Review: Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World

Our Lincoln: New Perspectives on Lincoln and His World by Eric Foner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Our Lincoln is a collection of eleven essays on various aspects of Abraham Lincoln's presidency. Each work highlights new insights into the man known as The Great Emancipator. Topics include Lincoln's rhetoric and literary style, his thoughts on religion, how his family helped shape him, and his role as Commander in Chief of the Union army. The book covers four specific aspects of Lincoln's life: The President, The Emancipator, The Man, and Politics and Memory. Each essay is written by well known Civil War historians including Eric Foner, James McPherson, David Blight, Catherine Clinton, and Mark E. Neely, Jr.

This is a well-written collection that is very interesting and thought-provoking.

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Review: Educated

Educated by Tara Westover
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Educated is the memoir of Dr. Tara Westover, the daughter of fundamentalist survivalist Mormon parents from Clifton, Idaho. Westover grew up as a bit of a tomboy, in a house full of brothers and a sister. Her father ran his own scrapyard business and did some construction work on the side. The Westover children were homeschooled but spent most of their time helping their father in the scrapyard. According to the author, "homeschooled" is a very loose term, which meant that the family had a few textbooks and little to no formal instruction. What they did learn came from their father's survivalist preaching, learning to prepare for the end days or a time that may come when the government would invade their property Ruby Ridge style. Guns and gas were buried throughout their property and canned goods lined shelves for a future moment when the world will be pitched into chaos. Westover would also learn about life skills from her mother who trained to be a midwife and healer, specializing in essential oils, tinctures, and salves. This was the path that the author was destined for, according to her parents and family. But Tara Westover was drawn to another world. She longed to learn and spread her wings. She was constantly pulled back by her family, afraid of disappointing them or succumbing to the depths of hell that another life would lead her to.

A couple of Westover's brothers broke the cycle attending college at BYU. One, in particular, encouraged the author to study for the ACT test and apply to the university as well, despite having no formal education and knowing very little. This would alter her destiny, as well had her familial relationships in ways she could not conceive of. She was thrown into a constant cycle of psychological and physical abuse that led to physiological and sociological effects on her life. This book is not just about how the author learned how to formally educate herself, but about expanding her worldview and educating herself about the cycle of abuse in a world that is closed off from mainstream society. Her actions did not come without its own consequences, a lesson she constantly struggled with. Ultimately, for Westover, the rewards of an education outweighed the consequences to her family life. Tara Westover obtained a formal education and at the same time, found her own identity through a personal education in life.

There are some horrific experiences that Westover details in this book. She admits, in notes scattered throughout the book and in references to communications with her siblings that her memory may not be 100% accurate. Who really remembers the details of their life? She draws on her own diaries and correspondence with family to build a picture of dysfunction within her family. For most people, perception is reality and leads to differences in memories of events for multiple people. So the question begs to be asked, how accurate is Westover's account in Educated? This is Westover's recollection and therefore her reality. This book is the story of the author's trauma and the process of healing from it in the best way she knew how.

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Review: The Atomic City Girls

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the fictional account of a few residents of the Clinton Engineer Works production installation in Oak Ridge, TN during World War II. The story follows the lives of several very different people whose lives intertwine during the production of uranium in the secret bomb-making city. June and Cici are two young girls who are placed together in a dorm and become fast friends. Cici is out to find her an Army husband and June is looking for an escape from her droll life and the sad news that her fiance has died in battle. Joe and Ralph are long-time friends thrilled to be making more money than they would have a chance to back in Georgia. The job comes with downsides, as they are separated from family and find that life for black residents in Oak Ridge is no better than on the outside. Sam is a physicist who is asked to come to Oak Ridge to work on the bomb. He is one of a few people that know what is being produced at the CEW and sadly, he understands the possible outcome of the final product and the effects it can have on mankind.

Each person has their history to deal with. All have some kind of struggle to overcome and Oak Ridge brings more chaos amidst some happy moments. Their stories are interesting and engaging and it is easy to fall into their world. They have triumphs and heartbreaking stories. Although the story and characters are fictionalized, they are based on real stories that the author mined from detailed research. I enjoyed this book and loved that the author added an epilogue to let the reader know what happened to these characters after the end of the war. Although it's fictionalized, it's easy to picture what the real people behind the stories must have dealt with in this super secret city.

My only frustration is that the title indicates that the book is about the women at CEW, but the stories are as much about the men as the women. It is about families and individuals, white and black, men and women. There is another book by Denise Kiernan titled The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II. Kiernan's book is the non-fiction, true story of several women who worked at the CEW. I had previously read Kiernan's book and had to check at one point to make sure I wasn't reading the same book. This is different but each could easily be a companion to the other. I was glad I had read Kiernan's book first. I think it added to my enjoyment of Beard's book. I do wish Beard had a completely different title that would not be easily confused with Kiernan's book and one that would give equal billing to the men as well as the women. I still recommend this to anyone interested in the CEW and the making of the atomic bomb during World War II.

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Review: The Confederate War: How Popular Will, Nationalism, and Military Strategy Could Not Stave Off Defeat

The Confederate War: How Popular Will, Nationalism, and Military Strategy Could Not Stave Off Defeat by Gary W. Gallagher
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a short book that looks at the Civil War through the eyes of the Confederate States. Gary W. Gallagher discusses the Confederate side of the war in four specific areas: popular will, nationalism, military strategy, and their ultimate defeat. His basic thesis is to understand why the people of the Confederate States continued to fight after losing so many men on the battlefield and why they ended in defeat after winning so many battles in the beginning years of the war.

Gallagher had several thoughts on why the Confederacy ultimately lost. It seemed that he felt that, at least from a military perspective, the army was not properly organized and should have spent more effort on guerrilla warfare. Where I'm not sure I completely agree, Gallagher certainly brings up many thought-provoking points and give the reader a look at life during the Civil War from the Confederate viewpoint.

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