Daily Thoughts 01/12/2012

Gerard ter Borch the Younger, The Reading Lesson, 17th Century

Daily Thoughts 01/12/2012

I read a bit of The Night Circus on the way to work.  The writing is elegant and stylish, not something you often see in a fantasy novel.  The magicians don't throw fire, they exist in dinner parties, salons, shows, circuses, and other entertainments.

I also started The Ecotechnic Future.  The author is talking about the end of oil and how our civilization is not quite ready for it.  He claims that oil is not replaceable with current technology.  I disagree with him in some ways.  I think that we have not exploited ocean based energy that well as well as high altitude wind energy.  There is a lot more that can be done.

In addition, I started reading Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis.  I am enjoying it.  Kenneth C. Davis has already mentioned the writers George Frazier and Joseph Campbell.

This morning, I updated the Twitter and Facebook accounts for the library.

Kenneth Davis is coming to do an author talk tonight.  He write this article in the Westchester Journal News  http://www.lohud.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012301120016   Library 'shaped me,' author says.  Writer to speak, sign books in Mount Vernon.  He will be here at 6:00 p.m.

There is another budget meeting for the City Council tonight, but I'm working tonight.  Please support the library. http://cmvny.com/2012/01/11/special-city-council-meeting-to-adopt-2012-budget/

Kenneth Davis came to read tonight.  It went well.  Kenneth talked about his childhood in Mount Vernon and the importance of the library and reading.  He also talked about the start of his writing career.  His first book which was a bestseller was Don't Know Much About History.  He also showed us some of his new children's books.  He took questions from the audience about history.  His focus was on the presidential elections this time. There were different questions about Eleanor Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, the great depression, primary source material, and hidden history.

I bought A Nation Rising which I had signed.  Mobile Libris which is a mobile bookseller sold quite a few books to the people who attended.

Web Bits

Harper Launches Digital to Print at Retail Today
http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/50166-harper-launches-digital-to-print-at-retail-today.html

America's Hidden History-- Kenneth C. Davis-- Thoughts

America's Hidden History Untold Tales of the First Pilgrims, Fighting Women, and Forgotten Founders Who Shaped A Nation by Kenneth C. Davis is an attempt to set the record straight about many ideas in American history. The book is entertaining, but at times hard to stomach. It is not a clean story which would come out of a textbook.

For example, the first story is about how French Huguenots tried to settle Florida in 1492. This did not last long. The Spaniards attacked the colony and killed all of them because they were protestant. They did not want the French to have a foothold close to South America.

The book is not politically correct. George Washington in his first military command ambushed a French diplomatic party in the wilderness, possibly sparking the French Indian War. It details how George Washington learned the ropes in commanding an army fighting in the French Indian War. George was an accomplished backwoodsman, horseman, and land surveyor.

The story of Benedict Arnold is very different than the one in the history textbooks. In this story, Benedict Arnold starts as a patriot fighting on the American side. But, he has a tendency to be arrogant and make lots of enemies. Every time he succeeds in a battle, his enemies thwart his ambitions of moving up in command. He also has made many enemies on the business side. This drives him into deep debt. Out of anger at not being promoted, and not being successful on the American side, he is bought by the British. Eventually, he retires in London.

The last section talks about Shays Rebellion and how the founders did not want a pure democracy. They believed democracy was unstable and would lead to mob rule. They aimed to create a republic. The colonists looked to Rome in many cases as their ideal.

I have mixed feelings about this book. The stories are very interesting. There are a lot of neat and different facts spread throughout the book. However, in some cases, he doesn't quite make his case. I am still not sure about the Shay's Rebellion interpretation, nor am I quite sure about his take on Ann Hutchinson.

The reason I might want someone to read this book, is because it shows that there can be a lot of different ways to interpret history. His interpretation does not match with your typical historical textbook in high school or college. It portrays historical figures as having blatant flaws and often acting in a tragic way. Kenneth C. Davis makes historical personages human. Some people will not like this book because it portrays some of the great Americans in a not so great way.

This bookc covers the time period in American history from the first colonies to the Constitutional Convention. There are notes, a bibliography, and an index. Everything is thoroughly cited. I wish there were some pictures and maps in the book, it would have made the book considerably better. I had some questions while I was reading that could have been answered by mpas.