The Diaries of John Quincy Adams 1779-1848 by John Quincy Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There is perhaps no other statesman in the annals of American history quite like John Quincy Adams. The oldest son of Revolutionary War patriots, President John Adams and Abigail Adams, John Quincy was destined for a life of public service, and he accepted this obligation, although sometimes at great hardship to himself and those he loved. His personal sacrifice and the sheer brilliance of his intellect are abundantly clear in his diaries, which he kept off and on from twelve years of age up until the day before his death.
From his early travels in Europe with his father, as ambassador of our nascent country, Adams became familiar with the world, politics, diplomacy, culture and languages. After years abroad he returned home and studied the law at Harvard, then became an ambassador to the Netherlands and appointed federal Senator from Massachusetts. He served as ambassador to France, Prussia (Berlin) and the Russian court before becoming Secretary of State under President James Monroe. His writings became the body of what became known as the "Monroe Doctrine," the concept that the Americas were destined to be ruled by its inhabitants and not Europeans. In the highly contested presidential election of 1824, Adams was chosen by the Electoral College over front-runner Andrew Jackson. After his one term in office, Adams retired briefly and then was elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he energetically advocated for the abolishment of slavery.
This Library of America hardcover two volume edition is a beautiful presentation of the words and thoughts of John Quincy Adams. As a young man Adams wisely observed, "…Men can never possess a great degree of Power without abusing it." One can feel his passion for his country and understand his fears about its future. We could all learn from his insights.
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The Selected Letters of Laura Ingalls Wilder by William Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A book of letters? Why would I want to read someone's mail? Hey, it's much more fascinating and revealing that you'd first believe. As a big Laura Ingalls Wilder fan (since childhood), I was enthralled to learn details of her life "behind the fiction" and how her daughter, journalist Rose Wilder Lane, was perhaps the undisclosed ghostwriter of her classic children's literature. Recommended for all Laura fans and others who are interested in seeing the process behind a writer's goal of creating a book series to preserve American history.
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Soul of a Citizen: Living With Conviction in a Cynical Time
by Paul Rogat Loeb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Soul of a Citizen is a must-read for every intelligent person on the planet. I found my copy in a charity book pile and picked it up because of the title. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down. It is more relevant and quotable today than it was when it was published in 1999. No kidding--you'll believe Loeb wrote this masterpiece just yesterday so prescient is his vision. It's that timely. Every home should have this book on their shelf for quick and easy reference.
Loeb inspires and motivates us to get off our backsides in Soul of a Citizen and get out into the world and fight for what we believe in. He deftly illustrates his points with examples of everyday people taking action who never believed they could do such a thing. These aren't "professional activists" or superheroes. These are folks who never thought they could make a difference in their community, their state, or the world at large, but who, nevertheless, found the courage to stand up and speak out for what they believed in and ended up making a difference for the better. Sure, times can be rough and not every effort will be met with immediate success, but when we sit back and do nothing we effectively kill off a piece of our soul Loeb warns. And the world is diminished that much more.
So, ignore the "insouciant smirks" or the "snark" (my term) that our society dishes out via the media whenever it tries to convince us that anything one person (or a group united for a good cause) attempts can't possibly make the world better. This snark, smirk or institutionalized cynicism has been perpetuated by the billionaires and millionaires for the past 40 years to keep us in our place. We all have been living under its soul-destroying cloud for so long that we've internalized it and come to believe its falsehoods. Worse yet, these oligarchs enjoy our "learned helplessness"--or should it be called "learned hopelessness"? The masses are lost in the consumer-driven culture and given up, filling their lives with empty bread (Starbucks?) and circuses (smartphones). Ordinary people discouraged and despairing won't take action to fight the wrongs made by greedy corporations and bought-and paid-for-politicians. No, we'll just sit and stare at our computing devices and throw in the towel and not fight back. The billionaires will just stuff more money in their offshore bank accounts as they send our jobs to China and accept their corporate welfare checks from the government...
Sound familiar? Want it to stop? Want to make the world a better place for all of God's creation and not just the 1%? Then get off your backside and find Soul of a Citizen in your local library, bookstore or online. Get it and read it. Today. Because tomorrow is the beginning of a whole new world that we can all be proud of because we worked together to make it happen.
#FeeltheBern
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Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun tale for fans of the Discworld series. I'm a follower of the wacky wizards and their magic and sadly they only make a brief appearance in this tale, but over all there's plenty of action, adventure, terrorists (of the dwarf variety), and steam engines. Who could ask for more?
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People of the Morning Star by W. Michael Gear
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fascinating look into the Mississippian culture at Cahokia of a thousand years ago... I lived across the river from the mounds and always wondered what its citizens had been like before they disappeared. There's a large cast of intriguing characters in this story--from a thief on his way to becoming the first P.I. to a captured/enslaved warrior on his way to becoming the first paramedic--and the story has more twists and turns than the Big Muddy itself. There is a lot of graphic violence in the plot's resolution, so readers are forewarned if this isn't to their tastes. However, the full-bodied realization of what the Cahokians' city and culture must have been like captures your imagination and makes you wish you could have been there in the day.
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Dear Abigail: The Intimate Lives and Revolutionary Ideas of Abigail Adams and Her Two Remarkable Sisters by Diane Jacobs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Smith sisters--Abigail Adams, Mary Cranch and Elizabeth Peabody--are an American treasure! There's so much to learn about America's early history along with feminist thoughts of the late 18th century from their correspondence. They really were very modern women, expressing an intense desire for more educational opportunities and say-so in their daily lives. But the hardships these women had to endure are heartbreaking. Abigail was separated from her husband, John Adams, throughout most of the Revolution and then John became a diplomat to France and England and left her at home to tend the farm and children... It's unbelievable how they stayed married with such long periods apart, but their letters show that their love and mutual respect ran deep. Repeated sickness, alcoholism, and early deaths took their toll on their loved ones, but somehow these three women survived and blossomed and successfully raised children who would make their mark in the world. Their words show how having a supportive sister can make all the difference.
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Lincoln's Boys: John Hay, John Nicolay, and the War for Lincoln's Image by Joshua Zeitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fantastic book for Civil War buffs and armchair historians. We owe a lot to John Hay and John Nicolay for recording the history they witnessed and sharing their insights of the man who made it all happen. A book that should be read by all who would pervert civil liberties and deny rights to those different from themselves whom they don't particularly like... Amazing how things don't change even after 150 years! Lincoln's image as the Great Emancipator may have been a product of Hay and Nicolay's ten volume biography, but America is in need of Lincoln's leadership on moral issues now more than ever.
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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Should anyone mess with a historical personage to the point of creating a "history" that never happened? Do we owe our idols some loyalty in keeping their reputations clean and their hands free from blood? Seth Grahame-Smith does a very good job of researching Lincoln's formative years growing up in Indiana and his early years in Illinois politics. He creates a credible world in which vampires might have lived and gives plausible situations in which Lincoln might have interacted with bloodsuckers. The one point where the whole conceit falls down, I believe, is with the title character. Do most Americans see our beloved Lincoln as a blood-thirsty killer or as the savior of the republic? Possibly creating an original character living in the time period of the Civil War fighting off the evil vampires in league with southern slave owners would have worked just as well without the unpleasant aftertaste of the betrayal of a cultural icon... Still, it is a very well written book, with the caveat that it's not possibly to everyone's tastes.
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