific examples of the utter corruption of the political-economy
of the American war on terror since 9/11. A little too journalistic, but well
done. Makes me sick.
Reich’s thesis that democratic capitalism, the thing that
made America great, has become super capitalism, and that it is unmaking
America. He claims that the separation between capitalism and political
democracy has broken down, and democracy is being destroyed by uncontrolled
capitalism. No kidding. Well written, good historical background, but I was a
little uncomfortable with how much he likes business. Not bad.
Taibbi’s irreverent, highly intelligent analysis and history
of the financial crisis of 2008 and the division of America into the grifter
(obtains money illicitly and illegally) class and the rest of us. To call the
current construction of the U.S. economy deeply troubling would be a gross
understatement. Made me angry and disgusted, the game is incredibly rigged.
Everyone should read this book.
The problems with this book begin with the title; it’s a
“history” of an underclass that exists only in the traditional south, not “in
America” at large. While all the details she uses point to it, Isenberg never
admits what is completely obvious: the underclass she is discussing was created
and perpetuated by slavery, and exits only in the south. She gets badly muddled
between class, race, and economic status without clarifying the distinctions,
perhaps intentionally blurring them. Some good information on the founding of
Georgia, but much of the other history was already well known to me. In the
end, unconvincing. Disappointing.
Scholarly, intellectual history of the
title with special emphasis on the 1950s. Hofstadter's prose seems dry and a little stilted here, the opposite of how it seemed in America at 1750, perhaps this volume is a little too close to home; it is almost polemical. Even so, it is a crucial volume of twentieth century United States history, and profoundly important in the early twenty-fist century United States.
No comments:
Post a Comment