Book Reviews
A C-Span Q&A With David McCullough: The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For
"The Declaration of Independence was not a creation of the Gods, but of living men. And let us never forget extremely brave men. They were staking their lives on what they believed. Pledging as Jefferson wrote in the memorable final passage of the Declaration, our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor." "From history we learn that sooner is not necessarily better. That what we don't know can indeed hurt us very often and badly. And there, and that there is no such thing as a self-made man or woman. We all got where we are as did everyone before us with the help of others." "President Dwight D Eisenhower, who so admirably served his country his entire career, said there were four key qualities by which we should measure a leader. Character, ability, responsibility, and experience." more »
Suspense, Motives, Reactions, and Emotions: How Do Authors Do It?
Joan Cannon writes: Trying to make a dent in a reader's resistance is like trying to freeze the ripples on the water's surface after you’ve tossed a stone. Yet that’s what most writers are trying to do whether we realize it or not. There are a few mentors who have taught that lesson. I remember with awe those who made an effort to encourage such an ambition. more »
Jill Norgren Reviews The Graphic Novel, Memoir and Biography
Jill Norgren reviews: With the publication several years ago of Art Spiegelman's Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood, and Alison Bechdel's Fun Home readers began to realize that something radical had happened in the world of comics. Stories of airborne Wham! Bam! Super Heroes now share bookstore and library shelf space with graphic biographies and memoir that explore culture, art and science, family relations, racism, sexual identity, politics, and a host of other serious and sometimes controversial topics. more »
Book Review by Joan L. Cannon, Of War, Maturing, and Class: A Bundle From Britain by Alistaire Horne
Joan L. Cannon reviews: Alistaire Horne is the author of over a dozen books of modern history. In this narrative, we realize that the half-century surrounding World War II has lost much of its impact, if only perhaps because of the wars that have succeeded it. A Bundle from Britain is a completely engaging account of Alistaire Horne's evacuation from England near the beginning of the Nazi onslaught on Europe and especially England. As it happened, he was sent to a section of the American world that can hardly stand in as typical of the USA. more »