General Books - Page 12

Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Vincent Bugliosi

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 167 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

For over forty years the truth about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy has been obscured. This book releases us from a crippling distortion of American history.

This extraordinary and historic book required twenty years to research and write. The oft-challenged findings of the Warren Commission—Lee Harvey Oswald, acting alone, shot and killed President John F. Kennedy—are here confirmed beyond all doubt. But Reclaiming History does much more than that. In addition to providing a powerful and unprecedented narrative of events and a biography of the assassin, it confronts and destroys every one of the conspiracy theories that have grown up since the assassination, exposing their selective use of evidence, flawed logic, and outright deceptions. So thoroughly documented, so compellingly lucid in its conclusions, Reclaiming History is, in a sense, the investigation that completes the work of the Warren Commission. In it, Vincent Bugliosi, the nation's foremost prosecutor, takes on the most important murder in American history.

At 1:00 p.m. on November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead, the victim of a sniper attack during his motorcade through Dallas. That may be the only fact generally agreed upon in the vast literature spawned by the assassination. National polls reveal that an overwhelming majority of Americans (75%) believe that there was a high-level conspiracy behind Lee Harvey Oswald. Many even believe that Oswald was entirely innocent. In this continuously absorbing, powerful, ground-breaking book, Vincent Bugliosi shows how we have come to believe such lies about an event that changed the course of history.

The brilliant prosecutor of Charles Manson and the man who forged an iron-clad case of circumstantial guilt around O. J. Simpson in his best-selling Outrage, Bugliosi is perhaps the only man in America capable of writing the definitive book on the Kennedy assassination. This is an achievement that has for years seemed beyond reach. No one imagined that such a book would ever be written: a single volume that once and for all resolves, beyond any reasonable doubt, every lingering question as to what happened in Dallas and who was responsible.

There have been hundreds of books about the assassination, but there has never been a book that covers the entire case, including addressing each and every conspiracy theory and the facts, or alleged facts, on which they are based. In this monumental work, the author has raised scholarship on the assassination to a new and final level, one that far surpasses all other books on the subject. It adds resonance, depth, and closure to the admirable work of the Warren Commission.

Reclaiming History is a narrative compendium of fact, forensic evidence, reexamination of key witnesses, and common sense. Every detail and nuance is accounted for, every conspiracy theory revealed as a fraud on the American public. Bugliosi's irresistible logic, command of the evidence, and ability to draw startling inferences shed fresh light on this American nightmare. At last it all makes sense.

The Light and the Glory for Children : Discovering God's Plan for America from Christopher Columbus to George Washington

Peter Marshall, David Manuel, Anna Wilson Fishel

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Children will gain insight about America's Christian roots. 5 out of 5 stars.
60 of 64 people found this review helpful.

Like the adult book of the same title, The Light and the Glory for Children examines evidence for America's Christian roots. The authors reveal a past that is not at all smooth. The challenges of settling this land and building a new nation are shown in their harsh reality. Equally, the faith that strengthened the people for these challenges is presented as inspiration for tomorrow's citizens and leaders. Review questions in the back of the book helped my children explore their own values and beliefs about their country. There could be no better way to raise responsible citizens than to have them investigate our Christian heritage through this book.

a must for all 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 22 people found this review helpful.

Great and educational book. My son loved it and he does not care to read. This is a must for all out there.

Must Read! 5 out of 5 stars.
16 of 19 people found this review helpful.

This book is a must read for children to get a proper perspective of history. Public school textbooks will not reflect our Christian roots. Parents should read the regular version. My 9 year old granddaughter says this is her favorite book.

Editorial Review:

This interactive edition of the best-seller reveals how God worked through America's founding fathers. Ages 9-12.

The Civil War (The American Heritage Library(R))

Bruce Catton

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 35 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A great place to start... 5 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

From the very beginning, I was enthralled with the PBS series by Ken Burns, The Civil War. So why it took me so many years to read The Civil War companion book, I'll never know. Written by Geoffrey Ward with Ric Burns and Ken Burns, it was like discovering lost treasure.

The Civil War was a momentous event in the history of our nation, and thousands and thousands of books have been written on almost every possible angle. But if a Civil War neophyte had to bring himself up to speed as quickly as possible, this book is the way to go. The Civil War obviously covers all of the major events from John Brown, to the firing on Sumter to the surrender at Appomattox. The battles are done in a way that makes them easy to understand with maps and troop movements for clarification. The authors provide portraits of the major players (Lincoln, Davis, Lee, Grant, Jackson, Sherman, etc.) as well as some still important but lesser-known individuals (Clara Barton). But what I really enjoyed were the side-stories, anecdotes and trivia to be found here. We learn about the railroads, the medical corps, the engineers, the supplies, the uniforms, the ironclads, the weapons, and black soldiers. The north had much better marching songs. "A southern major who listened to a northern officer sing some of them after the war admitted `Gentlemen, if we'd had your songs, we'd have licked you out of your boots.'"

What truly makes The Civil War come alive is the liberal use of letters and journal entries from the war. Throughout, we hear the voices of Sam Watkins (1st Tennessee Regiment) and Elisha Hunt Rhodes (2nd Rhode Island Volunteers) as they give us a first-hand account of their long war years. They also bring the story alive by the many photographs, drawings and maps that they've assembled.

The authors not only give us all this fascinating information, but then they cement it together with commentary by Civil War experts interspersed throughout. Such notables as Shelby Foote, Barbara J. Fields, James M. McPherson, C. Vann Woodward and Don E. Fehrenbacher tell us what the Civil War meant to us as individuals and as a nation. According to Foote, "the Civil War defined us as what we are and it opened us to being what we became, good and bad things."

Now that I've become reacquainted with the work of Ken Burns and crew, I'm definitely going to go back and watch the series again. This time, I plan to see it on DVD.

Editorial Review:

This book is a fast-moving, dramatic narrative. Catton, a leading historian of the Civil War, vividly describes the armies involved and battles fought. His account of battles is carefully interwoven with the political activities of the Union and Confederate armies and diplomatic efforts overseas.

American Dreams: Lost and Found

Studs Terkel

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Total reviews: 1 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"Here is the raw material for one thousand novels….incomparable."—Margaret Atwood

In this unique look at one of our most pervasive national myths, Studs Terkel persuades an extraordinary range of Americans to articulate their version of "The American Dream." Beginning with an embittered winner of the Miss U.S.A. contest who sees the con behind the dream of success and including an early interview with a highly ambitious Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terkel explores the diverse landscape of the promise of the United States—from farm kids dreaming of the city to city kids determined to get out, from the Boston Brahmin to the KKK member, from newly arrived immigrants to families who have lived in this country for generations, these narratives include figures both famous and infamous. Filtered through the lens of our leading oral historian, the chorus of voices in American Dreams highlights the hopes and struggles of coming to and living in the United States.

Originally published in 1980, this is a classic work of oral history that provides an extraordinary and moving picture of everyday American lives.

America's First Families: An Inside View of 200 Years of Private Life in the White House (Lisa Drew Books)

Carl Sferrazza Anthony

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Packed with more than 300 photographs from archives and private collections -- many published here for the first time -- entertaining anecdotes, political analysis, the dynamics of family relationships, and behind-the-scenes gossip, America's First Families offers the first up-close look at the families -- from John and Abigail Adams in 1800 to Bill and Hillary Clinton -- who have intrigued and entranced the American public for two centuries.

Carl Sferrazza Anthony opens the door to the world's most famous residence to reveal life as it was actually lived there. He takes readers into the heart of loyalties and estrangements, and the emotional pressures that politics brings to bear upon the forty White House families, from their arrivals to their "notices to vacate." Readers will enjoy an unprecedented tour of the previously unseen private rooms as used and decorated by each family. Revealed too are the personal proclivities of the presidents and how their families both sustained them through public crises and were used for political advantage. They'll get a firsthand look at the preparations for White House weddings and other occasions; meet the parents and children of the presidents -- as well as eccentric relatives; and discover the patterns of working, resting, and relaxing that shaped the nuts and bolts of family life.

A magnificent combination of visual delights and insider information, America's First Families is an irresistible invitation to spend some time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution

James M. McPherson

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Total reviews: 13 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

James McPherson has emerged as one of America's finest historians. Battle Cry of Freedom, his Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the Civil War, was a national bestseller that Hugh Brogan, in The New York Times Book Review, called "history writing of the highest order." In that volume, McPherson gathered in the broad sweep of events, the political, social, and cultural forces at work during the Civil War era. Now, in Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution, he offers a series of thoughtful and engaging essays on aspects of Lincoln and the war that have rarely been discussed in depth.
McPherson again displays his keen insight and sterling prose as he examines several critical themes in American history. He looks closely at the President's role as Commander-in-Chief of the Union forces, showing how Lincoln forged a national military strategy for victory. He explores the importance of Lincoln's great rhetorical skills, uncovering how--through parables and figurative language--he was uniquely able to communicate both the purpose of the war and a new meaning of liberty to the people of the North. In another section, McPherson examines the Civil War as a Second American Revolution, describing how the Republican Congress elected in 1860 passed an astonishing blitz of new laws (rivaling the first hundred days of the New Deal), and how the war not only destroyed the social structure of the old South, but radically altered the balance of power in America, ending 70 years of Southern power in the national government.
The Civil War was the single most transforming and defining experience in American history, and Abraham Lincoln remains the most important figure in the pantheon of our mythology. These graceful essays, written by one of America's leading historians, offer fresh and unusual perspectives on both.

A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America

Ronald Takaki

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Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Upon its first publication, A Different Mirror was hailed by critics and academics everywhere as a dramatic new retelling of our nation's past. Beginning with the colonization of the New World, it recounted the history of America in the voice of the non-Anglo peoples of the United States--Native Americans, African Americans, Jews, Irish Americans, Asian Americans, Latinos, and others--groups who helped create this country's rich mosaic culture.

Now, Ronald Takaki has revised his landmark work and made it even more relevant and important. Among the new additions to the book are:

--The role of black soldiers in preserving the Union
--The history of Chinese Americans from 1900-1941
--An investigation into the hot-button issue of "illegal" immigrants from Mexico
--A look at the sudden visibility of Muslim refugees from Afghanistan.

This new edition of A Different Mirror is a remarkable achievement that grapples with the raw truth of American history and examines the ultimate question of what it means to be an American.

Leviathan: The History of Whaling in America

Eric Jay Dolin

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Total reviews: 46 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

"The best history of American whaling to come along in a generation."—Nathaniel Philbrick.

Leviathan is the epic history of the "iron men in wooden boats" who built an industrial empire through the pursuit of whales. "To produce a mighty book, you must choose a mighty theme," Herman Melville proclaimed, and this absorbing history demonstrates that few things can capture the sheer danger and desperation of men on the deep sea as dramatically as whaling. Eric Jay Dolin begins his vivid narrative with Captain John Smith's botched whaling expedition to the New World in 1614. He then chronicles the rise of a burgeoning industry—from its brutal struggles during the Revolutionary period to its golden age in the mid-1800s when a fleet of more than 700 ships hunted the seas and American whale oil lit the world, to its decline as the twentieth century dawned. This sweeping social and economic history provides rich and often fantastic accounts of the men themselves, who mutinied, murdered, rioted, deserted, drank, scrimshawed, and recorded their experiences in journals and memoirs. Containing a wealth of naturalistic detail on whales, Leviathan is the most original and stirring history of American whaling in many decades. 32 pages of illustrations.

Real Life at the White House: 200 Years of Daily Life at America's Most Famous Residence

Claire Whitcomb

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Total reviews: 16 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of the White House with this richly illustrated new book on America's, if not the world's, most famous residence. Abigail Adams dried her wash in the unfinished East Room. Benjamin Harrison left the lights burning all night because he feared being shocked by the newly installed electric switches. LBJ waged an obsessive battle with the water pressure in the shower, demanding showerheads on all sides. His successor, Richard Nixon, promptly had them removed. The White House has not always been the ideal home, and as each president moved in, he transformed the house in small and large ways to fit his family's needs.

Real Life at the White House celebrates two centuries of domestic life in this historic abode. In forty-two chapters - one for each administration - this stylish sourcebook takes us on an intimate tour of the daily life of each president and his family, bringing into view everything from china patterns to built-in closets (a luxury added during the Truman renovation), from plumbing to telephones (Coolidge refused to use the phone for business) from architectural structure to state dinners and family meals.

Filled with hundreds of anecdotes, photographs, and presidential quotes from Washington(who never lived there but oversaw the first plans) to Clinton, this thoroughly engaging book captures the texture of presidential life while documenting the very human history of a house.

Cartoon History of the United States

Larry Gonick

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 30 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Art not up to par.... 4 out of 5 stars.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

I'm a big fan of Gonick's History of the Universe, and while I enjoyed this book too, I have to say that the artwork looked really rushed and sloppy compared to the Universe books.

Accurate and entertaining 5 out of 5 stars.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am not from America but I live here the last 7 years. By far the most pleasant history book. Very accurate and funny, easy to read. I am from Greece and I was surprised to see that the author makes a very precise comment about the involvement of the US government in the Greek politics. It is worth its price and even more. I have bought it as a gift to many friends and they all enjoyed it

Excellent Supplementary Text 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

I am an American History teacher and was looking for a text that I could use to teach a 6wk summer course. This book has been excellent. My students absolutely love it, and it's fun to teach from.

Editorial Review:

What? You don't know what a Burgess is? -- You can't outline the Monroe Doctrine? -- Recall the 14th Amendment? -- Explain the difference between a sputnik and a beatnik?

Then you need The Cartoon History of the United Statesto fill those gaps. From the first English colonies to the Gulf War and the S&L debacle, Larry Gonick spells it all out from his unique cartoon perspective.