Your Honor, I would like to submit as Exhibit A in my case against public education in the United States, Mr. Andrew Hemby. Andrew is a fine young man, bright, eager and capable, but has somehow managed to graduate from Virginia Tech with an appalling lack of even entry level knowledge of the history of his country. However, what young Hemby lacks in knowledge, he makes up for in energy and a keen desire to learn. Inasmuch, he has asked me to prepare a reading list for him to introduce him to the grand story of this great Republic. I submit the following list as Exhibit B. It is not meant to be a comprehensive, complete survey of all of our history, just the basics, to give him just enough information so that he can hold forth intelligently when in a crowd of his peers.( I believe he wants to enter politics. )
1. Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis Revolutionary Period
2. American Lion, A Bigraphy of Andrew Jackson Early 1800's
3.The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote Civil War
4. American Colossus by HW Brands End of Civil War to 1900
5.The Forgotten Man by Amity Shales Great Depression
6.The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill 1930's, leading up to beginning of WWII
7. Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer "
8.Franklin & Winston by Jon Meacham World War II to FDR's death
9 Witness by Whitaker Chambers 1950's and the Cold War
It is my hope that Mr. Hemby will actually read these books, not merely Google their reviews. I am confident that he will avail himself of this opportunity at self-improvement, and ultimately may one day mention me as a mentor in his first inaugural address.
1. Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis Revolutionary Period
2. American Lion, A Bigraphy of Andrew Jackson Early 1800's
3.The Civil War: A Narrative by Shelby Foote Civil War
4. American Colossus by HW Brands End of Civil War to 1900
5.The Forgotten Man by Amity Shales Great Depression
6.The Gathering Storm by Winston Churchill 1930's, leading up to beginning of WWII
7. Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer "
8.Franklin & Winston by Jon Meacham World War II to FDR's death
9 Witness by Whitaker Chambers 1950's and the Cold War
It is my hope that Mr. Hemby will actually read these books, not merely Google their reviews. I am confident that he will avail himself of this opportunity at self-improvement, and ultimately may one day mention me as a mentor in his first inaugural address.
Thank you Douglas. I have already placed on order for the first piece. May it also be known that young Hemby's understanding of the nation in which he resides is not as abysmal as one might conclude from this post. I simply wanted to make an American Journey in one clean swoop. Of course, the Civil War recommendation has three volumes. Have Mercy. -Hemby
ReplyDeleteI own each of these volumes, however you need to build your own collection. Yes, the Foote work is three volumes. To save time read the middle one..(Fredericksburg to Meredian)
ReplyDeleteAlthough I am over 2 weeks beyond the shelf life of this blog entry, I humbly write to give Andrew an "out" if he wishes to learn American history in a fashion somewhat resembling fun, instead of the deadly dull tomes mentioned by my brother. Check out any and all of the books by Michael Shaara (the dad) and his son, Jeff. The elder's book on Gettysburg (The Killer Angels) is one of the best Civil War book ever. His son, Jeff, continued where the death of his father left off by writing 2 additional books to complete the Civil War trilogy. Jeff has also written what I consider the best book on World War I, To the Last Man. Great writing and great history, written like novels and "can't put it down good."
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