HOW THE SOUTH WON THE CIVIL WAR

How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America by Heather Cox Richardson was published in April 2020. Wait a minute! I learned that the North won that war.  But read on. 

Although the North won military victories in many of the battles, the book reveals how the South succeeded in maintaining the status quo of the slaves until the Declaration of their freedom by Abraham Lincoln. The South continued to maintain the suppression of the Negroes and spread the concept of their second-class citizenship westward. Despite the equal rights amendment, white supremacy, voter suppression and inequities in access to health care and education continue.

Heather Cox Richardson is a Professor of History at Boston College and the author of five other books on the Civil War.  She is also the author of Letters from an American, a daily publication on-line providing commentary of current political events in the context of history.  After following Heather for more than a year, I was intrigued to read her latest book.

Heather has combined the knowledge of a professional historian with the skill of an author to describe a unique prospective of the Civil War and its consequences on life in America today. This brilliant exposition of the Civil War is a must-read for those interested in understanding the effects of this great conflict on politics today.

 

 

MAGIC HOUR

 

Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah was published in 2006. Hannah is a bestselling author with 24 novels to her credit including The Nightingale and The Great Alone. 

 

Rain Valley is a small community facing the north Pacific coast, partially surrounded by endless miles of dense evergreen woods.  Ellie is the police chief. When a small girl accompanied by a young wolf emerges from the woods into town seeking food, Ellie calls her sister Julia, a child psychiatrist, to help identify the child.  Julia and Ellie have had a distant relationship.

 

Nevertheless, Julia responds reluctantly; her reputation is in shambles because of the violent death of one of her patients.  Despite her bad reputation in the press, Julia undertakes the challenge of identifying the child who seems unable or unwilling to speak. Julia attempts to communicate with the little girl who behaves like a wild animal. 

 

What most impressed me was Julia’s patience.  She is able to subdue the little girl and finally gets the child to behave in a civilized manner and to speak a few words, but her identity remains a mystery. Gradually, over a period of many months, Julia comes to love her little patient, who shows evidence of having been abused and tied down for long periods of time. 

 

The story of Julia’s progress is a fascinating one, revealing kidnapping and murder, leading to a surprising and dramatic conclusion.

 

 

A PROMISED LAND

 

I just finished listening to A Promised Land by Barack Obama, which was recently released. If I had only one word to describe this book, it would be “honest”, but it is far more than that. 

In this memoir, our former president relates his experiences from his early days through his first term. It’s as if he were sitting next to you describing his small triumphs and occasional mistakes, all in a good humor. He shares his feelings with you. What adds to the enjoyment of this audiobook is he narrates his own story. It is long, and I listened far into many a night. A must read!

KINGS COUNTY

 

After a plethora of books about racism, multinational interference with voting, the recent emergence of multiracial people into the American political scene and presidential biographies, I needed a break. 

The title of this new book Kings County, published this past July by David Goodwillie, caught my attention. Several generations before the story, I lived a part of my childhood in Kings County Flatbush populated then mostly by Jews and Italians.

The author, born in Paris, has had careers in professional baseball, as a private investigator and as an expert at Sotheby’s auction house. Previous publications include a novel American Subversive and a memoir Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. 

It is 2000 and Audrey Benton arrives in Manhattan on a bus from the Mid-west. Audrey has contempt and anger for her mother who is unable to identify which of the various men with whom she cohabited could be Audrey’s father. She moves from Manhattan to Brooklyn, where she becomes involved with an indie-rock band and garners a reputation in the music world. She forms a love relationship with Theo Gorski, a would-be writer, who is a stabilizing person in her life. For a time Audrey works at Cape Canaveral and the Banana River among the crowds watching our spacecraft launch.

The tale is not chronological but presented in episodes in which Audrey struggles desperately to attain a meaningful life. Audrey’s adventures and misadventures lead her to relationships with fascinating friends and acquaintances.

This book has everything, and I really mean everything.  I couldn’t put it down.

THE RETURN: FATHERS, SONS, AND THE LAND IN BETWEEN

 The Return: Fathers, Sons, and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar published in 2017 is a heart-wrenching memoir.  This book is about a man who longs to find out what happened to his father, Jaballa Matar, a political dissident against the Qaddafi regime in Libya, who apparently disappeared. What the author knew was that his father had been imprisoned in Tripoli for many years.  He learned that there had been a prison massacre during which his father may have been killed. 

For more than a decade, Hisham was a well-recognized educator and scholar in London and was able to adopt British citizenship, managing to have his father’s disappearance discussed in the English House of Lords. With the fall of the Qaddafi regime and the help of one of the Lords, the author is able to return to his native Libya to make inquiries about his father.

The author’s frustration over a period of thirty years and his relentless efforts provide a tale of filial affection and inspiration that is well worth a read.

THE RAZOR'S EDGE

Published in 1944, The Razor’s Edge is one of W. Somerset Maugham’s most unusual books. He called it a novel because he said he did not know what else to call it.  Moreover, he felt compelled to write himself into the story as a character. 

The story is about Larry Darrell, a man who touched many lives in different ways. In 1914, Larry ran away to Canada, lied about his age, and joined the Royal Canadian Flying Service. At seventeen, he was flying combat in France. He loved the excitement of flight and combat until a comrade gave his life to save Larry. This had a sobering effect on him. By War’s end, Larry found himself in England where he met Isabel, a daughter of one of the wealthy American expats who now lived in London and/or Paris. Isabel, who reveled in wealth and privilege, fell in love with Larry, and they became engaged. She was anxious for Larry to find a position to make money, but Larry was in no rush. He told her he needed time to study. Eventually, Isabel became impatient and married Gray. Larry spent years wondering through Europe ending up in India in search for the meaning of life. 

During Larry’s time in India, the market crashed causing Gray to lose his job and fortune. Many of the other expats in their social circle also lost money. When Larry returned from India, he reconnected with Isabel and others in her society and was able to help some of them. 

In addition to excellent writing, I liked this book because I identified with Larry who loved flying, helped people, and who also searched for the meaning of life. I do not hesitate to recommend this novel as a good read.

 

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER

For Labor Day, I have chosen something short so it will not require much labor. It is probably my favorite short story and is not inappropriate today, since New Hampshire with its motto “Live Free or Die” is considered a “swing state”.

The story, The Devil and Daniel Wesbter, was written in 1936 by Stephen Vincent Benet.

Daniel Webster, a lawyer, an intensely patriotic statesman, and an almost mythical character, is asked to defend Jabez Stone, who had made a contract with the Devil. Resolved to come to the aid of a fellow New Hamshireman, Webster accepts the challenge.

I think, like many others, that this story is indeed a classic and may be a metaphor for our current political turmoil.