Louis P. Masur. There have been many recent fine books on the Emancipation Proclamation and its role in recasting the character of the country. Masur does not engage that literature so much as extend it with a lucid and learned account of the process whereby Lincoln moved toward emancipation, and once so committed, made it the lodestar of the Union. This is now the best work on the proclamation. As its sesquicentennial looms (January 2013), all persons wanting to understand the contingency of freedom should read this book.--Library JournalFriday, December 7, 2012
Lincoln's Hundred Days: The Emancipation Proclamation and the War for the Union
Louis P. Masur. There have been many recent fine books on the Emancipation Proclamation and its role in recasting the character of the country. Masur does not engage that literature so much as extend it with a lucid and learned account of the process whereby Lincoln moved toward emancipation, and once so committed, made it the lodestar of the Union. This is now the best work on the proclamation. As its sesquicentennial looms (January 2013), all persons wanting to understand the contingency of freedom should read this book.--Library JournalSaturday, December 1, 2012
Fortress Israel: The Inside Story of the Military Elite Who Run the Country--And Why They Can't Make Peace
Patrick Tyler. A scathing look at the belligerent mindset of Israel's elite, from David
Ben-Gurion to Benjamin Netanyahu. Since its founding in opposition to
Arab hostility, Israel remains "in thrall of an original martial
impulse," writes former Washington Post and New York Times journalist
Tyler. Tyler ably demonstrates
how a culture of preemptive warfare and covert subversion is isolating
Israel and alienating it from its founding as a progressive and
humanistic state. Friday, November 23, 2012
Just Plain Dick: Richard Nixon's Checkers Speech and the "Rocking, Socking" Election of 1952
Kevin Mattson. Nixon's September 1952 "Checkers Speech"--so called because he referred to
his family's dog in an effort to prove his credentials as a common
man--was watched by 60 million people. Mattson offers a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of the
political maneuvering leading up to that speech, in which Nixon decided
to come clean about a slush fund scandal while maligning his political
opponents for a "cover-up" of similar transgressions. Mattson's excellent book is a timely companion to the current election season.--Library Journal and KirkusSunday, November 18, 2012
War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865
James M. McPherson. Pulitzer and Lincoln Prize winner McPherson displays his massive knowledge of the Civil War, this time specifically concerning the naval battles. The Union Navy far outnumbered the Confederate, but it was still much too small to effectively blockade the coastline from Chesapeake Bay to Texas. In addition, the forces were required to patrol in the rivers, which were so vital to transportation. While the navies may not be on the top of the list for most Civil War enthusiasts, this is a solid contribution to Civil War scholarship.--KirkusFriday, November 9, 2012
Who Stole the American Dream?
Hedrick Smith. Remarkably comprehensive and coherent analysis of and prescriptions for America's contemporary economic malaise by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Smith. "Over the past three decades," writes the author, "we have become Two Americas." We have arrived at a new Gilded Age, where "gross inequality of income and wealth" have become endemic. Not flawless, but one of the best recent analyses of the contemporary woes of American economics and politics.--KirkusSaturday, November 3, 2012
Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam
Fredrik Logevall. Placing the Vietnam War in a global context, Logevall concludes that it was not an unavoidable quagmire. This deeply researched narrative by arguably the leading authority on Vietnam diplomacy untangles four decades of complicated foreign policy and includes fascinating stories of the U.S., Vietnamese, French, and British leaders who held conferences, forged treaties, and endured the consequences. Highly recommended for all serious readers of the Vietnam War; essential for scholars of the era.--Library JournalFriday, October 19, 2012
The Graves Are Walking: The Great Famine and the Saga of the Irish People
John Kelly. A fresh, fair look at the causes of the devastating Irish potato famine. While there already exists solid coverage of this tragic episode in history, Kelly provides a comprehensive exploration of the crisis in terms of the Irish demographic and geographical makeup, economic infrastructure, tenant-farming patterns, landowner manipulation and wrongheaded British relief policy. Roundly researched work with many poignant stories of misery and loss.--KirkusFriday, October 12, 2012
Heretic Queen: Queen Elizabeth I and the Wars of Religion
Susan Ronald. Ronald sets the Elizabethan age within the context of the Catholic-Protestant wars of religion that flared across Europe throughout the latter half of the 16th century. She deftly pulls together a vast amount of historical research into a compelling narrative that is essential reading for anyone interested in the strife-torn world in which this most fascinating queen used both wits and diplomacy to safeguard her kingdom, despite almost insurmountable odds.--Publisher's WeeklyFriday, October 5, 2012
The Rise of Rome: The Making of the World's Greatest Empire
Anthony Everitt. Unlike its decline and fall, Romeas rise enjoys no literary tradition,
but this fine history will satisfy curious readers. After dutifully
recounting the founding legends, historian Everitt introduces the
Republic. Born, according to tradition, in 509 B.C.E., after the
overthrow of a monarchy, the Republic was an oligarchy ruled by elected
consuls and a nonelected Senate. Sensibly avoiding parallels with todayas geopolitics, Everitt delivers
an often unsettling account of a stubbornly belligerent nation-state
that became the Westas first superpower.
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