I can rarely resist a book, especially a book about history. Recently I found an interesting little volume — The Civil War: Voices of Hope, Sacrifice, and Courage, edited by Gordon Leidner. It lists over 220 quotes from soldiers and civilians on both sides, as well as texts and excerpts from some of the war’s
If you’ve ever wondered how some veterans live, have I found a book for you. Matthew Casteel parked cars for a living at the Veterans Affairs hospital valet service in Asheville, North Carolina for seven years. He came into contact with veterans from the World War II era through Afghanistan. In doing so, he realized
I wrote about this topic on June 6, 2017, after I’d traveled to Boston and learned the meaning of NINA — “No Irish Need Apply”. That referred the immigration caravan of the 1840s — the inflow of Irish to escape the Potato Famine. (By the way, the Irish picked Boston because that was the closest
Today Nazism is poison. But one of history’s little secrets is Adolf Hitler and his political movement had a significant following in this country. The truth is in the days before Pearl Harbor, the country was deeply divided, torn by the trauma of the Great Depression and the beginning of another major war in Europe.
Continuing with my investigation of classic stories I’ve heard about all of my life and have become curious about the originals, I’ve recently finished reading Gulliver’s Travels. Every pop-culture version of this work I have ever seen describes Gulliver among the Lulliputians. But this adventure is only one part of four. Gulliver also travels to
We invented cities thousands of years ago, but they have become the focal points of our civilization in only the past 150 or so years. As cities get larger and more complex, how do the animals that normally live in those areas adapt? We’re just getting to the point where animals have had a chance
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” — Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities We think we are living in turbulent political times. Well, we are. But the past has been worse. Much worse. Your high school history books probably mentioned how Senator Charles Sumner was beaten to within
We have never completely understood the human brain. In some ways, we’re actually frightened by the strange behaviors we’ve seen around us. Yet out of strange behavior can come remarkable gifts, like extraordinary insight and creativity. Science journalist Helen Thomson has written a book to explore the brain’s unusual characteristics. Entitled Unthinkable: An Extraordinary Journey
I’m definitely not a love expert, but when I heard about the book The 5 Love languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts by Gary Chapman, I was intrigued. What happens to love after marriage? Why do so many marriages fail so quickly after the knot is tied? Mr. Chapman, who does marriage counseling and
So many people I know complain about not getting enough sleep, yet it is essential to good health. If you fall into that category, you’ll be interested in a new book Nodding Off: The Science of Sleep from Cradle to Grave by sleep researcher Alice Gregory of Goldsmiths, University of London. I discovered this work