Books

The rise of George Washington and the events--and crises--he faced during 1776.

A gripping, horrifying account of E Company, elite paratroopers who had some of the toughest assignments in World War II.

A controversial book that examines anti-Semitism and anti-Judaism by the Roman Catholic church. Agree or disagree, but remember that you do not have to question your faith to question authority.

This book lays out the differences between the theories of Richard Dawkins and Stephen J. Gould. The author appears to side with Dawkins. On the other hand, I understood Gould's position far better after reading this book than by reading his opus The Structure of Evolutionary Theory.

What makes a good door handle, and what doesn't? After you read this book, whenever you struggle with a machine, tool, or device, you'll wish the designer had read it, too.

This fascinating book describes Einstein's "thought experiments", ingenius virtual experiments related to his foundational theories.

William H. Strunk was one of E.B. White's college professors. White recovered his "little book" of esential rules for good grammer and revised it. My writing would be a lot worse if it weren't for this book.

A classic that is a must-read for all family historians.

If George Washington was the father of our country, Ben Franklin was the grandfather!

This is the shameless promotion part of our program; I wrote one of the chapters in Lee´s book. The other authors, all widely recognized as experts in the use of TMG, are Jim Byram, Richard Brogger, Jeff Clenard, Robin Lamacraft, Allen Mellen, Terry Reigel, and Dorothy Turner. Unfortunately, the first printing has sold out. If you have a copy, keep your eye on it!

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Jared Diamond believes that geographical and environmental factors gave certain early societies developmental advantages that subsequently shaped the course of history. Like Steven Pinker, Jared makes a scientific topic understandable to lay people without oversimplification. Fascinating reading.

A friend loaned me The Language Instinct and I loved it. Little did I know that How the Mind Works would be even better!

The Black Plague, also known as the Black Death, killed one-third of Europe's population in the 14th century. Cantor's book covers the topic at the right level, mixing details from daily life with the broad view of how the plague changed the course of history.

Lance Armstrong is a cancer survivor, seven-time Tour de France winner, ex-husband, father, son, and ex-fiance of pop star Sheryl Crow. Above all, though, he's a relentless competitor. Coyle describes the ins and outs of this complex man, and how he is seen by his family, friends, and loved ones, as well as his competitors, ex-friends, and detractors.

While I was reading this book, a nitwit sports radio announcer said that he (the announcer) could win a stage in the Tour de France. He should read this book. Perhaps then he'll understand how absurd a statement that was.

A great book. I loved it. To my great surprise, How the Mind Works was even better.

I am not quite sure why I liked this book so much. White wrote about the little events that made up his daily life, but made it interesting.

A good, fast recounting of the saga of the Globe, but according to many sources there are better accounts of this mutiny and the people involved. I've only read this one so far.

Kidd was no ordinary pirate... Was he a pirate at all?

Patricia Cornwell is convinced artist Walter Richard Sickert was Jack the Ripper, so much so that she confidently puts "Case Closed" in the title. Unfortunately, the evidence is circumstantial and she built her case on a house of cards: she continually makes suppositions without adequate evidence and then builds on them. The book is also poorly written and organized. The biographical details of Sickert's life are spread throughout the book, mixed in with the facts (and guesses) of the Ripper murder cases. All in all, I thought this book was awful and I only finished it because I was on a long flight!

A manual for all serious family historians.

A classic, must-read for anyone even remotely interested in Evolution or Genetics.

I saw a presentation by Bryan Sikes at a conference and was impressed by his work. I read The Seven Daughters of Eve as soon as I could get my hands on a copy and I recommend it to anyone with an interest in genetics, genealogy, anthropology, or history.

I think I learned a lot from this book, but I forget what now.

I am very interested in evolution, and after reading books by Steven Pinker, Richard Dawkins and others, I took the plunge and read Gould's Structure of Evolutionary Theory. I wish I hadn't wasted my time. I hate his writing style, and his arguments don't convince me. If the book was 300 or 400 pages rather than 1400+ it would have been much better. Did he write a long book because he didn't have time to write a short one?¹

A fascinating story. I knew what everyone else knows about Lincoln's life before reading this book. The more complete story of his rise to power, and dexterity using it, is even more impressive than what we were taught in grade school. My only complaint is that Ms. Goodwin moves back and forth between the subjects as she presents biographical details of Lincoln and his key cabinet members and I found myself mixing up some of the details.