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Many books have been written about the nuclear weapons and their effect on the world. Few, however, have attempted to write a coherent biography of the bomb as an entity. Gerard DeGroot has done just that. With biting wit and an eye on history, DeGroot documents the life of the bomb from its embryonic state in the mind of European physicists through the Cold War and the age of terror. He not only gives detailed accounts of how a dozen American presidents dealt with the issues of “mutually assured destruction”, he also covers the bombs influence on popular culture, family life, literature and religion. Engrossing, frightening and thoughtful, the book shines a light on humanity’s drive to destroy itself.

Reviewed by Nathan C., Main Library

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Nathaniel Philbrick breathes new life into the story of the mythic Pilgrims and their place in American history. The first half discusses the Pilgrim’s idealistic courage, as they make a new home for themselves while dealing with unfamiliar terrain, starvation, brutal winters, and not least, the Natives with whom they find themselves sharing their new homeland. Next Philbrick focuses on King Philip’s War, a prolonged battle that scarred the landscape and its inhabitants just decades after the Pilgrim’s arrival. Philbrick points out the various weaknesses and strengths of everyone involved without painting any one side as right or wrong. Anyone who thinks they know the story of the Pilgrims should read this book, and discover for themselves how much more there is to the tale.

Reviewed by Lesley W., South County Regional

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In 1527 Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca was appointed treasurer (and royal watchdog) to the latest expedition of hard luck conquistador Panfilio de Narvaez. Narvaez and several hundred others seeking gold and glory landed near Tampa Bay in 1528. From there things started to go wrong. Eight years later, Cabeza de Vaca and three companions stumbled into a Spanish raiding party near the Gulf of California, the only survivors of Narvaez' ill fated group. Paul Schneider paints a unique story of survival in a harsh wilderness utilizing the written record left by Cabeza de Vaca himself.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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Had Benedict Arnold died of his wound at Saratoga, he would have been remembered as a hero not a villain in the American Revolution. This is the story of the Northern Campaigns of 1775-1777 from the taking of Fort Ticonderoga by a force led by Ethan Allen and Arnold (Allen usually gets the credit) to the American victory at Saratoga. In between we have the American invasion of Canada, failing in the snow before the walls of Quebec and the British counterthrust down the Lake Champlain waterway. The title of the book refers to the "fleet" action on the lake in which the American navy led by Arnold stopped the British advance for the year while destroying itself in the process.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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Jamestown was not the first English colony in the new world. It was just the first that survived and that was a near run thing. Its survival depended in a large part on the kindness of strangers namely the Paspahegh tribe who really did not want the interlopers around. Jamestown gets the bad rap compared to Plymouth because the primary sources consist mainly of complaints back to the Virginia Co in London about the climate, the locals, fellow colonists, etc. Captain John Smith was particularly vociferous about slacker types. Still Jamestown survived and became the blueprint for other English settlements in North America.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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“Everybody loves Mrs. Madison!” declared a young Henry Clay, and after reading A Perfect Union, you will too. Historian Catherine Allgor tells the story of Dolley Payne Todd Madison’s Virginia roots and Quaker upbringing, her loves and losses, and her triumphs as a Washington hostess. Dolley’s well-attended parties helped soothe the partisan tensions of the early 1800s. Allgor marshals a wealth of detail to argue that by fostering a social life, Dolley turned Washington into a functioning community, turned the federal government into something workable, and turned herself into “Queen Dolley” – a national figure to unite a growing country.

Reviewed by Tom C., Main Library

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Although much has been written about the Great Depression and how hard life was during that time, Mildred Kalish’s memoir of growing up on a rural Iowa farm during the 1930's is anything but depressing. Mildred was the third of four children and grew up on her grandparent's farm with extended family living close by. While Mildred's childhood was full of hard work and strict discipline, it was also full of fun, family and lots of great food. Little Heathens is a wonderfully written memoir full of fond memories (and a few recipes) from a childhood spent on a farm.

Reviewed by Jessica B., Mint Hill Branch

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“Call me Ishmael.” So begins Moby Dick a tale of adventure, obsession and madness. But what of the industry that serves as the backdrop to the story? Melville drew extensively from his time on the whaleship Acushnet for his depiction of whaling life. The whaling industry was a major presence in early 19th century America. Tall white winged ships roamed the globe in search of great whales. Fortunes were made and lost. However as Eric Jay Dolin relates the romance of the whaler’s life was an illusion. Long periods of boredom and crushing hard work were interrupted by moments of incredible danger. Whales would strike at their tormenters, killing many, smashing their boats and even (the Essex and the Ann Alexander) taking out an entire ship.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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Life in America in 1908 was both radically different and achingly familiar to living a century later. It certainly was an eventful year. Not only were the Wright Brothers peddling their Flyer in markets at home and abroad but Cook and Peary were racing each other to the North Pole. Each has his partisans to this day. The public was fascinated by an automobile race across three continents where the roads in America were as bad as those in Siberia. The handcrafted motor cars in the race would be rendered extinct by Henry Ford’s assembly line just then cranking up. Meanwhile sixteen US Navy battleships painted white were traversing the globe on a goodwill “Big Stick” tour.

Reviewed by John C., Main Library

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Empires of Light has the characters and storyline of a TV drama but is educational to boot. There is Edison, a brilliant visionary and such a hard worker. Obsessed with retaining the upper hand in the blossoming electricity industry, he went so far as to stealthily endorse electricity as a new method of execution, but only his competitors' brand. Nikola Tesla, a young prodigy whose ideas ranged from the revolutionary to the fantastic, was deathly afraid of women's earrings. George Westinghouse, a hardworking industrialist, refused to crumble under extreme pressure from a new breed of economic powerhouse, the mega-corporation General Electric. The story of how America became electrified is also that of an adolescent nation defining itself in the midst of the industrial revolution.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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Set in pre-Civil War Maryland, the story is centered on a runaway slave named Liz, who’s wounded during an attempt to capture her. Her wounds enable her to see into the future. These visions, along with the "code" used by slaves, allow her to escape. But she becomes the target of competing slave catchers who all have different motives for wanting to capture her. Other characters include Amber, a slave who falls in love with Liz while aiding her and a wild forest inhabitant known as Woolman. The story intricately connects the characters and historical events of the time to weave an adventurous story of love and greed. It also provides a fascinating look at a region seldom examined when discussing slavery.

Reviewed by LaJuan P., University City Regional

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Why are the Carolinas two states instead of one? Why is there a West Virginia but no East Virginia? Why are California and Texas so much larger than other states? And why does Oklahoma have that skinny panhandle? These are just a few of the numerous questions answered by author Mark Stein as he journeys state by state to identify not only the political and social events but the occasional human errors that shaped our present borders. “A state border is both an official entrance [the legal threshold] and a hidden entrance,” claims Stein. “Its hidden entrance beckons us to past.” Travel back to early America with this one of a kind history book.

Reviewed by Kim W., University City Regional

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Franklin Roosevelt entered the presidency at a time when banks in many major states were closed, almost half of the working public was unemployed, and people were calling for a dictator. Not only did he keep our system of government intact and pull us from the brink of economic collapse, through his optimism and willingness to take action he restored hope to the nation. Jonathan Alter covers FDR’s life up to the presidency, discussing how his early experiences shaped him into the leader he became. The book is balanced, and Alter covers the more manipulative aspects of FDR’s leadership as well as his triumphs. It is an enjoyable read, managing to tie together years of U.S. history and facts about past presidents while maintaining its narrative flow.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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This book is history at its most interesting, from tales of New York City’s first prostitute to the dramatic capitulation of Peter Stuyvesant from the walls of New York’s fort. Shorto gives vivid descriptions of the sights, sounds, and smells of New Amsterdam that will resonate with anyone who has seen contemporary New York City. Moreover, he tells the story of our oft overlooked Dutch roots and how they played a part in the formation of the United States 100 years later. This book was a delight to read, and I fell in love with the loud, diverse, and plucky village that became New York City.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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Joseph Priestley is not widely recognized, but may as well have been a founding father (he was friends with several of them). A product of a remarkable age, Priestley produced a string of innovations in science, religion, and politics. He was eventually exiled from England for his agnostic views, but he died a respected man in a young United States. This book, far more than his biography, talks about the Age of Enlightenment, eras of discovery, and how ideas develop. Priestley’s crowning achievement was his discovery of oxygen, the greater implications of which—ecosystems, homeostasis, and the delicate balance that both entail—even Benjamin Franklin could only guess at. This slim volume is brain candy, informative and delightful in equal parts.

Reviewed by Meri H., University City Regional

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Americans have two ways of thinking about slavery: one based on experience and one based on willful misunderstanding. In Sugar of the Crop Sana Butler confronts the experience as directly as possible. In the late 1990s, she began searching for the last surviving children of persons who had been held in slavery in the United States. Miraculously, she found several and their testimony makes for compelling reading. Butler, an African American herself, adds some of her personal reactions and family history to the story and reflects on the surprising strength of the African American family under slavery and Jim Crow.

Reviewed by Tom C., Main Library

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