Ulysses S Grant - Lincoln's and America's indispensable man
A failed farmer and businessman before the Civil War, Grant rose to be commanding General of all of Lincoln's armies and doggedly ensured the surrender of the South. Ron Chernow's Grant, equals his works on "Washington" and "Hamilton". Grant truly became Lincoln's indispensable man after the failure of his other generals. Follow along with Grant from Vicksburg to Lee's final surrender at Appomattox. During his presidency, Grant helped shape reconstruction and bound the union together.
Top Recommendation for February
A marvelous biography (of many) about one of the critical figures in American history. Chernow (author of Washington and also Hamilton), gives us a modern view of Grant both as a great Civil war general and as a President dedicated to Black freedom during the era of Reconstruction.
The Childrens' Blizzard of '88 - The Storm that Changed America
There had never been anything like it. Thousands of immigrant families were trapped in deep snow with sub-zero temperatures in log huts they had barely managed to cobble together. In "The Childrens' Blizzard", Author David Laskin describes the monstrous blizzard of '88 that stranded the Donner party in the Rockies and created a heart breaking nightmare for unsuspecting settlers in the Midwest. Laskin delves into the freakish physics of extreme cold and the desperate drive for people to survive to live another day.
Top Recommendation for January
The Children's Blizzard, by David Laskin (2005 - 368pp)
Tragic story of the impact of the Blizzard of '88 as it swept suddenly upon unsuspecting immigrant settlers of the Great Plains threatening the lives of children, adults and precious livestock.
The Winds of War - An American Naval Classic of WW II
In December (Pearl Harbor), we shift gears with some great, classic naval historic fiction introducing U.S. Naval Comdr. Victor "Pug" Henry and his far flung family caught up in the convolutions of WW II. Accomplished author Herman Wouk's "The Winds of War" is great, light reading for the holidays. Travel with 'Pug' Henry and his family as they are immersed from Berlin to Hawaii and the Pacific in the very center of the War's maelstrom
Top Recommendation for December
The Winds of War, by Herman Wouk (1971 - 857 pp)
First-rate story telling marks this panoramic, thoroughly engaging story about WW II U.S naval officer Cdr "Pug" Henry and his family as he moves up the ladder of command as an attache in Berlin at the outbreak of War to command of a battleship in the Pacific.
The Korean War - The Great Escape of the 1st Marines
Trapped by by the Chinese in northern Korea at the Chosin Resevoir, the 1st Marines suffered temperatures of 30' below and a ferocious enemy. Gen O.P Smith heroically saved the day and his men. Hampton Sides,"On Desperate Ground", The Epic Story of the Chosin Resevoir" vividly recounts how Smith carefully prepared his forces for the battle to come and assured their escape from an overwhelming enemy force.
Top Recommendation for November
"On Desperate Ground", The Epic Story of the Chosin Resevoir and the Greatest Battle of the Korean War" by Hampton Sides (432 pp - 2019)
The 1st Marines came within a whisker of defeat and capture by the Chinese at the Chosin Resevoir in 30' temperatures. Only the farsighted actions of CO O.P. Smith and Chief Engineer John Partridge, who rebuilt a destroyed bridge, were able to save them.
The Battle of Brooklyn - The Maryland Regiment that Saved Washington' Army
The British advance on New York was so overwhelming that Washington almost lost the battle...and the war. Only a tiny band of 400 Maryland state militiamen stood between the British and his army's collapse at the Battle of Brooklyn. Patrick O'Donnell brings this long forgotten, heroic struggle to light in "Washington's Immortals", In the largest battle of the war, ultimate victory hung by a thread...and the lives of the 400 who died.
Top Recommendation for October
Washington's Immortals: The Elite Regiment that Changed the Course of the Revolution, by Patrick O'Donnell (2017 - 420 pp)
The Battle of Brooklyn with the added story of the 400 Independent Maryland Cadets who heroically charged a strongly defended British position at the Battle of Brooklyn, giving Washington and his army of 10,000 time to escape and fight another day.
Forging a New Continent - The Settlers Who Made America
With clarity and incisiveness, David McCullough details the experience of a brave and broad-minded band of people who crossed raging rivers, chopped down forests, plowed miles of land and suffered incalculable hardships, Braving a lonely frontier to forge a new American ideal, these were America's pioneers. Acclaimed historian McCullough's "The Pioneers", tells the story of the first Americans and their families who ventured westward to settle a new continent.
Top Recommendation for September
The Pioneers: The Epic Story of the Settlers Who Brought the American Ideal West, by David McCullough (June, 2019 - 352 pp)
David McCullough is at his best as a great storyteller, chronicling the lives of the many famous and not so famous pioneers that settled the West. His focus on the Ohio river region, the Northwest territories and greats like Johnny Appleseed, Daniel Boone, Kit Carson, et al will enthrall everyone
The War for America 1775 to 1777 - A Great New History (Part I)
From Lexington and Concord to Princeton and Trenton, the story of the American Revolution unfolds in marvelous detail. Rick Atkinson's, The British are Coming: The War for America has all the drama that a great story teller like Atkinson can muster, This densely packed, rousing military history of the first two years of the Revolutionary War is chock full of detail and information that will continue to surprise and entertain any reader. A wonderful update on the beginnings of our nation.
Top Recommendation for August
The British Are Coming: The War for America, 1775 -1777, Rick Atkinson (May, 2019 - 800 pp)
Book I of a three part trilogy on the American Revolution by acclaimed historian Rick Atkinson, author of the now famous WW II trilogy. An extraordinary explosion of new detail, quotes from participants, create a Tolstoyan, highly readable and informative.view of war.
Into the Wild Blue - Captain Cook and the First Explorations of the Pacific
Summer is coming and it's time to take off into the Pacific Ocean with one of our favorite writers, Tony Horowitz, as he follows the 18th Century routes of Captain James Cook, exploring the Pacific in one of the last great voyages of discovery. Tony Horowitz is at his amusing best in Blue Latitudes: Boldly going Where Captain Cook Has gone Before, retracing Captain Cook's epic voyages from Tasmania to Oregon, recounting exotic scenes of taboo rituals, cannibal feasts and human sacrifice.
Top Recommendation for June
Blue Latitudes: Boldly going Where Captain Cook Has Gone Before,
by Tony Horowitz (2003 - 496pp)
Travel along with humorist and writer Tony Horowitz as he retraces the routes of Captain James Cook across the Pacific and journeys from Tasmania to Tahiti recreating Cook's amazing 18th Century voyages of exploration.
The Erie Canal: Opening the Gateway to America
Completed in 1821, the Erie Canal took 10 years to build. It cut transportation costs from carts pulled by draft animals by 95% and gave New York City an incomparable advantage over all other port cities. Ralph Andrist;s, The Erie Canal, gives an in depth look at the politics, financing and construction details of this remarkable engineering feat and describes how it affected the economic life of 19th century America.
Top Recommendation for May
The Erie Canal, by Ralph Andrist
There was nothing quite like it. And they said it couldn't be done, but the Erie canal took 10 years to build and transformed the Central United States in ways unimaginable to everyday Americans, From the Great Lakes to the Hudson River and Atlantic ocean, it opened America to commerce.
Surviving The Great Midwest Dust Bowel of 1935
April 14, 1935 is known as "Black Sunday", a day when horrific dust storms engulfed the high plains of Oklahoma and Texas. Timothy Egan's "The Worst Hard Time: The Story of Those who Survived the Great American Dust Bowel", describes 12 families, their communities and desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black blizzards, crop failures, choking dust that killed young and old.
Top Recommendation for April, 2019
The Worst Hard Time: Surviving the Great American Dust Bowl,
by Timothy Egan (2006 - 340 pp)
At times, horrifying stories of 12 families who survived the Dust Bowl. A tale of survival against dust storms that brought a man-made scourge on the Midwest, blotting out the sun and bringing clouds of locusts.