American Sphinx: The
Character of Thomas Jefferson by Joseph J. Ellis
Book Description: Following his subject from the drafting of
the Declaration of Independence to his retirement in Monticello, Joseph Ellis
unravels the contradictions of the Jeffersonian character. A marvel of
scholarship, a delight to read, and an essential gloss on the Jeffersonian
legacy.
Noted: I’ve read a
lot about Jefferson but I haven’t’ read this book so I thought I would grab a
copy. I am looking forward to seeing how he is portrayed.
**********
This Republic of
Suffering: Death and the American Civil War by Drew Gilpin Faust
Book Description: An illuminating study of the American
struggle to comprehend the meaning and practicalities of death in the face of
the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War. During the war, approximately
620,000 soldiers lost their lives. An equivalent proportion of today's
population would be six million. This Republic of Suffering explores the impact
of this enormous death toll from every angle: material, political,
intellectual, and spiritual. The eminent historian Drew Gilpin Faust delineates
the ways death changed not only individual lives but the life of the nation and
its understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. She
describes how survivors mourned and how a deeply religious culture struggled to
reconcile the slaughter with its belief in a benevolent God, pondered who
should die and under what circumstances, and reconceived its understanding of
life after death. Faust details the logistical challenges involved when
thousands were left dead, many with their identities unknown, on the fields of
places like Bull Run, Shiloh, Antietam, and Gettysburg. She chronicles the
efforts to identify, reclaim, preserve, and bury battlefield dead, the
resulting rise of undertaking as a profession, the first widespread use of
embalming, the gradual emergence of military graves registration procedures,
the development of a federal system of national cemeteries for Union dead, and
the creation of private cemeteries in the South that contributed to the cult of
the Lost Cause. She shows, too, how the war victimized civilians through
violence that extended beyond battlefields-from disease, displacement,
hardships, shortages, emotional wounds, and conflicts connected to the
disintegration of slavery.
Noted: I’m currently deepening
my research in what some call the American Civil War and I stumbled on this
book on social media. Not sure where but I am hoping this book is worth reading
and gives me some more insight of the war.
***********
A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn - the Last Great Battle of the American West by James Donovan
In June of 1876, on a desolate hill above a winding river
called "the Little Bighorn," George Armstrong Custer and all 210 men
under his direct command were annihilated by almost 2,000 Sioux and Cheyenne. The
news of this devastating loss caused a public uproar, and those in positions of
power promptly began to point fingers in order to avoid responsibility. Custer,
who was conveniently dead, took the brunt of the blame.
The truth, however, was far more complex. A TERRIBLE GLORY
is the first book to relate the entire story of this endlessly fascinating
battle, and the first to call upon all the significant research and findings of
the past twenty-five years--which have changed significantly how this controversial
event is perceived. Furthermore, it is the first book to bring to light the
details of the U.S. Army cover-up--and unravel one of the greatest mysteries in
U.S. military history.
Scrupulously researched, A TERRIBLE GLORY will stand as ta
landmark work. Brimming with authentic detail and an unforgettable cast of
characters--from Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse to Ulysses Grant and Custer
himself--this is history with the sweep of a great novel.
Noted: What
frustrates me the most about stories of Custer is from what I’ve read, the
history has been twisted and there is a lot of myth to it…I do have strong
opinions about how the Native Americans were treated by the Federal (Unionist) Government.
Shameful doesn’t even begin to describe my emotions…
Though I hear this
book portrays Custer as likable civil war hero of the unionist. That said, I
am still willing to give this book a try.
Stephanie M. Hopkins
**********
Be sure to take a look at my latest fiction book review at
my WordPress
HERE.
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