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Enough about Jacko the Wacko.



If you are remotely interested in American History (it is my passion only third to my family, and religion...believe it or not, fantasy baseball probaly ranks fourth) there are several books I have read/am reading over the this summer or last that might interest you. Most of the topics that interest me are subjects well all know OF, but know only a little ABOUT.



The best read in recent memory is Doris Kearns Goodwin "Team of Rivals". To me, it is THE book to read to understand Abraham Lincoln, the challenges he faced, how he faced them, and how he formed perhaps the most unique and qualified cabinent in US history to deal with the and I mean the most difficult period in our collective history. Without Lincoln and these men (and in many cases the women behind them), the US quite probably would not be what the US is today to all our detriment.



If you are interested in this genre, you may have heard or read David McCullough's "1776". I read it last year and found it worth the praise. But also, I would like to recommend at least two other of his earlier books. "Mornings on Horseback" was released in 1981 and delves into the family and early life of Theodore Roosevelt. I am reading it now and is already a favorite. Did you know that Teddy's mother was a Georgian from the city of Roswell right near Atlanta?



A truly amazing read about one of the epic accomplishments in the history of man is well presented in McCullough's "The Path Between the Seas", released in 1977 about what it took to create the Panama Canal. Did you know that the French engineer who successfully made the Suez Canal out of the desert attempted the Panama Canal and failed miserably?



You have heard the herd that is the Democratic Party (or as I like to refer to them as the "Northern Democratic Socialist Party") claim to be the standard bearers for Jacksonian democracy? Do you know what "Jacksonian Democracy" is? My first read this summer (well, spring really) was "American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House" by Jon Meacham. A very good read on Jackson, what "Jacksonian Democracy" was really about (i.e. balanced budgets and no Federally funded pork) with one really serious flaw. The books author cleary admires Jackson and in my opinion soft-soaped the forced removal, under Jackson, of the Native American tribes to the "wilderness" west of the Mississippi which resulted in such horrific events such as the Trail of Tears which I know from the displacement of the Cherokee Nation that resided near my birthplace in Georgia (I even, we believe, had a some-number of Great Grandmother who was full-blooded Cherokee). Other than that, I found the book intersting to say the least and highly recommend it to the Democratic leadership. I am even willing to help them with the big words.



Finally, two books by David Halberstam are rounding our my current summer reading. One I just completed is one of the best I have ever read called "The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War". If you want to understand a bit about Sino-US relations for both Red China and Taiwan, the true roots of the Vietnam conflict, what lead up to the Korean conflict, why it was prosecuted the way it was, MacArthur, Ridgeway, Truman, Acheson, Mao, Kim, and a host of others, this is your book.



My current read with "Mornings on Horseback" is Halberstam's "The Best and the Brightest" about the Kennedy administration and his team of "enlighted" intellectuals that made up his cabinent. Did you know that McGeorge Bundy was a rebel who, rather than go to Harvard like all the other Boston elitests, wanted to "broaden his horizons" and went to Yale instead? If you want an unvarnised view inside the Kennedy years, this is your book.



Just thought you might like some meaty reads for your summer pleasure. None of these are books you will fly through, but when you get to the end, you will have enjoyed the journey.



By the way, my next read will probably be "American Sphinx" by Joesph Ellis about Thomas Jefferson.



[ July 10, 2009, 07:25 AM: Message edited by: Edwards Kings ]

Quit showing off, Wayne!

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Quit showing off, Wayne! OK, OK...I admit it...I still read "Archie" comics, too!

During summer I do not read anything that is not baseball related. I can't do it. If I were to be reading about Jefferson and his slaves, it would just get me thinking about the negro leagues and Josh Gibson, Satchell Paige, and Moonlight Graham.

My mind is just too basebally.

Since this is a "book club" type of thread, three books that I have read lately are:



Big Bam- The Life and Times of Babe Ruth



Catcher



Crooked- A history of Cheating in Sports



Big Bam is marvelous. I have read several accounts of the Babe's life. This book would rank near the top.



Catcher is a very wordy book (you'd probably like that, Wayne!). It tells us everything we need to know about catching in baseball. Its roots, the changes, what catchers had to go through in the old days. Fascinating and boring at the same. Amazing how some authors can do that.



I am reading Crooked now. It is delving into the Black Sox scandal of 1919. The author agrees with me(always a good thing) that there were probably only six White Sox guilty of throwing the Series. Joe Jackson and Buck Weaver were guilty of having the wrong roommates and associates, but not fixing the Series.



And for those who thought I slipped with Moonlight Graham being a negro baseball player. Just seeing if you were paying attention. It sure sounds like a negro league player though, doesen't it?

And actually, the best "read" I have had lately is on ESPN.com.

The Lou Gehrig letters are a must read.

I was just at Barnes & Noble yesterday grabbing a few Fantasy Football Mags...and I stopped by the baseball area and peeked at a few of the books by Yogi Berra.



There were like 4 or 5 of them...and I decided to pass, but if one is better than the other, or all good/bad...let me know!



Books I have bought of late and also recommend...



"CODE" by Charles Petzold.



A brilliant breakdown of computer code, starting from the first codes like Morse and Braille, and working up.



Three books by Malcolm Gladwell all have their moments...



Blink, The Tipping Point, and Outliers.



I just purchased "Checkraising The Devil"...an autobiography by Mike "The Mouth" Matusow, and am looking forward to getting into that one.



Cool thread.

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Catcher is a very wordy book (you'd probably like that, Wayne!). Well, you know a Southerner would never say in five words when fifty come to mind!



Looks like some good reads. I am going to have to check them out. Thanks. Always looking for something to put my eyes on while my wife is watching "America's Got Talent"!

Wayne,



I'm not hardcore or anything but the world war 2 era really interests me... Just in case you haven't read them, I really enjoyed both James Bradley's books:

Flags of our Fathers (eastwood made a movie out of it but the book is so much better)

Flyboys- an even better read that is not only about the flyboys during ww2 but also excellently weaves in some aviation history and events leading to Pearl Harbor (a lot of Japanese history rolled into 50 pages- each page really interesting)



One last book I really enjoyed from that time period:

Miracles on the Water - look it up on amazon or in a bookstore. It's the best of the 3 I've mentioned.



Not sure if any of these would appeal to your tastes but all 3 of these books our written in a rare way that not only educate us but easily keep our attention because they read like a great fiction novel.

I will check out "the path between the seas." hope it's worth it! thanks for posting.

Originally posted by rkulaski:

I will check out "the path between the seas." hope it's worth it! thanks for posting. McCullough will leave out no detail. It makes it ever more amazing that the damn thing was ever built.



If you like biographies on the key figures in WWII, William Manchester "The Last Lion: A Lion Alone" is about Churchill in the pre-war years from 1932 while a member of Parliment, but a pariah to the powers that be, to 1940 when he became Prime Minister. Great book.

Originally posted by Edwards Kings:

The best read in recent memory is Doris Kearns Goodwin "Team of Rivals". To me, it is THE book to read to understand Abraham Lincoln, the challenges he faced, how he faced them, and how he formed perhaps the most unique and qualified cabinent in US history to deal with the and I mean the most difficult period in our collective history. Without Lincoln and these men (and in many cases the women behind them), the US quite probably would not be what the US is today to all our detriment.+1 -- enjoyed this book as well.



Just about anything by McCullough is a great read. In addition to those you mentioned, "Truman" and "John Adams" were excellent.