Author: Ryan

Background

Published in February of 2020, You Never Forget Your First is a biography of our first President, George Washington.

My Thoughts

The author seriously needs to get over herself. When she wasn’t trying to show how different she is, she made some good observations. However, so much time was spent trying to establish how different she was like this quote to the New York Times, “It’s a biography. Like a man would write.” (Congratulations! You aren’t a man. However, that’s not why I’m reading this book.) Unfortunately, this discredited the author in my eyes and I was primed to look for the usual revisionist tripe that is so trendy these days.

Yes, we know he didn’t cut down the cherry tree. Yes, we know it is impossible to throw a dollar across the Potomac. Yes, we know he had slaves and treated them like slaves. These aren’t revelations. These are cited again and again by biographers who didn’t have the need to tell us how amazing it is that someone from California and a woman would have the audacity to write a biography on a white man. (We don’t care who you are!)

Recommendation

Skip this one.

Background

Released in June of 2021, “Six People Who Built America” by Harold Evans is a biographical account of six influential individuals who made significant contributions to the growth and development of the United States in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book profiles Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Charles Lindbergh, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, exploring their lives and legacies in depth. The author examines the impact these figures had on American industry, technology, and society, while also acknowledging the controversies and challenges associated with their achievements. With its rich historical detail and engaging narrative, Six People Who Built America provides an informative and thought-provoking look at some of the most important figures in American history.

My Thoughts

This lecture brought together some ideas I hadn’t considered and linked them together in world history. Each of the people discussed couldn’t have done what they did without the others around them and those who came before.

Recommendation

Pretty good but it seemed shorter than I would have liked.

Background

Originally published in Nov of 2020, Saving Freedom: Truman, the Cold War, and the Fight for Western Civilization by Joe Scarborough is a detailed account of the tumultuous years following World War II and the start of the Cold War. The book centers on President Harry S. Truman and his efforts to contain the spread of Soviet influence in Europe and around the world. Scarborough explores Truman’s personal and political struggles, as well as the larger geopolitical forces at play during this critical period in history. He also examines the rise of McCarthyism, the Korean War, and the challenges faced by the United States as it sought to promote democracy and freedom abroad while also confronting internal divisions and challenges to civil liberties at home. Ultimately, Saving Freedom is a compelling and insightful look at the postwar world and the complex political and moral choices that shaped the course of history.

My Thoughts

I think everyone enjoys a good underdog story and there are few better than our 33rd President Harry S. Truman. Going from, “I’m just mild about Harry” to “Give ’em hell Harry!”

I hadn’t thought much about his presidency past the dropping of the atomic bombs. However, the post WWII reconstruction was really interesting.

Recommendation

Great read that filled in a blank for me in my US History.