Thoughts on Living the Life Creative
Assassins' America by Jessica Gunderson and Joe Tougas (2018) - Four American Presidents have been assassinated. Each story has details that are often overlooked. For younger readers, this will be a solid intro to one of the most disruptive political acts possible. Assassinating the head of state is intended to disrupt the functioning of the nation. ... Continue Reading →
The Written Word - The Power of Stories To Shape People, History and Civilization by Martin Puchner - Random House (2017) - Through the stories behind sixteen "foundational texts", Puchner shows how the written word has changed the world. Beginning with the Iliad journey will wind its way to Japan, the lands of the Maya... Continue Reading →
The Complete King Arthur - Many Faces, One Hero" by John Matthews, Caitlin Matthews. Inner Traditions (2017) - In English culture, there are few figures to challenge the stature of King Arthur. The question of the historical basis of Arthur, and therefore all the stories that surround him, has raged for centuries. Dozens of sites... Continue Reading →
Everybody Had An Ocean - Music and Mayhem in 1960's Los Angeles - by William McKeen, (2017), Chicago Review Press - An enthralling look at rock and roll growing up. Anchored by the story of the Beach Boys, McKeen covers everyone from Jan and Dean to Charles Manson. The history cover is sprawling and it... Continue Reading →
The Quartermaster: Montgomery C. Meigs, Lincoln's General, Master Builder of the Union Army by Robert O'Harrow Jr. (2016) - Lost amid the names of generals of the Civil War is the man who may have had as much to do with the victory of the Union as any commander in the field, Montgomery Meigs. It... Continue Reading →
The Allure of Battle - A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost (2017) by Cathal J. Nolan (Oxford University Press) - Overviews of military history have generally been divided into two categories, the Great Captains, and the Great Battles. Decisive action in war has been attributed to the genius of the winning... Continue Reading →
Fit For the Presidency? Winners, Losers, What-Ifs and Also-Rans by Seymour Morris Jr. (2017) An examination of a variety of men who have run for the highest office in the land and some who only considered it. Beginning with George Washington, and ending with Ronald Reagan, historian Seymour Morris takes a look at the qualifications... Continue Reading →
The Fight That Started the Movies - The World Heavyweight Championship, the Birth of Cinema and the First Feature Film by Samuel Hawley (2016) - When you think of the history of the movies you may think of Thomas Edison. You may even remember that the first commercially shown film was by Edison, called "The... Continue Reading →
War Against War - The American Fight For Peace 1914-1918 by Michael Kazin - There is a story about the first World War that we are not taught in school. A story about how many Americans did not want to get involved. A story about the group of people who very nearly kept us out... Continue Reading →
I am a huge fan of documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. My bet is that his work really came to our attention with "The Civil War" in 1990. At his best, his movies and series are sweeping poetry done in film. His visual style, use of music and ability to interweave personal narratives to the larger... Continue Reading →
Stories Are My Life 