Nevermore: I See You've Called in Dead, The Cause, Fabulous Thru-Hike

 

Nevermore 7-21-26

 

Reported by Rita

I See You've Called in Dead by John Kenney

Bud Stanley is an obituary writer who is afraid to live. Yes, his wife recently left him for a “far more interesting” man. Yes, he goes on a particularly awful blind date with a woman who brings her ex. And yes, he has too many glasses of Scotch one night and proceeds to pen and publish his own obituary. The newspaper wants to fire him. But now the company’s system has him listed as dead. And the company can’t fire a dead person. The ensuing fallout forces him to realize that life may be actually worth living. As Bud awaits his fate at work, his life hangs in the balance. Given another shot by his boss and encouraged by his best friend, Tim, a worldly and wise former art dealer, Bud starts to attend the wakes and funerals of strangers to learn how to live.

I thought this was good. The story was interesting and humorous, but also sad. I recommend it.     -WJ      5 stars

 

The Cause: The American Revolution and its Discontents, 1773-1783 by Joseph J. Ellis

Ellis explores the complexities of the American Revolution, challenging romanticized narratives and highlighting the diverse motivations behind the conflict.

This was well-written. It's less about the making of America and more about the money problems in Europe.      -AH      5 stars

  

A Fabulous Thru-Hike: 3,100 Miles on the Continental Divide Trail by Derick Lugo

New York City native Derick Lugo’s life changed in 2012 when he spontaneously decided to thru-hike the Appalachian Trail. In the years that followed, he became an advocate for the outdoors and eventually set out on his second thru-hike--this time on the Continental Divide Trail, one of the most challenging long trails in the world.

It's good and quite funny.      -CD      4 stars

 

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

King's Mountain by Sharyn McCrumb

Death on the Lanai by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

Close to Home by John McPherson

Tough Guy by Rachel Reid

Upon a Starlit Tide by Nell Woods

10 to 25: The Science of Motivating Young People: A Groundbreaking Approach to Leading the Next Generation―And Making Your Own Life Easier by David Yeager

 

 

New Books

 

The Family Dynamic by Susan Dominus

The Yankee Sphinx by Mark Frost

I Am Not a Robot by Joanna Stern

Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block by Jesse Q. Sutanto

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

Independence Day

 

“It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.”

So wrote John Adams to his wife, Abigail, about the day of American Independence.  He thought the date would be July 2, but the resolution would not be passed until July 4.  The rest of the statement is fairly accurate!

As Americans, we should also take a little time to think about what it was like back in 1776.  This was a time of great uncertainty.  The country was divided: not everyone wanted to break away from Great Britain.  Even families were divided:  Benjamin Franklin’s son William was a Loyalist and the last colonial governor of New Jersey. After the British surrender at Yorktown, William Franklin left for England and never returned.

Even those who at least initially supported the Revolution wavered at times.  Benedict Arnold served the American cause bravely, being wounded in the process.  He lost his wife and child while serving.  Perhaps he felt he had sacrificed enough. Perhaps it was because he felt slighted, or the pain from his injuries got the best of him. Perhaps it was because his new bride was a definite Tory. For whatever reason, he gave up on the Cause and his name became a synonym for “traitor.”

The biggest take away should be that no matter what side people were on or even if they actually chose a side, once the war was won people came together to make one nation. 

Happy Independence Day, everyone.

The Men Who Lost America by Andrew Jackson O'Shaughnessy

Reviewed by William Wade

When we think of the American Revolution the mental images that come to mind are of the New England Minutemen confronting British regulars at Bunker Hill, the generalship of George Washington and the suffering his men endured during those cold winters at Valley Forge, and the determined march of the Overmountain Men who destroyed a Loyalist force at King’s Mountain and helped change the course of the war in the Southern states.

But there is another approach, one little known by most Americans, and that is a knowledge of the British side of the American Revolution.  And understanding that perspective sheds a whole new light on how the war was fought and provides clues as to the reasons for American victory.  That is the thrust of a newly published book, The Men Who Lost America: British Leadership, the American Revolution, and the Fate of the Empire.  Even if you think your know the war fairly well, you will find that the author, Andrew Jackson O’Shaughnessy, professor of history at the University of Virginia, has some valuable insights about the nature of the struggle.

For example, the British government never fully understood American resistance to Parliamentary taxation, for tax rates were actually much higher in Britain.  And when the British sent major armies to subdue the colonies, their generals thought in terms of seizing towns and centers of population.  At one time or another they captured and controlled Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah in Georgia.  But they failed to grasp that the heart and soul of the rebellion centered in Washington’s valiant army.  If they could ever have entrapped the little American army and forced Washington to surrender, the war would have been over.  Washington actually lost most of the battles he fought, but his army always escaped capture and was ready to fight again another day.  And so the conflict continued year after year.

Finally the British people grew tired of a war that never seemed to produce any significant gains.  In1781 when Lord Cornwallis invaded Virginia, leaders in London knew that continuance of the war depended upon Cornwallis achieving a significant victory.  King George III was one of the most vigorous proponents of the war, for he considered it a personal affront  that the Americans preferred not to be ruled by him.  And so when Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in October, George could only cry out in his despair, “Oh God, it’s all over!”  It was probably the most perceptive analysis of the war he made during the entire six years of fighting!

Yes, you’ll find this a delightful read, full of many interesting stories, and you’ll be glad for the chance to witness the conflict from a new perspective when you stand behind the British lines!

Statue in Search of a Pedestal: A Biography of the Marquis de Lafayette by Noel B. Gerson

Reviewed by Gena

I read a lot of strange things for escapism. Lately I can't get enough of the 18th century. There is just something endlessly fascinating to me about a century that began with an elderly Louis XIV in stockings and high-heeled boots and ended with George Washington on his deathbed.

One of the most interesting characters from the latter half of that century was the Marquis de Lafayette. At age 19 he was already a French military officer, married with children, and unfathomably wealthy. Then he risked it all when he defied direct orders from King Louis XVI and snuck out of the country to fight the British in the American colonies. By his death at age 76, he had taken part in one American and two French revolutions and supported many revolutionaries in other lands.

Noel B. Gerson nimbly follows Lafayette through seven decades of exploits in the out-of-print gem Statue in Search of a Pedestal: A Biography of the Marquis de Lafayette (Call Number 921 LAF). You need not be a historian to enjoy this book. It is a light read that presents Lafayette's story with just enough background detail to help along readers who haven't had a history class in years. The historical detail doesn't bog down the narrative, but it still does a comprehensive job of covering Lafayette's life as a teenaged major general under Washington, his complicated and controversial role in the French Revolution, his stormy relationship with Napoleon, and his part in the July Revolution that deposed Charles X, the last Bourbon king of France.

At this point, I’ve read a lot about Lafayette, and I know most of his story. Still, this book held some surprises even for me. A favorite unexpected anecdote involved the Huger family of South Carolina. Benjamin Huger was the first to greet Lafayette upon his arrival in America when his boat landed near Georgetown, SC (well shy of his intended destination of Philadelphia). Years later, when Austria imprisoned Lafayette while at war with the French revolutionary government, Benjamin's son Francis went all the way to Austria and attempted to break him out of jail. Talk about Franco-American relations!

The book may be too much for schoolchildren doing quick reports on the American Revolution, but for anyone wondering what actually happened in the French Revolution and why so many people lost their heads, Lafayette's story might be a good start.

Note:  Gena is a new librarian who is volunteering at Main.  She reads widely, and is going to share some of her book picks with us.  Thank you, Gena!