Who Was Booker T. Washington? by James Buckley Jr.

 

Who Was Booker T. Washington? by James Buckley Jr.  - 105 pages

Learn how a slave became one of the leading influential African American intellectuals of the late 19th century.

African American educator, author, speaker, and advisor to presidents of the United States, Booker Taliaferro Washington was the leading voice of former slaves and their descendants during the late 1800s. As part of the last generation of leaders born into slavery, Booker believed that blacks could better progress in society through education and entrepreneurship, rather than trying to directly challenge the Jim Crow segregation. After hearing the Emancipation Proclamation and realizing he was free, young Booker decided to make learning his life. He taught himself to read and write, pursued a formal education, and went on to found the Tuskegee Institute--a black school in Alabama--with the goal of building the community's economic strength and pride. The institute still exists and is home to famous alumnae like scientist George Washington Carver.

A nice, quick, and educational read!

Lark Ascending by Silas House

 Lark Ascending by Silas House, 272 pages

Every once in a while I go out of my comfort zone and read something totally different.  Phewee, this is a story of survival of the rawest kind.  America is on fire, few people survive, they head to Ireland because it is supposedly the last place of refuge.  A family that started out together is now just down to one.  Quite the dystopian ride.  It was ok.

 

Sooley by John Grisham-355 pages

Driven by a love of the game and wanting to bring his family to America from the war ravaged Sudan, Samuel Sooleyman catches a break with being given a scholarship to come and play basketball for North Carolina Central.  He was planning on sitting out his first year, but when circumstances arise Sooley is put in the game.  He astonishes everyone with his skills. But more than all the fame and glory, his biggest desire is to bring his mom and brothers to America getting them out of a refugee camp. I read everything that John Grisham writes, but this one was out of my comfort zone and very sad.  

 

The President Is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson-513 pages

It took a while for me to get drawn in...but once the action starts it is nonstop.  Makes you wonder how many times the American people are totally unaware of the dangers that confront our country.  I was honestly surprised that I liked it.  

Cross Country: Fifteen Years and Ninety Thousand Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark , A Lot of Bad Motels, a Moving Van, Emily Post, Jack Kerouac, My Wife, My Mother-in-Law, Two Kids, and Enough Coffee to Kill an Elephant by Robert Sullivan

Cross Country: Fifteen Years and Ninety Thousand Miles on the Roads and Interstates of America with Lewis and Clark, a Lot of Bad Motels, a Moving Van, Emily Post, Jack Kerouac, My Wife, My Mother-in-Law, Two Kids, and Enough Coffee to Kill an Elephant by Robert Sullivan, 389 pages

I think the title says it all.  The title was almost as long as the book!  This book began very, very slow, almost to the point I thought why am I reading this?  But, what may have helped me in reading this book, was that I was on a four hour car ride from Branson and needed something entertaining to fill my time.  This book did just that.  I was glad I did not give up on this book.  It was an incredible history lesson on the beginning of the interstates and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  The author takes us on his journeys across America with his wife and two children.  It is a journey the author has made many, many times both alone and with family members.  The author's stories were very entertaining.  The author mixed his true road adventures in with so many interesting facts.  It was interesting to read about the author's journey on Highway 44 while I was driving on it. One thing that interested me about the title was "Who is Jack Kerouac?"  The book answered just that and made me look up what a "Beat Writer" is.  I have to say the most funny story in this book is how the author was moving cross country and his moving truck broke down.  He had to transfer his belongings from one moving truck to another.  The funny part was all his belongings did not fit, so he had to abandon some of his furniture, much to his wife's chagrin.  Trying to go cross country with a teenage son who won't step foot in a Wal-Mart and an author who can't get enough coffee and needs his Holiday Inn Express fix proved very entertaining!!

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony that Shaped America

The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America

By Russell Shorto

384 pages

For centuries, New Netherland was an almost forgotten Dutch colony in New England. However, Russell Shorto brings the settlement to life. The region was explored by Henry Hudson. Eventually, the Hudson River was named after him. The colony, in which New Amsterdam (Manhattan) was the main settlement, existed for decades until the English victory in 1664. Today, the vast area covers part of five states.

Although the historical records are sparse at times, the author reconstructs the lives of many of the residents including several directors of the settlement, Peter Minuit, William Kieft, and Peter Stuyvesant. The most interesting character was Adriaen van der Donck, an educated lawyer who embraced the colony and was committed to individual freedoms of the residents. 

             

America Again, by Stephen Colbert

America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't, by Stephen Colbert, 240 pages

The title pretty much sets the tone for this follow-up book of political-based humor.  I thought this one was even funnier and better than Colbert's first book.  Whether Colbert is discussing food (he doesn't trust tapas- it promotes "gastro-socialism"), healthcare, the economy, or jobs, he proves that he has a team of very skilled and humorous writers.  Witty and well-produced.