The Idea of America: Reflections on the Birth of the United States

Gordan Wood. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Wood challenges the popular view that the war for American independence was fought for practical and economic reasons, like unfair taxation. In this exceptional collection of essays, he argues brilliantly to the contrary, that the Revolution was indeed fought over principles, such as liberty, republicanism, and equality. This is a remarkable study of the key chapter of American history and its ongoing influence on American character.--Publisher's Weekly (Check Catalog)

Red Heat: Conspiracy, Murder, and the Cold War in the Caribbean

Alex von Tunzelmann. Three dictators, circa 1960Castro in Cuba, Franois Duvalier in Haiti, and Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republicare, are the principals in von Tunzelmanns political history. Recounting alarms that trio set off in Washington, she ponders how well the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations understood situations on the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola. Von Tunzelmanns diligent work will widen the eyes of cold war buffs.--Booklist (Check Catalog)

Dawn of the Belle Epoque: The Paris of Monet, Zola, Bernhardt, Eiffel, Debussy, Clemenceau, and Their Friends

Mary McAuliffe. The Belle Epoque is an age from roughly the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 to the onset of WWI in 1914. McAuliffe examines the earliest phase of the period, up to the turn of the century. In literature, giants like Zola and Hugo were active. The list of painters and sculptors who emerged seems endless, including Toulouse-Lautrec, Manet, Monet, and Rodin. McAuliffe tracks, on a year-by-year basis, this explosion of artistic expression. This is an excellent and honest portrayal of an exciting and vital era in European history.--Booklist. (Check Catalog)

This great struggle : America's Civil War

Steven Woodworth. Woodworth displays his vast knowledge of Civil War military history in this sprightly march through the run-up to the war, the fighting, and the war's immediate aftermath. He provides an unabashedly guns-and-battle account, emphasizing strategy and individual actions but not the politics or economic, social, and cultural factors affecting and being affected by the war. His descriptions of the generals and their tactics are sure-handed, and his command of action complete and compelling. --Booklist (Check Catalog)

Steven Woodworth