Young Abe Lincoln: His Teenage Years in Indiana by W. Fred Conway

While it does not feature any factual errors, you start to wonder...

...is this a book that really had to be written?

Published in 1992 by Squire Boone Village

I know that the top-rated, best-selling history authors depend a lot on writers like W. Fred Conway in order to get the more popular, wider-audience histories written. Why? Because Conway is a fan of Indiana history and he has done a lot of research that people like James McPherson would never have time to do simply out of a love for his local area. This is one of the many books he has written about Indiana, Kentucky and/or Ohio and life along the Ohio River. Conway knows his stuff but...

Boyhood of Lincoln
by Eastman Johnson, 1868

Well, I am also a proud son of the Hoosier state and I found Young Abe Lincoln: His Teenage Years in Indiana to be more than a little pointless. The important facts could have been written in about 10 pages, maybe less. A little more than 5% of the book is the hopeful reminiscings of women that Lincoln may or may not have dated and their wishings that they could have married Lincoln (at the time they were interviewed he was the assassinated former President) if only they had really wanted to.

Out of 130 pages of text (Including Appendices showing Indiana state parks that have a Lincoln connection), I would estimate at least 40 pages of the text consists of pictures. Conway likes to include whole poems that Lincoln wrote about his boyhood in Indiana - page after page of poems. One whole page is filled with the creeds of the church that Lincoln attended but never joined. Trivia, not history.

So, I give this one 2 stars out of 5. Too many pictures and too much inane detail. I felt like someone had tried to pump up a large pamphlet into a book. It is not a one star rating because at least the facts he has presented are correct, which is saying something.

Do not buy unless you are a serious Lincoln collector.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Young Abe Lincoln: His Teenage Years in Indiana by W. Fred Conway.

Reviewed on August 2, 2006.

No Promises in the Wind by Irene Hunt

Reviewed by a history teacher seeking reading material for his classes

Originally published in 1970.

Winner of the Charles W. Follet Award.

I picked up No Promises in the Wind without much in the way of expectations since I am not that big of fan of Irene Hunt's most famous novel for the younger set, Across Five Aprils.

However, I am pleased to say that this is a much better book. No Promises In The Wind is about two brothers who leave home during the Great Depression simply because there is not enough money at home to buy enough food to feed everyone. They head off from Chicago with no plan except to try to survive as best as they can.

A soup line during the Great Depression

As a teacher, what I like best about this book is its portrayal of the complete and utter economic collapse that the Great Depression entailed. Most students have no conception as to the breadth and depth of the Great Depression. By looking at this small family, readers gain an inkling as to what went on. Modern readers might question why this family didn't apply for welfare or food stamps, so it could lead to a great discussion about the beginnings of such programs. The book addresses, in passing, the inability of private charities to keep up with the massive need.

When I asked my grandmother about the Depression, her experience as a young woman in the country mirrored what these boys do in this book. My grandmother spoke about young and old men alike coming up to their house and begging for food. Usually, they offered to do a bit of yard work in exchange for the food and the promise to keep moving on. This book echoed that experience wonderfully.

No Promises In The Wind would make a great introduction to the Great Depression as a topic in class. While, in the end, it is not nearly as powerful as more famous books, such as The Grapes of Wrath, it is much more accessible to young people and thus more useful.

Since the book ends just a few weeks after FDR takes office, follow up topics would naturally include the WPA and the CCC as well as Roosevelt's calculated strategies to appear as though he had things in hand in order to provide a bit of hope.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: No Promises in the Wind.

Reviewed on August 2, 2006.

Lincoln Laughed: The Wit and Humor of Abraham Lincoln (audiobook)

A different look at our most written-about  president

Duration: 42 minutes
Produced by Teaberry Tapes

Everyone knows the facts about Lincoln - the 16th president, the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, his assassination. But, do you really know Lincoln?  This CD offers a completely different look at the myth that the man has become by offering a look at his humorous side.

Lincoln was a master storyteller and he often told his stories to prove a larger point. There are plenty of those types of stories on this CD.  Sometimes he just told stories to disarm an audience - the editor of this collection notes that Stephen Douglas feared the ability of Lincoln's homespun humor to win a crowd more than his arguments. Lincoln's stories were known to persuade juries and sometimes they were just for fun. His wife noted that Lincoln's sense of humor - his quick smile and laughing eyes were never present in his photographs - he always looked so solemn, serious and even sad. This CD goes a long way to presenting the Lincoln that his friends and colleagues knew.

This CD is available is only available online from the company that produced the CD, a company called Tellens (link here) although I have found references to this CD being sold at Lincoln-related historical sites. Mine was purchased at the Indiana State Museum.

Note: there are two small historical errors in the presentation. There was no Lincoln-Douglas debate in Bloomington, Indiana. Instead, the reference would be to a Bloomington, Illinois. But, there was no Lincoln-Douglas debate there, either. Instead, Douglas spoke and Lincoln came from the crowd with a series of prepared questions and comments to challenge Douglas in an effort to set up more formal debates later on - those later debates were the Lincoln-Douglas debates. The second mistake involves mixing up the general who noted that all of his dispatches came from his "Headquarters in the Saddle." The narrator claims it was Joe Hooker, but it was John Pope. Lincoln joked, "General Pope has his Headquarters, where his Hindquarters ought to be."

110 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37) by Bernard Goldberg

Goldberg takes aim - both left and right (but mostly at the left)

Published in 2005.

Just so you know, I was officially tired of the Coulter / Moore slamfest format about two years ago and I went cold turkey for quite a while. Mostly, they end up being long lists of high crimes and misdemeanors committed by the other side and while that is interesting it also starts to get silly after a while. Does either party or any party have a perfect record? No. Both have loudmouths and losers that shoot off their mouths and write insane things. I'm a Republican and there are Republicans that I would just as soon sit down and shut their mouths - they've said enough idiotic things to last a lifetime - let someone else have a chance!

Bernard Goldberg

Now, Goldberg is in a different class (mostly) from the partisan bashers. He avoids the acid comments (a la Coulter, Savage, Franken, Moore) and he really knows how to write. Bias and Arrogance are the reason I picked this one up - they are well-written and not shrill.

110 People Who Are Screwing Up America (And Al Franken Is #37) usually avoids shrillness (about 100 of the 110 are shrill-free) and Goldberg takes shots at both Conservatives and Liberals - which is a nice change of pace from most books of this genre. While I would have a different list of 110, I can't really disagree with the reasoning of any of his choices.

I give this one 5 stars out of 5. Well-written, interesting read. I shot through it in no time at all because it was compelling.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: 110 People Who Are Screwing Up America.

Reviewed on July 30, 2006.

Lord of the Dead: The Secret History of Byron (abridged audiobook) by Tom Holland

Lord Byron as a vampire

Originally published in 1996 by Simon and Schuster.
Performed by Richard E. Grant
Duration: 3 hours, 3 minutes.

Abridged.

I picked up this audiobook version of Lord of the Dead: The Secret History of Byron because I very much enjoyed Holland's non-fiction book about the end of the Roman Republic, Rubicon: The Last Years of the Roman Republic. I am not particularly a fan of vampire books nor of Lord Byron (who I can believe was a vampire, considering the level of his debauchery and self-absorption) but I decided to give Tom Holland another try and trust that he would make it interesting.

Lord Byron (1788-1824)

The abridgment of the book contributed to my enjoyment, I am sure. There were many long stretches that were so bloated by flowery speeches, especially in the first hour or so of the audiobook, that I probably would have bailed on an unabridged version of the book. However, the last two hours were so interesting and so well-performed by Richard E. Grant that I had to bump the score up to 4 stars.

The running time of the abridged audiobook is about 3 hours and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Lord of the Dead: The Secret History of Byron.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

Reviewed on May 9, 2008.

Indianapolis 500: A Decade of Drama: The 90's - Collector's Edition DVD

"There's nothing as mighty as this in the world." - Nigel Mansell, F1 champion, Indy 500 driver

Published in 2005.

Part of a series of DVDs produced by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis 500: The 90's - Collector's Edition reviews all of the races from 1990-1999.

The collection features original TV & radio commentary, sound and video and lots of interviews with the drivers. Some of the interviews are from the 1990s and some are from nowadays looking back.

The video is more than mindless promotion of the race - the lowlights (poor officiating in several races, for example) are exposed along with the controversy associated with the infamous CART-IRL split.

The DVD features include collecting all of the bits and pieces of interviews with several individual drivers and some owners that were in the feature and showing them in a longer format and adding a few bonus bits. The interviews highlighting many of the family connections are especially strong, although leaving the Andrettis out of it was odd, although they are highlighted in the review of the 1991 race. The feature on Scott Brayton who died in 1996 while practicing for the Indy 500 is touching.

The 1991 and 1992 races are especially well covered. Rick Mears makes a disparaging comment about Mario Andretti and Mears' comments about his reasons for retiring are not only enlightening, they are funny.

Well done. This is an enjoyable series. A must for an Indy 500 fan.

I rate this DVD 5 stars out of 5 and it can be purchased on Amazon.com here: Indianapolis 500: The 90's - Collector's Edition.

Reviewed on May 9, 2008.

The Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman

Good, but not great Hillerman. 

The Shiprock formation in New Mexico

Originally published in 1996.

Joe Leaphorn has just retired and Jim Chee continues his exploration into cross-cultural dating (and difficulties). Officer Bernadette Manuelito becomes a full-fledged character in the series. In fact, this may be the best characterization of her in the series.

There are actually two mysteries in The Fallen Man. One is a cattle-rustling caper. The other is the long-dead body of a climber that is found on Shiprock (Rock With Wings). If you ask, "What's a shiprock?" than you haven't been to the Four Corners area since this giant exposed interior of a volcano dominates its local landscape like some sort of gothic tower created in the imagination of Stephen King.

This is not Hillerman's best work, but it is enjoyable for any fans of Hillerman. This would not be a good one to start with if you have not read any of the series.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Fallen Man by Tony Hillerman.

Reviewed on May 29, 2008.