EVENT: October 29 -Camden (Maine) Public Library

Author Kenneth C. Davis will visit the Camden Public Library as part of “Discover History Month,” on Thursday evening, October 29, at 7:00 pm.  Davis will be talking about his latest book, The Hidden History of America at War: Untold Tales from Yorktown to Fallujah, just published in May. Davis is also the author of Don’t Know Much About History, which spent 35 consecutive weeks on The New York Times bestseller list, and gave rise to the “Don’t Know Much About” series of books and audios. Don’t Know Much About History presents a complete survey of American history, from before the arrival of Columbus in 1492 right through the events of the past decade –from 9/11 through the election of Barack Obama and the first years of his administration.

The Hidden History of America at War is a unique, myth-shattering, and insightful look at war—why we fight, who fights our wars and what we need to know but perhaps never learned about the growth and development of America’s military forces. Starting with the founding of the nation and on through the war in Iraq, Davis provides an in-depth examination based on his belief that it is “nearly a moral imperative to understand war.” Arguing that from its earliest days, America has had an uneasy relationship with the military, Davis charts how our country’s military developed from a group of rag-tag “citizen soldiers” in 1775 to the high-tech, global and increasingly privatized organization it is today, and what we can learn from that transformation. Davis makes his case through rich storytelling and analysis of six landmark battles: Yorktown, Virginia – October 1781; Petersburg, Virginia – June 1864; Balangiga, Philippines – September 1901; Berlin, Germany – April 1945; Hué, South Vietnam – February 1968; and Fallujah, Iraq – March 2004.

“His searing analyses and ability to see the forest as well as the trees make for an absorbing and infuriating read as he highlights the strategic missteps, bad decisions, needless loss of life, horrific war crimes, and political hubris that often accompany war.” (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY-Starred Review)