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Category Archives: Reviews
This week at the library: …we’ll find out together
Dear readers: It turned out, despite their normally up-to-the-minute-correct website, that my university library was not open today, which means for the first time a long while, I have no idea what I’m going to read next. My local library doesn’t carry … Continue reading
George Washington’s Secret Six
George Washington’s Secret Six© 2013 Brian Kilmead257 pages Wars are not won by soldiers alone. In the shadows are those silently gathering information, sometimes at great risks to themselves, to give the nation’s leaders an edge over the foe — … Continue reading
Posted in history, Reviews
Tagged American Revolution, Brian Kilmeade, Colonial America, espionage and commandos, George Washington, history
2 Comments
Common Sense
Common Sense© 1776 Tom Paine After the battles of Lexington and Concord that scotched any idea of peaceful reconciliation between Britain and its former colonies, but before the Declaration of Independence that stared the colonies on their march toward united … Continue reading
The American Tory
The American Tory© 1972 ed. Morten Borden, Penn Borden 141 pages American colonists yearning for independence from Britain called themselves Patriots, not in opposition against the not-yet-arrived royal army, but to set their cause against that of the Loyalists. Not … Continue reading
This week at the library: the Spirit of ’76
Greetings, dear readers! It’s been a busy week for me, reading-wise, because work at the library has been slow. Oprah and Brad Pitt have been wandering around town filming for a movie, and a lot of our usual patrons and traffic … Continue reading
Posted in quotations, Reviews
Tagged adventure, American Literature, military, quotations, race, week in review
2 Comments
A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass© 1845 Frederick Douglass144 pages Although modern readers take for granted the idea that slavery is “bad”, its horrors can only be fully appreciated by the shared experience of those who were subjected … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged American Literature, biography, politics, Politics-CivicInterest, slavery and rebellion
2 Comments
The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter © 1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne 180 pages In 18thcentury Boston, a young woman stands upon the gallows in the center of town, facing down the contempt of the assembled mob. Having broken the … Continue reading
American Sphinx
American Sphinx: the Character of Thomas Jefferson© 1998 Joseph Ellis464 pages Principle author of the Declaration of Independence, partial broker of the Franco-American alliance, third president — there is no denying Thomas Jefferson’s pivotal place within the revolution. He is … Continue reading
Posted in Reviews
Tagged American Revolution, biography, Hail to the Chief, Joseph Ellis, Thomas Jefferson
5 Comments
No Time Like the Past
No Time Like the Past© 2014 Greg Cox 400 pages Question: why is the heroic, resolute-looking face of James T. Kirk carved Rushmore-like into a mountainside in the middle of the Delta Quadrant? In search of an answer, Seven of … Continue reading
This week at the library: American colonies and apes
Dear readers: Last week saw another entry struck from the To Be Read list, as well as the completion of The Odyssey. I’ve been meaning to read the full story properly for years. I’ve mostly been reading the first entry … Continue reading
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