I have hopes that one day there will be those who are able to look back and share that they have learned from these different posts that I have put up, but I thought that today, I would not take one event to talk about but how I choose what history books that I choose. And while I am going to take the time to share some photos that I have taken over the years. I think that there are many reasons that I choose the books that I do, and the way that I chose some of them is a little different than some of those which I feel do a better explaining things than others.
We all too often look for a book to tell us all there is to know about an incident. I have to say that I think there are many times I have come to expect something similar, they eventually get to the point where we need to understand that they cannot talk about all aspects of the events that they are talking about. Some are better than others when it comes to historic treatments though.
When I was first introduced to history, I was in fifth grade. The text book talked for about 2 paragraphs on the topic of the Civil War. It told me in the text that the Civil War was truly considered a war for preserving the union for the north, and states rights in the south. It said that Fort Sumter started the war off, Gettysburg was the turning point, and then Appomattox Court House was the thing the ended the war. What I learned was that there was so much more to it than that. But that was when I began to understand that there was more than one could believe on the topic of history.
When I started, the first book that I read in the field of history was the book, “Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era” by the famed author, James M. McPherson. And how did I learn about the book, I at the time, had no access to the World Wide Web, as it was once called. There was no such usage in that. But I can tell you, that I took the time to look for a book that would tell me a so much about the war, things that I could not get out of the textbook that I had read. I asked for the book for my birthday. It was all that I really wanted to hear, far more than anything.
But that was the thing, it was the beginning of my quest to learn. So, many people think that the desire to study history was a waste of my time, but there was one friend who, after a few years where I hadn’t picked up a book to read that had anything to do with history, that I would be introduced to someone who brought the world of the Civil War crashing back into my world. I am grateful for every conversation that I had with this friend, and the books she passed onto me.
Now, I know that reading is not always everyone’s favorite thing to do. The summer is about getting out and enjoying the weather, not sitting at home on the couch trying to read some book the size of a phone book, but this is the thing, there are going to be those days where you are not able to get outside, because of the weather, and so, I have taken the time to prepare for you a list. All of these books are ones that I have read, or am reading and think they might have some value to add to the books that you are reading. So, let’s jump right into this, and see what happens.
The Book Report Is In!
Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era —
Like I said, this is one of those all time great books. It gives an overview of the American Civil War, and the way that the author talks about the things that lead up to, and take people on an adventure through the era, but I can tell you, this is not like one of those books that goes into all the little details of the American Civil War. There are better books for reading if that is what you want.
In this book, however, James McPherson takes the time to help us understand the different social factors that were leading up to the Civil War. I can share, it is not a really hard book. What I mean is that the author does a good job of taking us through the Civil War, without making our heads hurt because of technical language. I believe that the reason that I love this book is the fact that James McPherson does make it easy to understand. He wants us to come away with the fundamentals behind America’s bloodiest conflict.
And to spoil the show a little, he will tell you straight up that the cause of the Civil War, well, for those who like to argue, is slavery. There were those soldiers who went to battle with the intention of saving the union, and there were those who went fighting for states rights, but when it comes to the end theme, even Lincoln himself gives us the clue that slavery was indeed the whole goal the entire time. But that is the thing, many of us here the rhetoric of the Lost Cause, but to be honest, that lost cause happened because Lincoln showed to the rest of the developing world, that the South was in it for the protection of slavery, it was the one “right” that they wanted to keep and spread.
James McPherson, he was indeed the master storyteller. And even though this book is a little older, I have found the contents of the book still very much a help for what I have come to believe about the Civil War era. Does that mean that I agree with all the arguments that the author makes are? No, I do not agree on all of those, but I still believe that the premises that are put forward absolutely make sense, and they make a good foundation.
American Indian Myths And Legends —
One of the first things that I learned in college was that there were always 2 sides to every story, and sometimes that is not easy to follow. We have to come to grips with the fact that there are times when we need to understand those who are around us.
I find this particularly helpful when it comes to the Native American culture. To be honest, since I was little I had a love for all things Native American and Indigenous People. I think that it was the fact that they had their own story for how the world has come to be the way that it is. And the above named book, it is one of my favorites when I take the time to sit and read a little about other people.
There are so many things that we have yet to understand about those who were around us, but we do not take the time to understand them the way I think we ought to. As I can assure you, the myths and legends that this book brings up, they are the kind of things that help us to understand the cultures that are all around.
I cannot tell you how important it is for us to understand that there are other cultures that are all around us. It helps to know that not all people are the same. And I have had people who have told me that I should not want to understand some of the things that these people believe, but that is the thing, the things that they believe, they help me to see things from their perspective. And this book helped me get to that point. I can’t tell you how easy of a read it really was, and that made me really love the fact that we are not from the same place in life.
Gettysburg: The Last Invasion —
This was probably one of my favorites books to read after I had the chance to go to Gettysburg. I wanted to know more about the battle. Gettysburg had always been fascinating to me. It is one of the largest battles of the Civil War, and the way that Allen Guelzo tells the story of what took place on the battlefield, it was so well written that it was probably my favorite book at the time.
We have 3 days of battle to talk about, but the battle not only affected the men fighting the battle, but it had a major impact on those who were living in the community of Gettysburg when the battle came on July 1st, 1863. But that is the thing, I knew that there was something special about all the battles that took place, and the impact they had, but this one, I loved reading more about it. I took the time to also read a couple of the books that were written by Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, and they tell the story of Gettysburg from the leadership role that he had on July 2nd.
It is through this that I have found that there were few books that were dedicated solely to the telling of the events of just the three days of battle. But Guelzo tells the story in a phenomenal manner. It was clear to me from the day that I started the book that I really wanted to tell others about it, as there are few books that treat things as fairly as Guelzo did for Gettysburg. He knew that it was not going to be easy picking out what details he wanted to focus on. And to be honest, to only spend a day on the battlefield, well, that is not near enough time. I have spent only a single day on the battlefield every time I have been there, and I have always left there wanting to spend several more days.
On A Sea Of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic —
There are a lot of people who are interested in the Titanic, some for the sake of the movie, but I tell you that the real story of the Titanic is far better than the imaginary story that is told in the movie. I can say that this book offers pictures of the Titanic and its sister ship being built. The story of the ship and the fact that I had only a rudimentary knowledge of what happened to the ship when I started reading this book.
I think, like many, who have a love for this ship and the story that goes with it. I think the authors of this book, they have such an understanding of the things that took place on the ship and what the ship looked like. It was hard for me to think that there are so many people who just do not understand that there was a story before it was a ship as to the level of skill that was needed to build it, and the length of time that it took to build it.
Seeing the photos that they had to share, and what it looked like when it finally left being built, and was able to go out on the waves even though it was being towed, but that is the thing, to see these photos, that probably would have been shared in the papers at the time, and the fact that it was one of the largest ships to take sail, but its sister ship was actually the first to go out. So the Titanic was not the first and largest ship to sail. But rather it was the second one to sail.
It was through this book that I have learned some of the most detailed things about the RMS Titanic, both before it set sail and after. And I highly recommend it, but be aware, it is a thick book with not very large print, but there are so many photos of the ship and the way things were near the ship’s resting place. It was well worth the look.
I Dread The Thought of the Place —
This is one of the books that I had no idea what to think when I picked up the box that it arrived in. While it is not a book that I have finished, that I realized that there was this part of me that really wanted to run away scared. I have never been a fan of taking the time to look at all the information about a book before deciding whether to buy it. I mean this is a massive book, but I will say this, there has been this desire to find some full-length treatment of battles. I can tell you, there are a lot of books out there which will take you through aspects of the different battles. But that is the thing, I had read that there was a full length treatment of the Battle of Antietam coming out, and I had to get a copy as soon as I could.
It is hard to find good storytelling at times when it comes to history. I have seen this more times than I could count. It was hard to believe that there were some who write these great books and all. You would think that they were willing to put all the work into the book, but the storytelling is not really there.
There have been a lot of books that talk about Antietam, and they give a few sentences to the subject, but they cannot take us through the play by play. The way that D. Scott Hartwig puts the story on the page. It was something that still takes my breath away. I love to get lost in the action that takes place in the Cornfield, or the West Woods. These things I had heard of, but there had never been anyone who was willing to share them with me. The few accounts I had ever gone through, they never told me enough, but the writing that Hartwig shares, that is some of the best storytelling I have found in a very long time.
We have to learn to get to the best place possible, and that is the thing, we very rarely find good books that mix good storytelling along with the historical component. It seems those who have the ability to tell stories, they tend to go off into the field of historical fiction, leaving those who can’t always command a very good story, to be left to pick up the storytelling. Now don’t get me wrong, there are historians who are okay, but they are not always the most exciting of writers. It is hard to believe that we can have those historians who do not only tell good stories, but D. Scott Hartwig, he takes history to an all new level.
Wrapping things up —
We are bombarded with things that beg to take our time. We have kids who have all sorts of activities, things that demand our time and attention. Many people who do not have the slightest idea what is going to happen around the corner, so getting the time to sit and read is not always a luxury. And if you are like me, I hate the fact that there are all these books out there who people are paid to put up, and tell you that they are good. I can tell you now, that is not what I am doing. I am giving you just a few of the ones that I am reading at the moment, or have recently read, or in this case some of those books that I have read in the past that are worth reading. And, I promise you, that I will list a few that I would not really recommend very soon.
I am going to be fully honest with you, the way I go about reading is a little different than others. I give a lot of books my time, and if I come across a book that is worth taking the time to read, I absolutely will take the time to pass it on. But at the same time, I can tell you, that if there is a book out there, that has not hooked my attention by page 50, more than likely I am not going to finish it. This is the way that I pick what is good and bad. I am going to give you the details as to why it is not working for me.
I cannot tell you how often that I will stop a book, and I will often give it a second look, but if it still does not catch my attention and all, but that is the thing, putting a book down for me, I don’t take it lightly. But that is the thing, we have to come to the conclusions that the book is either not hitting the right level, or that it is not written with a storyline. Now, believe me, I get it, these people, they have written books, and that is a big thing, but that is the thing, I can tell you that some people do not necessarily see them as failures, but I am not going to give a terrible book all the time in the world.
But I will say this, the books that are listed above, they are worth taking the time to read. The way they are put together, there is no way that I could recommend better books that have all this in them, they bring some of the best information to the table, and I want to share all the good books, because they deserve to be recognized.
Above, where you see the titles, they will link you right to the books on sale in the Amazon store. I can tell you now, I am not getting any kickbacks for this. These are books that in my honest opinion tell some of the best stories. So, please, if you find a book that you would want to share with me, I am more than willing to take a look. I look forward to the next one of these that I get to do.
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