INTRODUCTION - AMERICAN HISTORY

[Tom]

New book that may be of interest to others :


by Eliot A. Cohen

Americans often think of the Civil War as the conflict that consolidated the United States, including its military values and practices. But there was another, earlier, and more protracted struggle between “North” and “South,” beginning in the 1600s and lasting for more than two centuries, that shaped American geopolitics and military culture. Here, Eliot A. Cohen explains how the American way of war emerged from a lengthy struggle with an unlikely enemy: Canada.

In Conquered into Liberty, Cohen describes how five peoples—the British, French, Americans, Canadians, and Indians—fought over the key to the North American continent: the corridor running from Albany to Montreal dominated by the Champlain valley and known to Native Americans as the “Great Warpath.” He reveals how conflict along these two hundred miles of lake, river, and woodland shaped the country’s military values, practices, and institutions.

Through a vivid narration of a series of fights— woodland skirmishes and massacres, bloody frontal assaults and fleet actions, rear-guard battles and shadowy covert actions—Cohen explores how a distinctively American approach to war developed along the Great Warpath. He weaves together tactics and strategy, battle narratives, and statecraft, introducing readers to such fascinating but little-known figures as Justus Sherwood, loyalist spy; Jeduthan Baldwin, self-taught engineer; and La Corne St. Luc, ruthless partisan leader. And he reintroduces characters we thought we knew—an admirable Benedict Arnold, a traitorous Ethan Allen, and a devious George Washington. A gripping read grounded in serious scholarship, Conquered into Liberty will enchant and inform readers for decades to come.

['Aussie Rick']

I have been eyeing off this book for a while now Tom, it does sound very interesting, thanks for the post :)

[Jill]

I just started this book and it examines the rise, fall, and rise of that icon of American glitter, Atlantic City which has been a part of our history since the 19th century. It has grabbed my attention from the first pages and there was a well-received HBO mini-series based on this book (which I didn't see). A little island of sand in New Jersey which became a city of graft, mob control, politics, and vice. Who can resist a book like this!!!

by Nelson Johnson (no photo)

['Aussie Rick']

Here is another new book covering early American history:


by Scott Weidensaul
Description:
From an acclaimed Pulitzer Prize finalist, a sweeping history of the largely forgotten time when the eastern seaboard marked the tense frontier between great colonial empires and countless native tribes

Once, the East was frontier—the boundary between complex native cultures and the first colonizing Europeans. How they each adopted and adapted the ways and manners of the other, while contesting for control of what all considered to be their land, shaped both societies in profound and lasting ways.

The First Frontier traces two and a half centuries of history through poignant, mostly unheralded personal stories—like that of a Harvard-educated Indian caught up in seventeenth-century warfare, a mixed-blood interpreter trying to straddle his white and native heritage, and a Puritan woman wielding a scalping knife. It is the first book in years to tell the far-reaching story of the eastern frontier, combining vivid storytelling with the latest research to bring to life modern America’s tumultuous, uncertain beginnings.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thank you Aussie Rick, Jill and Tom for the adds.

['Aussie Rick']

From my current book on the conflicts along the Canadian-American border. This account is from an early battle between the Huron with French assistance and the Mohawks:

“The Mohawks fled, and the grateful Hurons provided Champlain with the head of one of the slain, even as the Frenchman squirmed at the prolonged ritual torture to the death of the Iroquois prisoners, who were required to sing during their evisceration by their captors. Unsurprisingly, ‘it was a very sad song’, Champlain recalled.”

by Eliot A. Cohen

['Aussie Rick']

This is another account my current book; "Conquered into Liberty" which deals with a brutal tactic used by the Indians on one raid that I will place in a spoiler as it is quite brutal :


(view spoiler)[“In the 1650s, for example, the Seneca, the westernmost of the Iroquois nations, had attacked a village of the Miami Indians who lived in what is now the Midwest, carrying off many of their enemies children. Knowing that they would be followed by Miami war parties as they withdrew to their own lands, at each of their daily campsites the Seneca left the head of a Miami child impaled on a stick, looking in the direction of the pursuing Miami father who had arrived too late.” (hide spoiler)]

by Eliot A. Cohen

['Aussie Rick']

This is a very descriptive account of fighting Indians during a raid by ‘Roger’s Raiders’:

“The fighting was close, within twenty yards, and went on for an hour and a half. The retreating rangers could hear the screams of their wounded comrades being tortured to death by the Indians as the surviving rangers conducted their awkward retreat, clumping up hill on the wood-and-sinew snowshoes that made all movement slow and clumsy. The rangers had to reload their muskets carefully because when damp their firearms were no more than clubs attached to metal tubes. Even when in good order these weapons could only fire a single shot every twenty seconds at a bounding tomahawk-wielding Indian in war paint. The flank party on the right, eighteen men under Lieutenant William Hendrick Phillips, became detached from the main group and was surrounded. The remaining men fought with the determination of those who could expect no quarter from an enemy who had chosen to scalp the wounded before killing them rather than after.”


by Eliot A. Cohen

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thank you for the adds Aussie Rick. I can see you are enjoying your book.

['Aussie Rick']

It's an interesting account Bentley and I am sure that those who enjoy early American history may also enjoy reading this book.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Of course, and just keep your adds coming as usual; everybody enjoys seeing them.

[Jill]

by Paul Collins

Before somebody says "What is that book doing in the American History thread?", let me explain. Rather than a murder mystery, it is an excellent history of the rise of "yellow" journalism as practiced by those two publishing giants, Pulitzer and Hearst. The reporters carried badges and guns, broke into suspects' apartments and trampled over crime scenes with abandon. Their manipulation of the facts and public opinion was amazing and they were the precursors of the "investigative reporters" of today. It is an amazing story which has a murder only as a sidelight to the history of journalism as practiced at the turn of the 20th century. The story ends as Hearst turns his attention to the sinking of the Maine and we know his involvement in the Spanish-American War.

['Aussie Rick']

Sounds like an interesting book Jill!

[Jill]

I was totally taken with it, AR. The reporters got away with just about anything and everything. I think is a fascinating part of history, especially since newspapers are slowly fading away in this age of electronic media.

['Aussie Rick']

Here is a book that you and other readers might like as well then Jill:


by Richard Zacks
Description:
When young Theodore Roosevelt was appointed police commissioner of New York City, he had the astounding gall to try to shut down the brothels, gambling joints, and after-hours saloons. This is the story of how TR took on Manhattan vice . . . and vice won.

In the 1890s, New York City was America’s financial, manufacturing, and entertainment capital, and also its preferred destination for sin, teeming with forty thousand prostitutes, glittery casinos, and all-night dives. Police cap­tains took hefty bribes to see nothing while reformers writhed in frustration.

In Island of Vice, Richard Zacks paints a vivid portrait of the lewd underbelly of 1890s New York, and of Theodore Roosevelt, the puritanical, cocksure police commissioner resolved to clean it up. Writing with great wit and zest, Zacks explores how young Roosevelt goes head to head with Tammany Hall, takes midnight rambles with muckraker Jacob Riis, and tries to convince two million New Yorkers to enjoy wholesome family fun. When Roosevelt’s crackdown succeeds too well, even his supporters turn on him, and TR discovers that New York loves its sin more than its salvation.

With cameos by Stephen Crane, Mark Twain, and a horde of very angry cops, Island of Vice is an unforgettable snap­shot of turn-of-the-century New York in all its seedy glory and a brilliant miniature of one of America’s most colorful presidents.

Reviews:
“Here is young Teddy Roosevelt as the reformist New York City Police Commissioner confronted in 1895 with a cabal of unaccountably wealthy police officials, whole neighborhoods of brothels, and the paws of the Tammany Tiger in everything. A delicious municipal history, impeccably researched, excitingly told." - E. L. Doctorow, (award-winning author of Ragtime)

"In the early 1890s, New York was America's vice capital, with thousands of prostitutes and countless all-night gambling halls. But then, in 1895, Teddy Roosevelt was appointed police commissioner. Richard Zacks paints an engagingly vivid picture of the rise of Roosevelt, the birth of the reform movement, and the creation of 20th century America. Roosevelt comes alive with all of his blustery and belligerent passion, and so does New York City." - Walter Isaacson, (bestselling author of Steve Jobs and Einstein: His Life and Universe)

“From the opening pages of his rousing new book, Island of Vice, Richard Zacks plunges readers into the filth, debauchery and corruption of 1890s New York. When an ambitious young Theodore Roosevelt strides in to clean up the mess, the story, already brimming with incredible characters and jaw-dropping details, only gets better. “ - Candice Millard, (bestselling author of The River of Doubt and Destiny of the Republic)

“Island of Vice is as thrilling as the low dives and wanton women it describes. This is the real-life story of an American icon, Teddy Roosevelt, battling vice and as colorful an array of crooked politicians as Tammany ever assembled, in raucous old, gas-light New York. Zacks does a superb job as both a historian and a storyteller.” - Kevin Baker, (bestselling author of Paradise Alley)

“An irresistible force – young Theodore Roosevelt, the police commissioner, determined to wipe out vice – meets an immoveable object – the corrupt, pleasure-loving city of New York in the 1890s. And the result is: a whole lot of fun. What a marvelous time Richard Zacks must have had researching this story. The information is fascinating, the amazing tale moves with a headlong pace. I'm sure ISLAND OF VICE will be a best-seller, and it deserves to be.” - Edward Rutherfurd, (bestselling author of New York: The Novel)

“It’s been said that New York City politics were invented to scare young children. True, according to Richard Zacks whose riveting account lays bare the depravity and corruption of the Gilded Age – and the failed crusade of Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt to stop it. A must-read for any student of Gotham.” - Teresa Carpenter, (author of New York Diaries, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing)

"Zacks probes this period of Roosevelt’s life with exhaustive details, drama, and intrigue. The 40 pages of bibliographic notes indicate the five years of research that went into this remarkable re-creation of fin-de-siècle New York. Writing with a prismatic, poetic slant, Zacks unveils a colorful portrait of a volcanic Roosevelt towering over the soul of the city." - Publishers Weekly

“Set in gas-lit 1890s Manhattan, Zacks’ depiction of virtue versus vice pits Theodore Roosevelt against a gallery of antagonists...[TR’s] fight is a fascinating story that Zacks relays with zest. His pungent vignettes of sinful establishments and the police who ‘protected’ them hang on the main plot of TR’s campaigns to dismiss bad cops and enforce long-dormant alcohol and prostitution laws, which often resulted in proceedings showcasing TR at his most combatively indignant. His research artfully attired in active prose, Zacks writes a winner for TR and NYC buffs.” - Booklist

"Zacks returns with a sharply focused look at Theodore Roosevelt's brief tenure as a New York City police commissioner...The author takes us inside fin-de-siecle brothels and bars, Tammany Hall and courtrooms, contentious commissioners' meetings and cops' barracks. A nuanced, comprehensive portrait of a unique man and the surrounding period, culture and political system." - Kirkus Reviews

[Joanne]

In conjunction with the current exhibit, "Slavery at Jefferson's Monticello," at Smithsonian's American History Museum, the University of Virginia Press has published a much appreciated collection of Cinder Stanton's essays concerning slavery and emancipation at Monticello: "Those Who Labor for My Happiness." The book includes her excellent monograph "Free Some Day" (now out of print). I highly recommend Stanton's work. Her research is impeccable; her writing completely accessible and insightful. She introduces us not only to lesser-known members of the well-known Hemings family but also to other equally fascinating families and individuals. by (Cinder) Lucia Stanton

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thank you Joanne.

[Bryan]

Thanks, Joanne. Cinder's work is first-rate.

(Cinder) Lucia Stanton

[Jill]

Bringing history a little further toward modern times, the book, winner of the 2011 Francis Parkman Prize for the Best Book on American History, examines the decline of the working class in the 1970s.

Stayin' Alive

by Jefferson R. Cowie

Synopsis
An epic account of how working-class America hit the rocks in the political and economic upheavals of the '70s, Stayin' Alive is a wide-ranging cultural and political history that presents the decade in a whole new light. Jefferson Cowie's edgy and incisive book - part political intrigue, part labor history, with large doses of American music, film, and TV lore - makes new sense of the '70s as a crucial and poorly understood transition from the optimism of New Deal America to the widening economic inequalities and dampened expectations of the present. Stayin' Alive takes us from the factory floors of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Detroit to the Washington of Nixon, Ford, and Carter. Cowie connects politics to culture, showing how the big screen and the jukebox can help us understand how America turned away from the radicalism of the '60s and toward the patriotic promise of Ronald Reagan. He also makes unexpected connections between the secrets of the Nixon White House and the failings of the George McGovern campaign, between radicalism and the blue-collar backlash, and between the earthy twang of Merle Haggard's country music and the falsetto highs of Saturday Night Fever. Cowie captures nothing less than the defining characteristics of a new era. Stayin' Alive is a book that will forever define a misunderstood decade.

Francis Parkman

[Logan]

I am currently reading:

by Thomas James Fleming

This book focuses on Valley Forge and Washington's Army's stubborn refusal to give in to defeat. History often forgets what a savvy politician Washington was and this book delves into his handling of both the political and military realities to the Revolution - and sometimes the political obstacles were more daunting than the redcoats.

It is fascinating. I am always amazed at how precarious our nation was and how close we came to defeat. The founding fathers were truly amazing people - I still cannot believe that they pulled it off!

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Logan, I agree - things could have gone either way.

['Aussie Rick']

Here is a book that is due out for release in October offering a different perspective of 'Custers Last Stand' which may interest a few readers:

by Joan Nabseth Stevenson
Description:
Of the three surgeons who accompanied Custer's Seventh Cavalry on June 25, 1876, only the youngest, twenty-eight-year-old Henry Porter, survived that day's ordeal, riding through a gauntlet of Indian attackers and up the steep bluffs to Major Marcus Reno's hilltop position. But the story of Dr. Porter's wartime exploits goes far beyond the battle itself. In this compelling narrative of military endurance and medical ingenuity, Joan Nabseth Stevenson opens a new window on the Battle of the Little Big Horn by re-creating the desperate struggle for survival during the fight and in its wake.

As Stevenson recounts in gripping detail, Porter's life-saving work on the battlefield began immediately, as he assumed the care of nearly sixty soldiers and two Indian scouts, attending to wounds and performing surgeries and amputations. He evacuated the critically wounded soldiers on mules and hand litters, embarking on a hazardous trek of fifteen miles that required two river crossings, the scaling of a steep cliff, and a treacherous descent into the safety of the steamboat "Far West," waiting at the mouth of the Little Big Horn River. There began a harrowing 700-mile journey along the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers to the post hospital at Fort Abraham Lincoln near Bismarck, Dakota Territory.

With its new insights into the role and function of the army medical corps and the evolution of battlefield medicine, this unusual book will take its place both as a contribution to the history of the Great Sioux War and alongside such vivid historical novels as "Son of the Morning Star "and" Little Big Man." It will also ensure that the selfless deeds of a lone "contract" surgeon--unrecognized to this day by the U.S. government--will never be forgotten.

[Jill]

Sounds very intense. I am always interested in the Custer "saga" about which much has been written, some of it not quite true. That book sounds like the real thing....thanks, AR.

[Jill]

Did you read Son of the Morning Star? I rather liked it.

by Evan S. Connell

[Jill]

Don't forget to cite the additional books/author mentioned in the review.


and by Jerome A. Greene

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

'Aussie Rick' wrote: "I know that I have to add full book details when I mention a title but I didn't think that went as far as books mentioned in the text of any book description or review. I have deleted the offending..."

Aussie Rick - you know the rules and guidelines well so this should not be any surprise. Simply going back and correcting the review was all that was needed and heeding Jill's guidance which you passed off.

[Jill]

The gun that won the west, the Colt, has a long history but this book concentrates on the scandal surrounding Samuel Colt's brother and a famous murder trial that rocked the nation. It's a page turner!


Killer Colt: Murder, Disgrace, and the Making of an American Legend

by Harold Schechter

Synopsis

A gripping true crime account beginning in 1841 with the last moments of the life of publisher Samuel Adams, whose stripped body was later found in the hold of a merchant ship. A trail of bloody clues points back to John Colt the older brother of the famous inventor of the revolver, Samuel Colt. The author gives us John's life, the sensational Colt trial - which both fired the imagination of pioneering crime writer Edgar Allan Poe and fueled the indignation of journalist Walt Whitman - and Sam's vigorous defense of his brother, which may have been motivated by a secret the brothers shared.

Edgar Allan Poe
Walt Whitman

[Alisa]

Book about Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom

by Catherine Clinton

Synopsis
Celebrated for her courageous exploits as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman has entered history as one of nineteenth-century America's most enduring and important figures. But just who was this remarkable woman? To John Brown, leader of the Harpers Ferry slave uprising, she was General Tubman. For the many slaves she led north to freedom, she was Moses. To the slaveholders who sought her capture, she was a thief and a trickster. To abolitionists, she was a prophet. Now, in a biography widely praised for its impeccable research and its compelling narrative, Harriet Tubman is revealed for the first time as a singular and complex character, a woman who defied simple categorization.

[Bryan]

Arun writes:

It's a historical account about 18th/19th century America that starts with explaining the sugar route and how important the current West Indies is. The book explains in Jefferson Era but it is not his biography. It has > 600 pages - around 688 I think, I read during my high school. Anyone who has vague idea of what this book might be, do reply.

[James]

Bryan wrote: "Arun writes:

It has > 600 pages - around 688 I think, I read during my high school. Anyone who has vague idea of what this book might be, do reply."

I would google a lengthy exact phrase within the pages you referenced and it should bring up your old high school book.

[John]

I need to stop reading these threads or my TBR list will become monsterously huge! Haha.
Thanks for all of the great recommendations everyone. I've been reading a set of books lately that have formed a kind of loose trilogy of 1800's Plains Indians:
The Last Stand by Philbrick - as the title implies covers the Last Stand, and does a decent job of bring two disparate points of view of Sitting Bull and the Lakota (Souix) and Custer the 7th Calvary
Then I read Empire of the Summer Moon- great book about the intersection of white settlers and the history of the Comanches in the Texas plains area. Can be brutal at times.
And now I am on 38 Nooses and Little Crow and the Dakota.
I went from one to the other drawn to the stories of the Plains Indians in the 1800s I suppose. It was somewhat by happenstance that I recently picked these books up in the last 3 or 4 months.
All are recommended. Anyone have any other favorites dealing with the same time frame other than Bury My Heart, I Will Fight No More Forever, etc- which I already have read?

Nathaniel Philbrick

S.C. Gwynne

Scott W. Berg

Dee Brown

Merrill D. Beal

[John]

Jill wrote: "The gun that won the west, the Colt, has a long history but this book concentrates on the scandal surrounding Samuel Colt's brother and a famous murder trial that rocked the nation. It's a page tur..."

I have duly placed this on my TBR list, Jill. Any bios of Colt that you might be aware of - or even "bios" about his weapons?

[Alisa]

John, we all suffer from out of control TBR lists. You are in good company!

[Bryan]

Second that.

['Aussie Rick']

Hi John, this new release may interest you:



by Chris Kyle
Description:
In "American Gun", the deadliest sniper in U.S. history tracks down and shoots the most important American firearms, from a flintlock rifle to a Colt revolver to the latest high-tech weapon he used as a SEAL. Chris Kyle uses these guns as a window on United States history, making the sweeping argument that the American story has been tied to and shaped by the gun. In each chapter he offers engaging stories associated with a particular gun, form wars to duels to shoot outs. "American Gun" is part history, part first-hand journey as Chris locates and shoots these legendary guns. The 10 Guns that shaped America - The American long Rifle (aka the Kentucky Rifle): used to open the American frontier and by soldiers in the American Revolution; The Spencer Repeater: designed during the Civil War, this first repeating rifle cut reload time by 80%; The Colt Single Action Army (aka Colt .4 5): the handgun that defined the Old West, used by Buffalo Bill, Billy the Kid, Wyatt Earp, Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, and other iconic gunslingers; The Winchester 1873 Rifle: the Gun that Won the West was a staple in the late nineteenth-century Indian Wars and a favorite a prop in countless Westerns; The 1903 Springfield: designed at the request of Teddy Roosevelt, this superior rifle gave U.S. forces an edge during WWI; The M1911 Army Pistol: the official U.S. Army sidearm from 1911 to 1985, the King of Combat Pistols is still used by today's elite Special Forces units. The American Machine Gun: including the Browning Automatic Rifle and the Thompson Sub-machine Gun, the Gun that Made the '20s Roar, was the weapon of choice for lawmen and gangsters during the Prohibition era, including Machine-Gun Kelly, Elliot Ness, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, John Dillinger, and others; The M1 Garand Semi-Automatic Rifle: the Gun that Saved the World, used by U.S. forces again Nazis and the Japanese during WW II; The American Police Handgun: from the .3 8 Special revolver to the Glock pistol, this chapter is a tour through police firearms history; The M16 Assault Rifle: made famous during Vietnam, this platform is still the standard used by U.S. military weapons including the H&K M4, the firearm that killed Osama bin Laden.

[John]

Wow! That looks great, Rick. Thanks for the recommend. So tragic about his death recently- I had read and known about Chris Kyle and recently put "American Sniper" on my TBR list. I had no idea he another book in the pipeline. Thanks again. I've also got "American Rifle: A biography" by Alexander Rose on my TBR list, so these might be a good back to back read.

Chris Kyle

Alexander Rose

[Alisa]

Aussie Rick, thanks for the recommendation.

[John]

Thanks Bryan and Alisa- I think one of the definitions of "comfort" has to be: "To be in the company of others who understand your obsessions and quirks." haha

['Aussie Rick']

My pleasure and it was tragic news about Chris Kyle's death. I'm also tempted to grab a copy of his latest book. I also fully agree with the definition of "comfort" being; "To be in the company of others who understand your obsessions and quirks."

[Jill]

I just finished this book a couple of weeks ago and it is well worth the read.

The Aspirin Age: 1919-1941

by Isabel Leighton

Synopsis
This book is comprised of 22 essays by famous and not so famous authors/journalists, touching on social and historic events that occurred between 1919-1941. It covers such diverse topics as the death of President Warren Harding; the Jack Dempsey/Gene Tunney prize fights; Charles Lindbergh; the Dionne Quintuplets, the Ku Klux Klan, etc. Some are quite humorous while others are serious and thought provoking; others show the obvious bias of the writer. The book was written in 1949 and some of the essays are rather ironic when read in the present day. It is an enjoyable look at the inter-war years in America and the variety of the topics adds interest for any reader of American history.

[Peter]

A friend of mine who knows relatively little American history (she went to high school but has probably forgotten much of what she learned about history) would like a general history of the USA. She doesn't want a text and she does want something that (in her words) "is sort of novelly". That is, I think she is more interested in readability and story than in scholarship or such.

It's been a while since I read something like this, so I'm asking for suggestions

[Bryan]

Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East from 1776 to the Present and Six Days of War

Michael B. Oren

Synopsis from Booklist

This engrossing, informative, and frequently surprising survey of U.S. involvement in the Middle East over the past 230 years is particularly timely. Oren, a frequent contributor to the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and New Republic, illustrates that American interests have frequently combined elements of romanticism, religious fervency, and hardheaded power politics. In the early nineteenth century, President Jefferson, perhaps acting against his own instincts to remain aloof from the affairs of the Old World, sent the infant American navy to confront the Barbary pirates off the coast of North Africa. Like many of our future endeavors in the region, the results were a mixture of success, failure, and farce. Other episodes covered here that are particularly interesting include previously obscure American efforts to locate the source of the Nile and the efforts by American missionaries to convert vast numbers of Ottoman subjects. But Oren is at his best when describing American involvement in the twentieth century as the U.S. replaced Britain as the dominant "imperial" power in the area. Appealing to both scholars and general readers.

[Mark]

This book, which will be released this fall, appears to be a great one.

The Aviators: Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight

by Winston Groom

Synopsis
Written by gifted storyteller Winston Groom (author of Forrest Gump), The Aviators tells the saga of three extraordinary aviators--Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle--and how they redefine heroism through their genius, daring, and uncommon courage.

From Winston Groom, the best-selling author of Forrest Gump, Shiloh 1862, and Vicksburg 1863, comes the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight. These cleverly interwoven tales of their heart-stopping adventures take us from the feats of World War I through the heroism of World War II and beyond, including daring military raids and survival-at-sea, and will appeal to fans of Unbroken, The Greatest Generation, and Flyboys. With the world in peril in World War II, each man set aside great success and comfort to return to the skies for his most daring mission yet. Doolittle, a brilliant aviation innovator, would lead the daring Tokyo Raid to retaliate for Pearl Harbor; Lindbergh, hero of the first solo flight across the Atlantic, would fly combat missions in the South Pacific; and Rickenbacker, World War I flying ace, would bravely hold his crew together while facing near-starvation and circling sharks after his plane went down in a remote part of the Pacific. Groom's rich narrative tells their intertwined stories--from broken homes to Medals of Honor (all three would receive it); barnstorming to the greatest raid of World War II; front-page triumph to anguished tragedy; and near-death to ultimate survival--as all took to the sky, time and again, to become exemplars of the spirit of the "greatest generation."

[Mark]

Here is an interesting American history book with a simple synopsis.

The Men Who Loved Trains: The Story of Men Who Battled Greed to Save an Ailing Industry (Railroads Past and Present)

Rush Loving, Jr.

Synopsis
A behind-the-scenes look at the boardroom battles to save American railroads.

[Peter]

Sounds interesting. Trains are a very efficient form of transport. As fuel prices rise and global warming becomes evident, I hope trains make a big comeback.

[Mark]

Peter wrote: "Sounds interesting. Trains are a very efficient form of transport. As fuel prices rise and global warming becomes evident, I hope trains make a big comeback."

I'm with you Peter, but from what I have witnessed in Massachusetts and North Carolina all tracks are being torn up in favor of bike paths. I like bikes, but I too see a need for trains in the 21st Century.

[Peter]

Tearing up train tracks for bike lanes is the wrong method; we need to move towards having a lot fewer *cars*. Bikes are great, but they are not great for all purposes.

[Mark]

Here is a bit of fascinating history on the relationship between the motor city of Detroit and the federal government. This banking crisis did not take place in the 21st Century, but 1933.

Breaking the Banks in Motor City: The Auto Industry, the 1933 Detroit Banking Crisis and the Start of the New Deal

Darwyn H. Lumley

Synopsis
This history tells the relatively unknown story of how the Detroit automobile industry played a major role in the 1933 banking crisis and the subsequent New Deal reforms that drastically changed the financial industry. Spurred by failed decision making by automobile industry leaders, Detroit banks experienced a critical emergency, precipitating the federal closure of banks on March 4, 1933, the first in a series of actions by which the federal government acquired power over economics previously held by states and private industrial and financial interests.

[Bentley, Group Founder, Leader, Chief]

Thanks for the add Mark.

[Laney]

Hi ya'll! I hope I'm posting this in the right section, but I need a few book recommendations if anyone has some. I'm looking for any books about settling the great plains. Kind of an adult Little House on the Prairie theme, daily life or even a sweeping history of settlers in the plains. Anything focusing on Oklahoma would be nice too.

Thanks a bunch!