Review: The Autobiography of Santa Claus

The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the "autobiography" of Santa Claus. Written from the perspective of Saint Nicholas, he begins his story at the year of his birth, 280 AD. He grew up in a Christian home and was well educated and of financially comfortable means. Nicholas always felt that he should share his wealth with the people of his home in Lycia, and at the advice of his priest Philip, he found ways to enter the homes of poor families while they slept and left items and money that were needed. By being secretive, he was able to help these families without hurting anyone's feelings of pride. Nicholas grew up to be a bishop in the church and continued to bless local families in need. He eventually branched out beyond his home but had developed a following and was eventually sainted after locals believed he had passed away. Secretly, Nicholas had simply moved to new areas where he could be of help to those without. He also realized that he was not aging the way many his age were. Allowing him to continue giving secret gifts for hundreds and thousands of years.

Along the way, Nicholas meets many people that learn of his timeless circumstances and his secret of gift giving to children throughout the world. Some of these people included historical figures such as Attila the Hun, Leonardo Di Vinci, King Arthur, and Benjamin Franklin. Even Teddy Roosevelt got in on it and had Saint Nicholas, aka Santa Claus in America, name a toy, the Teddy Bear, after himself. Santa also meets his wife Layla, who is eventually known as Mrs. Claus. The story ends when Santa makes his home at the North Pole.

This book was an interesting concept and I particularly enjoyed the first 1/3, learning some of the historical backstory to Saint Nicholas. However, it turned into a bit of an implausible story as the historical characters that Santa met along the way, joined with him and lived throughout the centuries as his helpers. It was hard to think that Leonardo Di Vinci lived centuries, along with King Arthur and Atilla the Hun. That's when the unbelievable was truly unbelievable. I think it would have been better if Santa met these characters and moved on to met others that would help for those specific eras. I do think it was an interesting story and I know there are other books in the series, so I will revisit these other books in the future for Christmas reads. I think this is worth reading, but a little on the hokey side. Others may not be bothered by historical characters living forever.

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Review: Iced Inn: A Gray Whale Inn Short Story

Iced Inn: A Gray Whale Inn Short Story by Karen MacInerney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a sweet holiday read in the Gray Whale Inn series by Karen MacInerney. Natalie is the innkeeper at the Gray Whale Inn and her favorite niece, Gwen, is about to get married to the man of her dreams. As the families descend on the little Maine island, a snowstorm approaches and family tempers flair. Add to that a mystery of missing presents earmarked for a fundraiser to help a local resident in need. It's up to Natalie to solve the mystery and make sure that Gwen makes it to the altar.

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Review: Leadership: In Turbulent Times

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Doris Kearns Goodwin profiles four past presidents who endured tumultuous times during their administrations. Abraham Lincoln had to work through warring factions in the US to see the Emancipation Proclamation become law. Teddy Roosevelt had to deal with a miners strike. FDR took over the country during the depression, seeing multiple programs and projects instituted for his New Deal to come to fruition to stabilize the country's economy. Lyndon Baines Johnson took over as president when the nation lost JFK to an assassin's bullet. He worked hard to see Civil Rights legislation passed during a tumultuous time in our history. All four men had specific leadership qualities that allowed them to persevere through trials and tribulations during their administrations to achieve major goals in moving our country forward. Are these qualities learned or ingrained in these men? They all had uphill battles throughout their lives and their learned experiences in life certainly contributed to their leadership styles.

Goodwin looks at the lives of these men in three sections. The first section covers their young lives and leadership traits they developed before their foray into politics. The second section described some of the hardships they endured in life and their uphill battle getting into politics. The final section covers a specific case study for each president: Emancipation Proclamation, miner's strike, New Deal programs, and Civil Rights legislation. For each president, Goodwin details the leadership qualities that helped these men persevere through turbulent times to become great leaders.

I enjoy Goodwin's writing and how she analyzed each president and their leadership qualities. They were not perfect men, so she did show some of their flaws. In the final chapters, she focused on specific case studies that showed these qualities and the strengths of each man. She did not go into other issues that the presidents dealt with, outside of a brief discussion on the Vietnam war. That seemed a little out of place. I liked how Goodwin focused on one aspect of each man to really show what makes a person a great leader.

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Review: Fear: Trump in the White House

Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have refrained from reading books on our current POTUS (as I do with any past POTUS's during their tenure) but decided to read this one simply because I like the journalism of Bob Woodward, who along with Carl Bernstein uncovered the events of Watergate in such great detail. His investigative journalism garnered the Pulitzer for his work at the Washington Post.

The title Fear comes from a comment that Donald Trump made to Woodward during an interview stating "Real Power is - I don't even want to use the word - fear." That really sums up Trump in many ways. He feels he rules with power through intimidation and fear. Others fear him because of the power he holds and uses, unwisely. They fear the effects of knee-jerk reactions and decisions that are made on his own with or without counsel. As a newcomer to politics and Washington, DC, it has been essential that POTUS leans on members of his staff to brief him on all areas affecting his presidency. Most of the time he listens, but it seems that he rarely heeds that advice and instead governs by a spur of the moment decision and reaction.

The focus of this book was on the constant changes in staff through early 2018, relations with North / South Korea, and China, the Mueller investigation, and Trump's obsession with following his own gut instincts and running the government via Twitter. I felt like Woodward was painting Trump to be a new age Nixon. I often found myself wondering if Nixon would have reacted similiarly if Twitter was around for his administration. He also seems as obsessed with watching TV / the news as LBJ was.

I don't feel the book offered any new insights into Trump that have not already being confabulated by the media. However, I trust what Woodward presents and he presents a picture of a, at times, chaotic and energetic administration. Woodward presents the good and the bad. Most of the book follows Steve Bannon's term as White House Chief Strategist and Senior Counselor to the President. Bannon had been the voice of reason that tried to keep Trump focused on his own agenda. Woodward presents Trump as a person who is often easily distracted by policy threads that slide through his brain. As easily as he narrows in on a topic, he can often be distracted onto a new one. This has given his staff time to do some possible damage control in cases where Trump may not want to wait for needed briefings and direction.

Most of what Woodward focuses on are foreign policy issues and Trump's obsession with making financial decisions. After all, he is a businessman and he is running the country like a business. According to Woodward, he often does not take in the full implications of changes, specifically the strategic repercussions of any foreign policy change. An example being changes in trade agreements with South Korea. Major changes could adversely affect our ability to react to North Korean threats because the US would lose their physical presence in South Korea.

One thing that bothered me about Woodward's writing in this book is the occasional interjection of information that had no bearing on that chapter's thesis. Usually, these were comments about a relative or close staffer. Ivanka was the source of most of these comments. It might be some interjection of a smart-alec or entitled comment that she might make, but had nothing to do with the events being described. Very little was mentioned about Melania or Barron, again, except for one or two comments about something frivolous like Barron interrupting Trump's day for a picture for his friend. It just seemed out of place since 99% of the book is about Trump's governance and relationships with his staff and policy advisors.

The focus of this book is very narrow and not a comprehensive look at Trump's life and all of what he faces as POTUS. This is not a tell-all book and it does not cover the various scandalous topics that have surrounded Trump since he announced his candidacy. I still like Woodward's writing, but I think he would have had a stronger book if he had waited until the end of Trump's administration to see what the final result is of his term as POTUS.

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Review: Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days

Memories of Childhood's Slavery Days by Annie L. Burton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a short little book written by Annie L. Burton, a young African American who grew up a slave. Most of her autobiography is written about her life after emancipation but it does briefly discuss the days of living as a young slave on a plantation in Alabama. The last 1/3 or more of the book is dedicated to poems and songs that inspired her.

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Review: Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America

Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America by Wil Haygood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a really good look at the confirmation process of Thurgood Marshall. Haygood details the players that helped and hindered Marshall's confirmation. It was clear that LBJ was Marshall's champion and may have been the sole reason Marshall made it to the high court. There were those that did their best to keep Marshall from donning the big black robe. Dixiecrat senators McClellan, Ervin, and Thurmond, spearheaded by Senator James Eastland did their best to break down Marshall during the confirmation hearings and show him as unqualified. Eastland would postpone the hearings or flat out not show up to go out on a campaign against Marshall across the south. LBJ did his own campaigning to make sure the needed votes were there and convince dissenters not to vote. Marshall certainly was qualified for the Supreme Court on his own merits, but he needed that push and support from LBJ to become the first African American Solicitor General and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, in an age of segregation and the fight for civil rights.

This is one of those books that reads like a novel. Very enjoyable. Haygood does go off on a few tangents and does not always come full circle after introducing various players in Marshall's life or cases that he might have argued. They didn't seem to have a relevance to his actual confirmation, however, the information was interesting.

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Review: LIFE The 1960s: The Decade When Everything Changed

LIFE The 1960s: The Decade When Everything Changed by The Editors of LIFE
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful pictorial look at the Sixties, a decade of change, of turbulence, and of conflict. So many different things happened that were in direct opposition of each other. War at home and abroad, progress on the ground and in space, conservativism against a new left society. Life was in the middle of it all, doing what they do best, reporting and capturing the moments in pictures.

This is a great little book that gets to the heart of what the Sixties were all about with award-winning photos. This book captures it all.

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Review: Finding Charity's Folk: Enslaved and Free Black Women in Maryland

Finding Charity's Folk: Enslaved and Free Black Women in Maryland by Jessica Millward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a short book that looks at how enslaved women in colonial Maryland negotiated their freedom. Although Millward follows the life of former slave Charity Folk as an example of one woman who gained freedom through manumission, she actually covers a broader history of enslaved women and their family dynamics. Millward researched a plethora of manumission records and followed Charity Folk's family throughout the ages, connecting with her descendants, as well as those of her master's.

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Review: Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution

Stonewall: The Riots That Sparked the Gay Revolution by David Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

At the heart of Greenwich Village, NY, sits the Stonewall Inn. In 1969, this mafia-run gay bar became the site of a large riot that led to the rising of the Gay Revolution. The area of Greenwich Village near Christopher Park was known as a place where many gay, young, homeless men, struggled to survive or to purposely live among the people they could best identify with. It was also an area heavily run by the mafia. This was also a time when the country was in turmoil due to the Vietnam war, Civil Rights, Women's Liberation, and the rise of the New Left.

To avoid red tape and extra costs, the Stonewall Inn was run as an exclusive club, rather than a bar. The cops were paid off to avoid the area, but occasional raids happened during off-hours to keep up appearances, until one night, Deputy Police Inspector Seymour Pine hatched a plan to close the bar down for good. In a spontaneous raid, Pine and his laches raided the place, sparking a 2-night riot. Many involved in the gay community and supporters of the inn's patrons instigated the riots and eventually started a revolution by coordinating the Gay Liberation Front and the Gay Activist Alliance. Author David Carter profiles key figures involved in the riots, the atmosphere in the gay community, and the events that led up to the raid on June 28, 1969.

Also covered is the aftermath of the riots and the work of GLF and GAA in the months following, as well as the fight for the basic rights of the gay community. This is an important story that needs to be told. The 60s were a time of change and revolution. It was a time that many fought for simple civil rights for minority groups: women, blacks, ethnic groups, and LGBTQ.

This book is very well researched, very readable, and very enlightening.



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Review: Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era

Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era by Ashley D. Farmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a comprehensive look at the image of black womanhood in the era of the Black Power movement. Dr. Ashley Farmer details 5 different images of black womanhood: The Militant Negro Domestic (1945-1965), The Black Revolutionary Woman (1966-1975), The African Woman (1965-1975), The Pan-African Woman (1972-1976), and The Third World Black Woman (1970-1979).

The author argues that in the 1960s black women were the most oppressed people in our nation. Black women suffered ternary oppression in class, gender, and race. Forging their path of activism on the heels of the Civil Rights and Black Power movements, African-American women set out to reinvent their image and fight for equal rights. Utilizing the writings and art of the time, Ashley D. Farmer focuses her book “Remaking Black Power: How Black Women Transformed an Era” on the activism and ideology of black womanhood.

Ashley Farmer’s central theme centers around the idea that black women are at the heart of many activist groups in the 1960s and 1970s. The work of these women goes beyond the day to day activism under the leadership of men of the Black Power era. These women redefined black womanhood through the contributions of activists like Joan Bird, Amina Baraka, and Kathleen Neal Cleaver.

This is the definitive book on the women of the Black Power movement. It's a great resource on civil rights and activism from the 1950s through the 1970s. I particularly liked the chapter on the Black Panther organization and the women (Pantherettes) that helped form and run the group. It clarified their ideology and their reason for taking a militant stance in a tumultuous time in history. This book is eye-opening and its themes resonate today when civil and human rights are issues that are still at the forefront of the nation's mind.

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Review: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you enjoy Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman, this will be a fun listen. They are a funny couple. This is a biography of sorts of their relationship and marriage. As odd as they are, they are a pretty normal couple who obviously adore each other and have fun taking pictures, working puzzles, and singing. They discuss several topics from their family, dating, religion, sex, and puzzles. If you get the book version, whether a physical or e-reader version, you’ll get to see a bunch of fun pictures. In the audio version, they will describe the pictures for you in detail. I listened to the audio while following along on my Kindle.

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Review: Stolen Childhood, Second Edition: Slave Youth in Nineteenth-Century America

Stolen Childhood, Second Edition: Slave Youth in Nineteenth-Century America by Wilma King
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very well researched book that follows the life of a slave from the cradle to the grave. Wilma King focuses the bulk of her book on the lost innocence of a childhood for children in bondage in the antebellum south. King utilizes a lot of data including slave narratives, letters, and diaries to piece together the lifecycle of a slave. She draws a picture of a slave's family unit and the circumstances surrounding their bondage, whether they were born into slavery or captured and sold into slavery. She then details the care of a baby and their aging into a toddler that suddenly has chores and light work around the masters home and slave quarters. Many slaves take their babies into the fields with them to play in nearby areas under the watchful eye of their mother. Around the age of 10, children begin back-breaking work in the fields with little leisure time in the evenings and weekends. The second half of the book moves to education (or lack thereof) and the quest for freedom, whether from running away, manumission or eventually for some, emancipation.

I felt this was a very good look at the life of a slave and liked the focus on children. At about the half-way mark, as the topic of education was brought up, I felt that the author lost their focus on a slave's childhood. King certainly mentions how each topic affected children, but their childhood was no longer the true focus, rather it was on the topics and how they affected the entire slave community. I did not feel that the author really brought her thesis full circle to revisit the stolen childhood of a slave. However, this is still a book worthy of the read. It was too short to get too dense, but the statistics were at times less important to the intended thesis and could have been relegated to an appendix or endnote. The first half is quite readable, the second half, skimmable.

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Review: When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection

When I Was a Slave: Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection by Norman R. Yetman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This short book is a collection of slave narratives gathered through interviews during the 1930s by interviewers of the WPA's Federal Writers' Project. There are a total of 34 narratives from slaves throughout the south. Each tells his or her own story that includes the moment when they learned they had been emancipated. They all lived a hard life. Some had more fond memories of their family and even their master's family, but most show the cruel treatment they endured and the lack of life-sustaining provisions, such as food, clothes, and rest.

What I found interesting was the age of all of these slaves. For them to have lived without so many needs being met, with a lack of decent food, they all lived to at least their late 80s and even into the 100s. Obviously, these are resilient people. It makes you wonder what they could have accomplished in life if circumstances were different.

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Review: We Can Do It: The Troubled Story of School Desegregation in Alachua County, Florida

We Can Do It: The Troubled Story of School Desegregation in Alachua County, Florida by Michael T. Gengler
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a very long and exhaustive look at the equally long and exhaustive work to desegregate the schools in Alachua County, Florida in the late 60s and early 70s. Deeply segregated until that time, Alachua County, Florida which includes Gainesville, had several schools with quite a bit of history. Many people, including students in both white and black schools, did not want to integrate. There were many obstacles that the community faced to become a unitary school system. Not only did the students need to integrate, but teachers and administrators too. Some schools were forced to close and new schools were added. There were protests, riots, and eventually assimilation. It was quite an undertaking but as the students once stated: "We Can Do It."

This was an interesting look at the challenges one community faced to integrate. Many faced the same challenges throughout the south in the mid-20th century. This is a good book, a good case study for scholars of Civil Rights and those interested in the process to integrate southern schools. I'm glad I read it but it was very long. I felt the author went on a few tangents that were unnecessary, over-quoted sources, and could have condensed a lot and still offered an accurate portrait of the issues that were faced in Alachua County.

I received this book gratis through Goodreads Giveaways.

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Review: Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970

Freedom for Women: Forging the Women's Liberation Movement, 1953-1970 by Carol Giardina
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a look at the Women's Liberation Movement in the 1950s and 60s. According to author Carol Giardina who was a part of the WLM, the push for women's rights grew from the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s. Like black women fighting for civil rights, feminist women decided to do something and started their own grassroots campaign based on the work of SNCC activists. Women such as Kathie Sarachild and Zoharah Simmons became pioneers in Women's Liberation.

Giardina follows the work of these women, as well as influencers like Simone de Beauvoir to show how women forged a new path during a tumultuous time in modern history. The movement resonated with women worldwide as activism grew into radical feminism and consciousness-raising. Giardina also explores what ultimately caused the movement to decline and the struggles women faced from conservative opposition.

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Review: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Frederick Douglass' first-person narrative of his time as a slave from his earliest recollections through his escape to freedom and a new life with a new name. It is a haunting look at slave life, where the people are treated like animals and property. They were simply tools to get work done and nothing more. Douglass uses his experiences to speak out against slavery, the importance of literacy, becoming your own person, and a warning to guard against unjust people. Douglass worked to earn his freedom on his own terms and became a strong leader for early civil rights.

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Review: The Myth of Perpetual Summer

The Myth of Perpetual Summer by Susan Crandall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Tallulah James has come home to Mississippi after a long absence and estrangement from her family. The family she has struggled to understand throughout her young life is facing another crisis and it is left to Lulie to help pick up the pieces. During her trip home Lulie reflects on her past as a young teenage girl growing up on a pecan grove in rural Mississippi in the 60s. She is the 2nd of four kids in a dysfunctional home where her mother was constantly gone and her father was battling emotional issues. Her parent's relationship was tumultuous. Lulie's lone source of stability has been her grandmother who holds to southern manners and rules. Granny James, however, is holding some family secrets that could explain her father's erratic behavior and her broken family.

This is another coming of age story by Susan Crandall who wrote Whistling Past the Graveyard. It holds up against Crandall's earlier works but is much darker. Its overall message seems to be to resolve the burdens of the past so that they don't carry emotional weight throughout life. It is not my favorite of Crandall's books that I have read so far but was still worth the read.

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Review: American Slavery: 1619-1877

American Slavery: 1619-1877 by Peter Kolchin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an overview of American slavery from its beginnings through its abolishment with the 13th amendment. Kolchin breaks down the differences between the different eras of slavery: Colonial, American Revolution, and Antebellum years. There is also a chapter that discusses slavery from the white southerners perspective during those years after the Civil War. Where this is a somewhat small book (under 300 pages), it provides a very clear understanding of the different topics that were affected by slavery without digging too deep.

This particular edition provides a very nice bibliography and Kolchin discusses areas of slavery that have had little to no research / scholarly written works. This makes a great resource for scholarly writing.

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Review: Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie

Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie by Harold Schechter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a short story about the true crimes of the Bender family, known serial killers from 1871-1873. The "Bloody Benders" was a family living in Labette County deep in the prairie lands of Kansas. They build a makeshift store and inn for lonely travelers along the Osage trail between Independence, Missouri and Kansas. They would entice these travelers into the inn for dinner and kill them, disposing of their bodies in the night. After a few too many people went missing, loved ones started searching and came across the abandoned home of the Benders, who had disappeared.

Schechter details the events that lead up to the discovery of the Bender home and the search of the Benders afterward, including the urban legends that live on. This is a quick read and is run to read as a "Kindle in Motion" that should be read via the Kindle app on an iPad or Kindle Fire to check out the fun moving graphics.

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Review: Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie

Little Slaughterhouse on the Prairie by Harold Schechter
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

This is a short story about the true crimes of the Bender family, known serial killers from 1871-1873. The "Bloody Benders" was a family living in Labette County deep in the prairie lands of Kansas. They build a makeshift store and inn for lonely travelers along the Osage trail between Independence, Missouri and Kansas. They would entice these travelers into the inn for dinner and kill them, disposing of their bodies in the night. After a few too many people went missing, loved ones started searching and came across the abandoned home of the Benders, who had disappeared.

Schechter details the events that lead up to the discovery of the Bender home and the search of the Benders afterward, including the urban legends that live on. This is a quick read and is run to read as a "Kindle in Motion" that should be read via the Kindle app on an iPad or Kindle Fire to check out the fun moving graphics.

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Review: Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found

Beneath a Ruthless Sun: A True Story of Violence, Race, and Justice Lost and Found by Gilbert King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Another stellar book from Gilbert King. Beneath a Ruthless Sun is the story of Jesse Daniels, who in 1950s rural Florida finds himself accused of the rape of a prominent local woman. Blanche Knowles, the wife of a citrus tycoon was raped and threatened late one night in Okahumpka, Florida. Her description of her abuser led local sheriff Willis McCall to round up every young black man in the county with the expectation of wielding McCall's version of justice on at least one of those men. Despite Knowles' claim that the rapist was a young black man, Jesse Daniels, a poor young white teenager was eventually accused of the crime, despite a solid alibi. What is uncovered is a conspiracy that included many high profile members of law enforcement and state politics, including then-governor LeRoy Collins. Jesse Daniels was simply a patsy. He was developmentally slow and had a stutter, but was smart enough to know the difference between wrong and right and to understand what was going on to him.

To conceal the cover-up, McCall had Daniels reprimanded to the Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee, FL, denying him his day in court. It was an unimaginable sentence for the young man who knew he was innocent. He did have champions on his side, however. Besides his mother, Pearl, who never lost faith in hope of her son's eventual release, Mable Norris Reese, a local journalist, used her position as editor of the local newspaper The Topic to keep Daniels' case in the news and the forefront of everyone's mind. Despite threats and abuse, the two women fought every battle that came their way to seek the release of Jesse from the state hospital and to have his criminal record expunged.

Sheriff McCall was a notorious, racist man of the law of Lake County, FL. He was introduced to us in King's prior Pulitzer prize book, Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America. McCall served as sheriff from 1944 to 1972 and was no stranger to controversy. He was feared by everyone and had his own brand of justice that spared no one. It is befuddling that he had so much power in such a small county that resonated state-wide.

This is a heartbreaking and infuriating story. You can't help getting sucked into the story and rooting for Jessie along with Mable and Pearl. If there was ever a man to be hated, it was Willis V. McCall. He was pure evil. I thought this was another page-turner. I enjoy King's writing and his way of putting you in central Florida in the 1950s-70s. I suspect this will be another award-winning book for Gilbert King.

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Review: From Sit-ins to SNCC: The Student Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s

From Sit-ins to SNCC: The Student Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s by Iwan W. Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a look at the rise and fall of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) through the lens of 10 different essays. Each essay concentrates on a different view of the impact of the student-led protests starting with the 1960 Greensboro sit-in that led to the organization of SNCC. Topics covered include the effects of the sit-ins on white southern segregationists, the black power movement, the British and international civil rights movements, fictional writing by activists, and the election of Barack Obama.

SNCC may have gone by the wayside, but the impact of the direct action peaceful protests of the 1960s is still seen today. This book is really more about SNCC than it is about the sit-ins, but it was these protests that brought the organization together and started a wave of student activism.

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Review: Rethinking the Chicano Movement

Rethinking the Chicano Movement by Marc Simon Rodriguez
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good analysis of the Chicano movement of the 60s and 70s. The rise of the Chicano movement happened about the same time as the Civil Rights movement. Several activist groups contributed to the education and support of these communities. Rodriguez looks at how political activism, urban politics, youth and college campuses, the media and Chicano authors, and art supported the Chicano movement. He specifically concentrated his discussion in cities that had a high concentration of Mexican-Americans such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and San Antonio. As African-Americans fought for civil and human rights and equality, so did Mexican-Americans. And that fight continues.

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Review: Claws for Alarm

Claws for Alarm by Karen MacInerney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

In Karen MacInerney's 8th edition to the Gray Whale Inn mystery series, Natalie Barnes, owner of the Gray Whale Inn Bed and Breakfast on the little Maine community of Cranberry Island, is hosting a yoga retreat. A strange cast of characters have Natalie making strange looking power drinks rather than her usual homebaked goodies. Meanwhile, a new couple has taken up residence on the island looking to make some major changes that are not going over so well with the locals, leading to a murder and finger-pointing at Natalie's good friend Claudette. So it's up to the Inn's owner to figure out the mystery and save Claudette and her goats from being framed for the murder.

I generally don't read many mysteries but I thoroughly enjoy Karen MacInerney's cozy mystery series. There are bonus recipes at the end of the book of all of the food mentioned in the story. As always, I look forward to new books in all of Karen's series.

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Review: Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder

Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As a little girl, I read all of the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I grew up an hours drive from Laura and Almanzo's home in Mansfield, Missouri. I watched the series starring Melissa Gilbert and Charles Landon. I felt I knew a lot about Laura and her life, but what I knew until I read Prairie Fires only scratched the surface. Laura Ingalls was the embodiment of the prairie girl. Born in Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline, Laura was one of four girls who traveled from homestead to homestead in the late 19th century. Charles was determined to find the farm of his dream that would bring a comfortable living for his family. He was a frontiersman and a farmer and he yearned to live off the land. Times were hard, though, and the Ingalls seemed to be constantly dodging debt and destruction where ever they seemed to hang their hat. By the time they made it to De Smet, Dakota Territory, Laura was on her way to becoming a young lady capable of running a household and helping take care of the family. It was in De Smet that she met her future husband, Almanzo Wilder and where they would marry and welcome their daughter Rose.

When times fell hard (were they ever not hard?) on the family in De Smet, the Wilders would venture to Mansfield, Missouri where they would make their home permanently. It was in Mansfield that Laura would pen her classic children's stories of her life growing up on the midwest prairies. It is also where her daughter would get her own start as an author. And herein lies the controversy of the true author(s) of the Little House books. Some believe they are the work of Laura's pen, while others believe that Rose either ghostwrote the series or at least had a heavy hand at the editing. No doubt Rose was an integral part of the writing and publishing of Laura's semi-autobiographical stories. The other controversy surrounding the books is how much is true and how much is fictionalized. Laura always stated that "all that I have told is true but it is not the whole truth." How much of her childhood did she remember? How much did she embellish and how much has been altered to make a better story?

Caroline Fraser tackles all of these questions and gets down to the bones of Laura's story and life. As much as the book is about Laura, it is about her daughter Rose as well. The two had a strained and at times tumultuous relationship. Mother and daughter did not see eye to eye on a lot of things. Each woman was headstrong, yet each had demons that they wrestled with. Laura's story would be incomplete without examining Rose's life as well. At times, the book becomes Rose's story as we deviate from the expected look at Laura's later years, but in the end, it comes full circle. Fraser covers the full spectrum from the early years before Laura was even born through Rose's death and the outcome of the Wilder and Lane estates.

This is a very thorough look at the Ingalls, Wilder, and Lane histories and it will leave you seeing these women in a different light. I knew some of the backstories, but I feel like I have a better understanding of Laura Ingalls Wilder. The questions are not all answered, but I think I'm happy with that. I'm still and will always be a fan of the series that made me enjoy reading as a young girl. I'll also know that what is written is true, but it is not the whole truth.

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Review: We the People: An Introduction to American Politics

We the People: An Introduction to American Politics by Benjamin Ginsberg
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a textbook on American Politics. It covers pretty much every subject you would expect to find in a textbook on politics. If you have to read a textbook on American politics, this will do fine, but as you would imagine, it can be dry and boring.

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Review: The State of Texas: Government, Politics, and Policy

The State of Texas: Government, Politics, and Policy by Sherri Mora
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a good textbook on Texas politics and policies. It covers the whole gamut from Texas history and political history, the organization of the state government and court system, policies and financing, political parties, lobbying, and voting.

This was an easy to read textbook with great pictures and charts to supplement the discussion.

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Review: American and Texas Political History: A Maze of Racialized Thought in America

American and Texas Political History: A Maze of Racialized Thought in America by Mario Marcel Salas
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I'm very conflicted on how to review this book. On the surface, this book is touted as a discourse in American and Texan political history. It is really a book on racism in Texas. The author, Mario Salas, is an Afro-Mexican Civil Rights leader living in San Antonio, TX. His main message throughout the book is that Texas' war of independence was based on the perpetuation of slavery and the appropriation of land from Mexico in order to raise more crops on the backs of slaves. That is an important and truthful message, for which I will give this rating a star. Salas has offered plenty of research to support this fact. That message and his final thoughts could really be summed up in one to two short chapters.

The rest of the book, however, is full of repeated rants and angry rhetoric with no cohesiveness or organization. There were many times I had to flip back to see if I had somehow lost my place and was re-reading something I already had. There was also a couple of chapters where Salas quoted other's works in painfully long details. Chapter 3, in particular, rounds out to about 50 pages of the 1847 writings of Benjamin Lundy on the war in Texas. Of those 50ish pages, Salas' writes but three paragraphs. Of those pages of Lundy's document, only a few comments were needed to make the point that Salas should have been making.

Salas comes off as an angry man who does not hold back on calling out all kinds of people for being racists. He devotes several paragraphs across multiple chapters attacking African American Republicans for kowtowing to white racists to further their careers. He even attacked the former mayor of San Antonio, Ivy Taylor, the first African American woman mayor and a Democrat, suggesting that she crossed party lines to get herself elected and has become a racist because of it. He fails to mention that her only opponent was also a minority woman and a Democrat.

This book is very dated. It is just about three years old and is already outdated. Many of the politicians and "current events" are long past, now, causing his supporting themes to be lacking in substance. The message that comes across is that he is holding on to grudges, rather than having supporting evidence for his thesis.

My other criticism of the book is that it is one hot mess when it comes to grammar. The man is a college professor and holds two Masters degrees, yet he is unable, apparently, to utilize spellcheck or Grammarly. It's obvious that the book has not been edited or reviewed and was likely self-published. The book comes off as personal rantings rather than a scholarly work.

So the tl;dr version of my own rant is that this book has a singular, important message but it is wrapped up in an unorganized mess, going off on repeated rants full of hate about the haters. I don't believe you can fight hate with hate. I say, skip this one as there are many great books to read on Civil and Human Rights.

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Review: President Carter: The White House Years

President Carter: The White House Years by Stuart E. Eizenstat
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jimmy Carter's Chief Domestic Policy Advisor, Stuart Eizenstat, details the President's journey into politics and his four years in the White House. Eizenstat was with Carter every step of the way, through the energy crisis and the fight for a new energy policy, the crumbling economy, peace negotiations in the Middle East, cabinet shakeups, the Iran hostage crisis, and his downfall as a one-term president. Carter accomplished a lot during his tenure in the White House that has been mostly overlooked due to his, at times, own stubbornness to do things his way, his unflinching convictions, his fight for human rights over other matters of political importance, and his bad timing for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Carter did what no other president has done before or after, he negotiated peace in the Middle East. Since his time in the White House, he and Rosalyn have worked tirelessly for human rights in countries around the world. His accomplishments earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. So why did he end up being a one-term president? Eizenstat draws on countless pages of notes that he took through the 4 years he worked with Carter, as well as many interviews with the important players in Carter's career that takes the reader on an intimate tour of Carter's presidency.

If you are interested in politics and/or Jimmy Carter at all, this book will be a great resource on his time in the White House. Eizenstat is obviously a fan of Carter's, but he does not whitewash his time as Commander in Chief. He shows us the good and the bad, blemishes and all. What is missing and perhaps this is not the book for it, is the details of Jimmy Carter outside of the political realm. We get a few chapters at the beginning that covers Carter's rise into politics, including his time in the Navy. I don't feel that I got to know Carter, the man. This book is about his politics and the issues that the President dealt with while in office. The better sections, I thought, were the ones that covered the Camp David Accords, where Carter painstakingly worked for peace between Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat.

Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter are such wonderful humanitarians that have left quite a legacy during those four years. It would have been interesting to have seen what he could have accomplished had he been able to serve another four years.

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Review: The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote

The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine F. Weiss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It is the battleground of Memphis, Tennessee in August 1920 where Carrie Catt and Alice Paul, suffragettes, stand toe-to-toe with Josephine Pearson, an anti-suffragette. The fight for the 19th Amendment comes down to one more needed state to ratify, giving the vote to women in America. It is an election year and Tennessee governor Albert Roberts wants to make sure he is re-elected. His stance on the "Susan B. Anthony Amendment" could make or break his campaign. In the hopes that the "woman vote" will get him another term, Roberts calls a special session of the Tennessee legislature to consider the amendment.

The women of the suffrage movement are split between the Catt's National American Women's Suffrage Association and the more radical National Women's Party led by Paul. They both go after the men of Tennessee's House and Senate, while their opponent Pearson pulls some dirty tricks of her own to try to squash the vote. The days leading up to the vote are frenzied and stressful for all involved. Each side knows that whichever way the vote goes, it will be by a narrow margin. The savior of the day is one Harry Burn, who on the advice of his mother, makes a very last minute decision that heralds a monumental change in the lives of all American women.

This is one of those non-fiction books that reads like a novel. The constant changes in those days leading up to the final vote can, at times, be nail-biting. It is a story that all women need to read. Many women fought to get the right to vote. Many women fought against it as well. I think a lot of modern women take the ability to vote for granted. It shows in our polls with only about 63% of eligible women voting in the 2016 November election. This is an excellent book that will make you want to go out and join the League of Women Voters and stand as a proud voter.

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Review: The Little Prince

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the story of a young boy who describes himself as a little prince, who meets a pilot out in the desert. The little prince is on a quest for knowledge and tells the pilot the story of his life, so far. As much as the story is about the prince, it is also about how the pilot reconnects to his own sense of childish wonder, exploring his own heart and wishes.

A sweet story with a sweet message.

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Review: House on Mango Street

House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the sweet story of Esperanza, a young Latina girl living in a poor neighborhood of Chicago. Told in a series of vignettes, The House on Mango Street is aimed at young readers and is a coming of age story. Cisneros is lyric in her prose and the reader gets sucked into Esperanza's life from the first page.

This is a great book for young readers, especially those of Latina / Latino descent.

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Review: Dark Tracks

Dark Tracks by Philippa Gregory
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fourth story in Philippa Gregory's Order of Darkness young adult series. The story follows Luca, an inquisitor for the Lord of the Order of Darkness in 1461, along with his band of friends, Brother Peter, Frieze, Isolde, and Ishraq. The men are sent out to investigate why a town of people have suddenly taken to dancing. They are not merely just dancing but are falling into a trance-like state and dancing through town to the beat of a piper and drummer. It is the job of the men of the order to find out why they are dancing and if it can be stopped. Isolde and Ishraq, the ladies of the group, join the men on their quest as they travel toward Isolde home where her brother has overthrown her and taken control of their home, Lucretili. The women are taken hostage by a con man disguised as a peddler.

This is a great series for young adults that introduces them to the history of the Inquisition. Although the story is completely fictional, it has roots in historical truth. Philippa Gregory never disappoints with her series of books. They are all well written and engaging and leaves the reader wanting to learn more.

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Review: The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Radium. It's the wonder chemical that glows in the dark. For years, in the early 20th-century clock and watch dials were hand painted with a mixture that included radium to allow the numbers and hands to glow. They were handy to own and almost essential for military personnel. The factories that painted the dial hired women to painstakingly paint each dial by hand. Using fine pointed brushed, each painter would take their brush and dip...lip...brush and then repeat over and over every work day. To get such a fine point on their brush they would use their lips to wet the brush to a fine point. They were told time and again that radium was harmless and was even good for your body. Brush it on your teeth for a bright white glow. Amaze your boyfriends with glowing lips using a little radium to spread on like lipstick. These women would come home looking luminescent from the paint spatters on their body from a hard days work. It was great money and as long as it was safe, the women continued to work and enjoy the camaraderie with their fellow painters.

Companies like the United States Radium Factory quite knowingly lied to these women to make a substantial profit. Many if not all of the companies management and scientific team knew that radium could be harmful and possibly deadly. They kept the truth hidden to keep the women working and supply a product that was in demand. After several women became severely ill and in some cases, died, legal action against the companies involved was filed and a fight began.

Kate Moore tells the story of these women from their viewpoint from the early days of dial painting through the litigation and aftermath. Like any radioactive component, the harmful effects of the poison lives on for many years, in some cases 1600+ years. These brave women fought for justice and for workplace safety. They literally gave their lives for industry-wide reform and rights for those affected by radiation poisoning. Moore pulls the reader into their lives and gives them a voice that cannot be ignored.

It is easy to see why Radium Girls has received the accolades that it has. I hope Moore will find another subject to delve into.

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Review: An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew

An American Princess: The Many Lives of Allene Tew by Annejet van der Zijl
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The title of this book would be more appropriate as "The Many Loves of Allene Tew." This book is more about the people that surrounded Allene than it is about herself. Through most of the book, Allene is a secondary character. Allene Tew was a young woman from the late 19th century who came from a pioneering family and married into a higher social status. Although her first husband was from a wealthy family, he was not highly regarded and less so once he married the young woman from the country. Her husband Tod Hostetter was the first in a long line of husbands. Each marriage seemed to edit her social status, not always for the better and she eventually wed a Dutch prince and a German count. She suffered some tragedies in life but also found sources of great love and strength.

I wanted to like this book but I felt that Tew was a very one-dimensional character. I never felt that we truly got to know her. Most of the book was dedicated to the men in her lives, giving the reader great details of their rise and fall in society. The book also seemed to be more of a history lesson on life during the periods that Tew lived. This information was at times very elementary and even repetitive. The reader learned more than once that John Jacob Astor died on the Titanic.

Although this was a non-fiction book, I think it would have been more enjoyable as a historical fiction story and the author could have envisioned Tew's character and thoughts. The way the book came across was more of "here's the facts." Tew did this and then did this based on newspaper articles and genealogical records. I do wonder how much of the flatness of the story and the elementary discourse was due to the translation from Dutch to English.

All in all, the information was interesting but the overall story just seemed to drag on with the minutia of detail on everyone and everything except Allene Tew. Perhaps the story is more interesting in its native language, but I suspect it comes across the same. This would be a good book for someone not familiar with the Gilded Age through World War I.

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Review: The Paris Wife

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is the fictional story of the first wife of Ernest Hemingway. Hadley Richardson met Ernest through mutual friends and fell immediately in love. Eventually marrying, the two struggled through their marriage and life in Paris, France. Ernest was an up and coming author who was trying to find his way in life. Hadley was very much in love but was troubled with Ernest's constant drinking and philandering.

This was a good story but I struggled at times with the drawn-out stories of bullfighting and day to day life in Paris, so the story dragged at times for me. I was a bit frustrated with Hadley as she came off a bit weak when I think she was stronger than she was portrayed. Not a bad book, but I wasn't engrossed. Love and Ruin is much better, I think.

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Review: Love and Ruin

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Martha Gellhorn was the third wife of Ernest Hemingway. They met while Martha and her family were vacationing in Florida and Martha was smitten from the beginning. At the time she was a struggling author who had just lost her stiffest critic, her dad. She longed to see the world and make a name for herself through her writing, and Hemingway provided an avenue to achieve her dreams. The two struck up a friendship that turned into a relationship. The problem, though, was that he was married. Their love was strong and they felt they could endure anything together. However, they were both headstrong and they both had demons to deal with. Their life together was a tale of love and ruin.

I knew little about Hemingway's life and even less about Gellhorn. This is a fictional tale of their life but their soul is felt throughout this story. This is my first read of McLain's and I wish I had read The Paris Wife first to get some background on wife #1. Obviously, Hemingway had issues and was a love 'em and leave 'em kind of guy who was tormented by personal struggles that he ultimately could not handle. Gellhorn is shown as a strong, independent woman always searching for validation. The book is also filled with historical events and exotic locales from Spain to Cuba to Paris.

I received this book gratis through Goodreads Giveaways.

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Review: There Goes My Everything: White Southerners in the Age of Civil Rights, 1945-1975

There Goes My Everything: White Southerners in the Age of Civil Rights, 1945-1975 by Jason Sokol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“You’ve got to open the wound and clean it before it can heal,” James Prince reflected. “It’s as if we’ve had this open gash on the arm for 40 years and have done nothing but put a bandage on it.”

This is a book about racism. It is a different viewpoint of the Civil Rights movement from 1945 through 1975. Jason Sokol takes a look at how white southerners changed, or not, during this tumultuous time in American history. Many white southerners had very strong and direct viewpoints on race relations and many would not budge. There were those, though, who listened as Martin Luther King, Jr. and his followers marched through the streets, as students went to luncheonettes for sit-ins, as busing was protested. Their eyes were opened, sometimes slowly, but they did open.

The issue of racism was always there and is still seen in some parts today. In some southern towns, race relations are like a festering wound that will not heal. It is a subject not often discussed for fear of retribution from those whose beliefs are staunchly holding on to old segregationist ideology. Prince's analogy of the wound that will not heal until it is opened and cleaned still holds true today, in some parts of southern America.

This book takes a look at the history of those beliefs and the people who continued to fight for segregation and those that fought for desegregation and equal rights for all people. Sokol covers the battles of politicians fighting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964, desegregation, and voting rights, as well as following some ordinary citizens who fought to keep their businesses and restaurants segregated. There are those who willingly desegregated and others that were forced to integrate but would find new ways to draw racial lines. Sokol also revealed who truly seemed to change and see that we're all equal people deserving of the same human and civil rights.

I have read and studied many books on American Civil Rights. This book is one that should be read and discussed. Sadly, racism is not dead and it is important to continue fighting for equality for all.

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Review: Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men

Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The strange and brutal murders of at least 9 people in La Porte, Indiana in the early 21st century has perplexed the town residents for years. It is the case of Belle Gunness, a matrimonial murderess dubbed "Hell's Princess" among other erstwhile nicknames. Young Belle was a Norwegian immigrant to the US in the late 1800s. Once she arrived, she moved to Chicago to live near her sister. Unmarried with no kids, Belle takes on the foster care of a couple of children, as well as her niece. Soon after, she marries and her husband eventually passes away. She moves to the Norwegian settlement of La Porte, Indiana. It is there that her second husband suffers a fatal accident, leaving her twice widowed. Thereafter, many men come into her life, but they never seem to leave. This true tale echoes similar odd and mysterious circumstances such as the likes of H. H. Holmes and his Murder Capital, the notorious serial killer of the Chicago's 1893 World Exposition.

Harold Schechter details Gunness's life from her landing in the United States through her supposed death and beyond. It has been a confounding case that continues unsolved or has it? I was completely engrossed in this story. Schechter has an engaging writing style that keeps you drawn into Belle's life. It is a quick read but includes a great amount of information. I happened to read the Kindle In Motion version of this story which added to the experience. This new Kindle technology has animated pictures that keep the story interesting. I highly recommend any book that is being read on a Kindle app to utilize the Kindle In Motion technology.

I received this book gratis through Goodreads Giveaways.

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Review: The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation

The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This Pulitzer Prize winning book examins the role that the media had on the modern Civil Rights movement. In the late 40s and into the 50s, little coverage in newsprint was given to the issues of African Americans in the southern United States. The stories of beatings, lynchings, and mistreatment were detailed in segregationist newspapers printed for and sold to southern Black Americans. As key figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Rosa Parks, and Malcolm X began to gain national attention, media sources picked up the stories. In print and eventually in television and radio, the Civil Rights movement garnered headline news and breaking stories. The role of the media during this time should not be overlooked. Indeed, the media brought these issues to the forefront of the nation's mind and helped in the fight to bring about much needed legistlation, such as the Voting Rights Act.

Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff recount the events of the civil rights struggle from Brown V. BOE to Selma and beyond through the eyes of the journalists, photographers, and newscasters, both black and white. These were the people working what came to be known as the Race Beat. Many put themselves in harm's way to get the stories that needed to be told to the nation and it is these stories that helped give a voice to civil rights issues in America.

"If it hadn't been for the media - the print media and television - the civil rights movement would have been like a bird without wings, a choir without a song." - John Lewis

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Review: Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father

Eden's Outcasts: The Story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father by John Matteson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a detailed biography of the lives of Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, and her father Amos Bronson Alcott. To get a full sense of who Louisa was, one needs to get a fair picture of her father and her entire family. Bronson was of the group of Transcendentalists which included the likes of Emerson, Thoreau, and Fuller. Bronson, an author himself, educator, and speaker did not always live up to the same stature of his peers and the family often struggled because of it. His wife and their four daughters were often left alone to handle the home situation while Bronson traveled for business. It was during these times that the women spent together that gave Louisa inspiration to write Little Women and many other published works. Despite having a strained relationship at times, Louisa and Bronson became close in their later years.

This is a great book for any fan of LMA and the Little Women series. I wasn't always a fan of Bronson and reading about his life was my least favorite part of the book; however, it really helps to understand him and his thoughts and ideas to understand Louisa and what drove and inspired her.

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Review: Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon

Hillbilly: A Cultural History of an American Icon by Anthony Harkins
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Moonshiner, Redneck, Country Folk, Hillbilly. These are all terms that have been used throughout southern US history to describe the residents of the Appalachian and Ozark mountain ranges. Anthony Harkins details the history of the word Hillbilly which is both a cultural icon and at times, a derogatory term. Hillbilly has its roots in the Appalachian area but eventually migrated to include the mountainous area of Missouri and Arkansas. The term seemed to have its start in literary and regional history and grew to be used in songs, comics, movies, and television.

This book started out as Harkin's dissertation and was expanded to be published in book form. It is at times a bit on the dry side showing its scholarly roots, but by the time you get to movies and television, the information becomes much more relatable. This is a good example of how old regional vernacular is becoming more offensive and derogatory as our country's worldview has expanded.

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Review: Woodstock: Three Days that Rocked the World

Woodstock: Three Days that Rocked the World by Mike Evans
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a wonderful retrospective of the iconic 3-day music and arts festival known as Woodstock. Full of colorful photos from the weekend event, this book also details the organization of the concert as well as the individual performances. Specific information includes the time that each act performed, set lists, and band members. The book is also full of quotes and oral histories of participants and attendees. Behind the scenes information and pictures are also included. This is a great coffee table book for the Woodstock fan.

At first glance the book looks to be a bit discombobulated due to the color and look of the text throughout, but as you read you find it to have a wealth of information and the pictures are fascinating.

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Review: The Road to Woodstock

The Road to Woodstock by Michael Lang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the definitive book on the 1969 Woodstock music festival. Written by organizer Michael Lang, The Road to Woodstock details his early life, how he got into the music business, and how he came up with the idea of a massive concert. Along with partner Artie Kornfeld, Lang approached venture capitalists Joel Rosenman and John Roberts to help plan and fund the iconic concert weekend. The weekend was meant to only cater to approximately 200,000 concert goers, but more than 1/2 million people attended. The plans for the concert was not without its issues, as the men dealt with venue, security, food, and sanitation issues. Many details, including the venue spot, was not determined until the final weeks of preparation. Throughout the 3 days and beyond, other issues arose that were dealt with on the fly and the results turned out to be a rare event of music and peace that has never been duplicated.

Lang's candid book covered Woodstock from inception until well after the concertgoers were gone. It is well written, never boring, yet full of details and amazing stories from interviews with participants and attendees. What an amazing weekend it must have been despite the chaos and constant rain. This is a must-read for the music enthusiast.

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Review: Woodstock: The History and Legacy of America's Most Famous Music Festival

Woodstock: The History and Legacy of America's Most Famous Music Festival by Charles River Editors
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a quick read to give you the down and dirty details on the iconic Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music Festival. The weekend-long festival was not without its problems and issues. Organizers expected less than 200,000 participants and ended up with 1/2 million. Logistics were changing up until the last minute. Some performers were unable to get to the venue due to traffic and the crowds, while others were flown in by helicopter. Despite the issues, there were very few problems once the show was started.

The size and the star power certainly made the weekend an indelible event in American history. This is a good read for someone that is interested in how the event was planned and about the performers who played without getting into the specific day to day details.

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Review: Invisible Man

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the classic tale of an unnamed protagonist who struggles to find his place in the world. He is a young black man in the early 20th century coming to terms with being an invisible person, that is one that is often overlooked and does not stand out. Multiple times throughout the book, he must shed his identity and take on a new persona in order to survive. He always has hope but is often let down, and most of the time by his own doing.

This book explores themes of identity and individualism, responsibility, and race relations. It is a book that still resonates today.

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Review: Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley by Peter Guralnick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you are a fan of Elvis, this is your book. This is the first of a two-part series on the King of Rock and Roll. Guralnick goes into painstaking detail on Elvis' life from the time he was a young boy getting his first guitar through the death of his beloved mother and shipping off to Germany as PFC Elvis Presley. It is clear that Elvis was his own person. He was at times naive and humble while at other times he was rambunctious and rebellious. Everything he did, he did for his family. His love for his parents, especially his mother was both sweet and heartbreaking. He was inconsolable when she passed away.

This book truly is a deep dive into Presley's life. Where I am a fan of his (I saw him in concert just a couple months before he died), I don't know that I needed details to the level that Guralnick noted. For superfans, this is definitely a book worth reading. It was entertaining and interesting and I will read the second book in the series. This book does not cover his life with Pricilla or eventual decline in health.

The Kindle version that I read included audio clips of some of the interviews that Guralnick conducted with some key people in Elvis' life. It is worth the purchase if you are a Kindle user.

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Review: Rosa Parks: A Life

Rosa Parks: A Life by Douglas Brinkley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book is one of the very few biographies on Rosa Parks that has been written for adults. Brinkley does a fine job of covering the life of Parks from childhood through death. His focus is on her work with the NAACP and the fight for civil rights. It all culminates with her iconic refusal to move to the back of a bus in the segregated town of Montgomery, AL. That stand, or sit in this case, is but one small part of her contributions to civil rights. Her work throughout her life earned her the moniker "mother of the civil rights movement."

It is obvious, by Brinkley's description of Parks, that she was a wonderful, kind woman who could seem shy and meek but had gumption when it was needed. I am surprised that so little has been written about her. She was about more than just that one defiant moment on a bus. She worked hard and spent her life fighting for voting and civil rights for African Americans. Her contributions should not be ignored.

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Review: A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture

A Century of American Icons: 100 Products and Slogans from the 20th-Century Consumer Culture by Mary Cross
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A fun look at iconography through advertising. Each chapter is dedicated to a decade starting with 1900 picking out about 10 or so brands that were iconic to that time. Each brand has a bit of history to the company and / or brand as well as notable advertising campaigns. Most brands are still known today like Campbell's Soup and Morton Salt that made their debut in the early 20th century. Some, including more recent brands like Hathaway shirts, are curious inclusions because they don't seem to be nationally popular. Each chapter is introduced with a short history of life during that decade, giving the reader an understanding of how advertising and brands would impact consumers at the time.

An overall fun read. I would have liked more pictures, but interesting enough. I mostly sat at my computer while reading, looking up the ads mentioned in each chapter.

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Review: The Story of American Freedom

The Story of American Freedom by Eric Foner
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a concise review of American History, particularly looking at the theme of "Freedom". Foner starts with what he considers to be the birth of freedom, 1776, and covers specific eras of time in America's past noting what freedom has meant and its continued presence in politics and society. He ends the book with the late 20th century when George H. W. Bush and Clinton were in office. Many historians will find this to be a good reference on the freedom theme, but I found it to be on the dry side and somewhat unengaging. I will likely keep this copy as a reference for future research projects.

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