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Play Book Tag discussion
Announcing the Tag for November

Created by Anita Pomerantz, Oct 22, 2019 96 views
Anita Pomerantz Wow, again a major battle between history lovers and fantasy lovers.

But in the end the winning tag is:

American history

Please share your reading plans and recommendations below.

Remember, for the regular monthly reads, the book can be shelved as American history on Goodreads, or be a book that is not yet shelved that way but you feel should be.

One way to find books to read for this tag is to please visit:

https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

We encourage people to link to additional lists below if they find them.

Happy reading!
Meli I have at least 2 books on trim that would fit this tag, so we'll see what happens with that. Might be over-committed in November to hit this tag otherwise. A lot of good possibilities for PBT members though.
Hebah I have one thing on my Trim list that would work for this, otherwise I'll probably be hanging out in the Other Books section for the month. (Two things, actually - The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Between the World and Me.)

Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI and The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women were good, though, if people need recs.
Amy My 1st read is going to be American Princess. If there’s time, it’s also the Aviator’s Wife. Both of those have been queued up on my TBR as next up for four months. Now I’m excited to hear Trim and Horizons....
Anita Pomerantz One of my personal favorite American History books is Truman. McCullough does a masterful job of bringing this president to life. I also really liked One Summer: America, 1927.

I just finished The Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote, and while I didn't really enjoy the writing that much, it is nice to know this piece of history, and it isn't long.

But I'm super excited about my book choice which is The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11.
Meli Anita wrote: "But I'm super excited about my book choice which is The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11."

I've heard good things about this one.
Theresa I have several historical mysteries to read set in the US that I've delayed reading for Crime Fiction in case American History was selected. So I'm set!
Theresa A book I highly recommend for this theme is Personal History by Katharine Graham. It's her autobiography and is an absolute page-turner. Both a history of the Washington Post and of the 1960s, 70s, and 80s in the US - the Pentagon Papers, Watergate, Nixon's resignation, Vietnam - it ranks as one of my top 10 lifetime reads. It is also an intensely personal story of a woman who never expected to be more than a wife, helpmate, and mother, yet came to be one of the most influential and powerful women in the world. It's thus women's history as well.

The movie The Post with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks from a couple of years ago was based on one small section of this fantastic book.

It's a big book - but don't be intimidated. Read it over a weekend so you can stay up way too late reading 'just a little more'.
Doughgirl5562 I'm a happy girl :-). Will be back to comment in a bit.

I think this tag would include both non-fiction AND historical fiction - as long as it's American history.
Nicole R Ah! I have no idea what to read, the possibilities are endless!

I have a biography of Nixon on my physical shelf, Richard Nixon: The Life, that I have been wanting to dive into.

BUT, with the Fall Flurries and PBT Horizons challenge, I may listen to Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.

Decisions, decisions.
Idit I have just finished my October Trim book and one of the reading highlights of my year - Ragtime. At some point I will write a gushing review of it, but for this thread suffice to say - it will be gushing. and it's as American History as American history can be.

It's a literary fiction book from 1975 - so not for everyone's tastes, but it is so so so good that I highly recommend it for this tag
LibraryCin I have lots of options for this!

My trim fits:
- The Persian Pickle Club / Sandra Dallas

I have lots more that will fit, but another I've been wanting to read for a while:
- Mary / Janis Cooke Newman

Another I'd like to get to:
- Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo
Tracy I’ve got a backlog of American history books. This works well for me.
Olivermagnus Right now I'm going with Shell Shaker, but if something really interesting shows up, I might change my mind.
Nikki Hmmm - I'd like to read Alexander Hamilton but it's 818 pages so I think that's a bit ambitious - maybe I'll substitute Historians on Hamilton which sounds intriguing and a little more achievable.
annapi I want to read Hamilton too but it's daunting...
Jgrace annapi wrote: "I want to read Hamilton too but it's daunting..."

It was daunting. It took me several months to focus my attention to finish it. I had a hardback edition, but I didn't make any real progress until I bought a kindle version. By the time I finished I had 179 highlights! I'm very glad that I persisted to finally read the whole book.
Nicole R Add me to the group of people who want to read Hamilton. It is just not going to be this month. Lol
Rachel N. I'll definitely be reading Little House in the Big Woods as I need it for a challenge in another group. Not sure if I'll be able to squeeze another book in or not.
Idit Would Beloved work for us history?
deleted user Here's my list for american history: https://www.librarything.com/catalog/...

Idit, I would say Beloved would fit.

I'm going to try to read Hamilton, but I'm definitely going down the non-fiction route for this tag.
NancyJ When will I learn my lesson? Once again I spent too much time searching for books to fit a tag that ended up not winning. I know I have some good options for this tag, so I'm not complaining!
NancyJ Idit wrote: "Would Beloved work for us history?"

That's a good one. It fits my goal to read 12 Great American Read books this year.
Nicole R Jenny wrote: "I'm going to try to read Hamilton, but I'm definitely going down the non-fiction route for this tag.."

I'm with you, definitely nonfiction for me this month. Though, if I get to a second book then it may be historical fiction. I have some good ones floating around.
NancyJ My trim is These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901 . It definitely fits the tag. We already have a buddy read scheduled for this one, and you're all invited to join in.

I strongly recommend Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, as it fits American History and Native American. It's narrative non-fiction. It starts a little slow but it's really good. Each section has a different focus, so if part 1 doesn't grab you, try part 2 or 3. The audible is good, but the print book (and probably the kindle) has pictures of the real life people.

I might want to read about the history of the trail of tears as well.
Hebah Oooh, found my angle for this month. I've been meaning to read Alyssa Cole's An Extraordinary Union, a romance set during the Civil War and inspired by real historical figures.
Doughgirl5562 I plan to read -Epitaph by Mary Doria Russell, which was selected for me for Trim way back in January and I haven't gotten to it yet. Seems like a perfect time to read it since it is about the gun fight at the OK Corrall :-)

FYI - I read Doc a few years ago. Never thought I would like a western, but I was wrong!
Doughgirl5562 Idit wrote: "I have just finished my October Trim book and one of the reading highlights of my year - Ragtime. At some point I will write a gushing review of it, but for this thread suffice to say..."

I read Ragtime for one of my IRL bookclubs years ago. I remember really liking it. Gave a real feel of the times. Definitely literary fiction. If I remember correctly, the author didn't give any of the character in the book real names (except one?).
Nikki I'm laughing at myself - after rejecting Alexander Hamilton as too long (818 pages) I was next drawn to Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (912 pages). I decided to change tack and look at fiction - surely that'll give me some quicker reads? The first book that catches my eye? Gone With the Wind (1037 pages!!!)
Michael I want to read Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington.

I previously loved his Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which in 6 essays totally about 300 pages covers key intersections among Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, and Hamilton, with supplemental attention given to Madison, Burr, and Franklin.

Other great reads I've had from early American history include 1776 and John Adams by McCullough and Philbrick's series of 3 about the Revolutionary War, starting with Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution. In the colonial period his Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War was also wonderful for revealing relative cooperation with the Indians, as did O'Toole's White Savage: William Johnson and the Invention of America, covering relations with the Iroquois Federation during the French and Indian Wars.

For exploration and Indian relations out west, Ambrose's tale of Lewis and Clarke was fabulous, Undaunted Courage: The Pioneering First Mission to Explore America's Wild Frontier, as was Hampton Sides' Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West. For a great account of the whole sweep of Indian relations in America, I loved The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America by Thomas King. For a history that covers the Indian removals in the early 19th century, Howe's What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815 - 1848 is masterful (though massive in scope and length). For a fun profile of the colorful characters who helped explore America and engineer telegraph and railroads, I recommend Simon Winchester's The Men Who United the States: America's Explorers, Inventors, Eccentrics and Mavericks, and the Creation of One Nation, Indivisible.

For histories or biographies later in the century, I loved McCullough's Mornings on Horseback: The Story of an Extraordinary Family, a Vanished Way of Life, and the Unique Child Who Became Theodore Roosevelt, Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, Gwynne's Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History, Philbrick's The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Bailey's Nine Irish Lives: The Thinkers, Fighters, and Artists Who Helped Build America, and Egan's The Immortal Irishman: The Irish Revolutionary Who Became an American Hero. I've read a lot about the Civil War and recommend highly Stars in Their Courses: The Gettysburg Campaign, June-July 1863, which is a 100 page extract from his 3,000 plus page history.

For America in World War 2 histories, the cream of the crop for me includes Goodwin's No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, Ambrose's Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest and Citizen Soldiers: The US Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany, Atkinson's An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943, Hornfischer's The Fleet at Flood Tide: America at Total War in the Pacific, 1944-1945, and Hersey's Hiroshima.

A recent history of America in the Vietnam War, Bowden's Huế 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam, was toally compelling. Compared to Vietnam, the Korean War gets neglected. To rectify that I recommend Halberstam's The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War and Sides' On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle.

Some miscellaneous biographies I loved which capture a lot about American history include Marshall's Margaret Fuller: A New American Life (early feminist) and McCullough's The Wright Brothers. Another eclectic read I found delicious was John McPhee's The Founding Fish.

Some 5 star reads for me that reveal major elements of American history include:
--Burr--Gore Vidal
--A Mercy--A.B. Guthrie
--The Good Lord Bird--James McBride
--Woe to Live on--Daniel Woodrell
--Cold Mountain--Charles Frazier
--March--Geraldine Brooks
--Gods and Generals--Jeff Shaara
--The Son--Philipp Meyer
--Doc--Mary Doria Russell
--TransAtlantic--Colum McCann
--Stallion Gate--Martin Cruz Smith
--When the Emperor Was Divine--Julie Otsuka
--11/22/63--Stephen King
--Matterhorn--Karl Marlantes

Hope this inspires your choices. Happy hunting!
Meli Nikki wrote: "I'm laughing at myself - after rejecting Alexander Hamilton as too long (818 pages) I was next drawn to Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (912 pages). I decided to..."

OMG, Nikki, no! HAHAHAHAHA

Michael, what a concise list, thanks for sharing!
I am skipping this month's tag but that is a great list of recommendations for the other readers.
NancyJ Doughgirl5562 wrote: "Idit wrote: "I have just finished my October Trim book and one of the reading highlights of my year - Ragtime. At some point I will write a gushing review of it, but for this thread s..."

Ragtime always makes me think of my late father. He really liked it (and the music), and we lived near one of the houses used in the filming. I have a memory of hearing the actress screaming over and over when they were filming a scene (about the baby I think).
NancyJ Michael wrote: "I want to read Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington.

I previously loved his Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which in 6 essays totally about 300 pages c..."

Awesome list. Thanks Michael. I think I'll print it out and bring it to the library with me.

I'm reading the posts backward and I'm loving all these possibilities. Thank you to everyone for posting suggestions.
NancyJ Theresa wrote: "A book I highly recommend for this theme is Personal History by Katharine Graham. It's her autobiography and is an absolute page-turner. Both a history of the Washington..."

Thanks Theresa, this sounds great.
Nicole R Nicole R wrote: "I'm with you, definitely nonfiction for me this month. Though, if I get to a second book then it may be historical fiction. I have some good ones floating around.."

At lunch today, a coworker recommended The Last Days of Night! Her rave review had me instantly putting it on hold from the library and, as a bonus, it is the basis for a new movie. The Current War, with Benedict Cumberbatch that comes out Friday!
Nicole R Cora wrote: "Here are some recommendations:

Kindred
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
[book:Mar..."

The Warmth of Other Suns was excellent.
Nicole R Nikki wrote: "I'm laughing at myself - after rejecting Alexander Hamilton as too long (818 pages) I was next drawn to Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (912 pages). I decided to..."

GWTW is one of my all time favorite books!
Nicole R Michael wrote: "Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln"

I loved this book! I want Lin Manuel Miranda to decide to adapt it as his next Broadway production! lol
Nicole R Michael wrote: "I want to read Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington.."

I have read so little Ellis and I always say I want to read more! I haven't even managed to get to 1776, which seems like a huge oversight on my part!
Anita Pomerantz Nikki wrote: "I'm laughing at myself - after rejecting Alexander Hamilton as too long (818 pages) I was next drawn to Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom (912 pages). I decided to..."

Lol, I am interested in the Frederick Douglass bio too - - - it has gotten some great reviews. But the length. I did read Hamilton, and it took me awhile.
Anita Pomerantz Michael wrote: "I want to read Ellis' His Excellency: George Washington.

I previously loved his Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation, which in 6 essays totally about 300 pages c..."

Oh, Michael - - please have pity on my TBR! What awesome suggestions . . .
Michael Anita wrote: "Oh, Michael --please have pity on my TBR!.."

I was a biology major and save from one Medieval history course I missed out a lot on US and world history. And thus had a lot of catching up to do when I stopped reading mainly fiction about 10 years ago. Great narrative writers of history and biography can be just as talented as fiction writers in storytelling, character development, and drama in their subjects.

BTW, Nancy, Empire of the Summer Moon is $1.99 today on Amazon and B&N.
Sara Nicole R wrote: At lunch today, a coworker recommended The Last Days of Night! Her rave review had me instantly putting it on hold from the library and, as a bonus, it is the basis for a new movie. The Current War, with Benedict Cumberbatch that comes out Friday!..."

Thanks for this suggestion Nicole. It sounds fascinating, and lucky me the library just happened to have an audio copy available for instant download.

I'm planning to finally read a book I bought about 15 years ago (seriously I just found the receipt in the book and it was purchased 12/9/2015), We Shall Fall As The Leaves. It's about the history of the removal of the Uncompahgre and Northern Ute tribes from Southwestern CO. My hometown was named for Chief Ouray as it was his home for many years. I'm really quite excited to finally read this book. I'm not sure why I've waited so long.
Joanne Anita wrote: "But I'm super excited about my book choice which is The Only Plane in the Sky: The Oral History of 9/11

This looks really tempting, Anita. I just recently read Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11, which was an excellent read. I am not up for another book on 9/11, but this one is going on my TBR
Joanne Joy D. wrote:"I plan to read: Halsey's Typhoon: The True Story of a Fighting Admiral, an Epic Storm, and an Untold Rescue by Bob Drury

We always seem to gel with these type of books! I just picked this one up at the Library book sale! Nor sure I will finish it this month though, a lot on my reading plate for November and busy month for me. I look forward to your thoughts though!
Karin Recommendations:
My five star reads for me:
Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania audiobook
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption (I listened to the audiobook)
The Help
To Kill a Mockingbird


Two books on the first page that I gave 4 stars too and recommend are
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
and
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration

As for what I'll read, perhaps I'll finally get to that Codebreakers book!
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