What Book Are You Currently Reading?

[Rooney]

I am nearing the end of The Just War Myth by Andrew Fiala. He is an engaging writer but I do not recommend the book for anyone who has a lot of interest in war theory. It is pretty much another book attacking the Bush Administration and the War on Terror (a good thing in my opinion) but at times it strays from critiquing the Christian theories of a just war.

I am also reading a bunch of special education books as I labor towards my doctorate in education and you would have no interest in those (unless you love IDEA 2004 and the Larry P decision!).

[Rooney]

As of right now I am reading The Big Book of Porn: A Penetrating Look at the World of Dirty Movies by Seth Grahame-Smith. It is the only book I do not feel comfortable reading at work. Not that it has any "dirty pictures" but I do not want the looks it would attract.

[Rooney]

Currently I am reading Jefferson Davis and His Generals: The Failure of Confederate Command in the West by Steven E. Woodworth. It is an older work but it is one of the few treatments of President Davis and his handling of the Western Theater of the War Between the States.

Off and on when I have a spare moment I also am reading One Man's America by George Will.

[Rooney]

Currently I am reading The Siege of Washington: The Untold Story of the Twelve Days that Shook the Union by John and Charles Lockwood. The two brothers are wonderful story tellers and give a fine tour of Washington City in spring 1861.

[Rooney]

Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg- The Campaigns That Changed the Civil War by Edwin C. Bearss and J. Parker Hills. Bearss is my favorite Civil War historian because he is a natural storyteller and this work is no exception to this rule.

[Rooney]

Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial and America's Continuing Debate Over Science and Religion by Edward J. Larson. I have enjoyed this so far.

[Rooney]

Watergate: A Novel by Thomas Mallon. Historical fiction is probably my favorite genre and Mallon, a master of the art of historical fiction, does not fail to deliver a wonderful, thought provoking literary work.

[Rooney]

John Quincy Adams by Harlow Giles Unger. This has been a fair treatment of a fairly eccentric historic character. 

[Rooney]

The First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles, a biography grand enough to fit the ego and importance of the Commodore. 

[Rooney]

Deliver the Vote: A History of Election Fraud, an American Political Tradition, 1742-2004 by Tracy Campbell. I like how it pinpoints the errors of both the vote buyer and the vote seller. It also goes into the funny corrupt history of the Gateway Arch. I advise all libertarians to read this work.

[Rooney]

The Man who Saved the Union: Ulysses S. Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands. This is a full, intriguing biography of a sorely under appreciated American original.

[Rooney]

Rise to Greatness: Abraham Lincoln and America's Most Perilous Year by David Von Drehle. The book examines the moral, economic, millitaristic and political struggles Lincoln faced in 1862, the most important year of the War Between the States.

[Rooney]

General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse by Joseph Glatthaar. The book is not just a millitary account but really looks into the lives of soldiers who fought in the Army of Northern Virginia. I particularly liked the chapters which covevered the reasons the men fought and also the issues in terms of feeding the army.

[Rooney]

Danger My Ally by British explorer F.A. Mitchell-Hedges. I have no idea how much of this autobiography is true but Mitchell-Hedges can tell a story. He rode with Pancho Villa, battled pirates in the Caribbean, treasure hunted in South Africa and even claimed to discover the fabled Crystal Skulls of the Mayan. He might be full of BS but the book is a wonderful adventure.

[Rooney]

Fateful Lightning: A New History of the Civil War and Reconstruction by Allen C. Guelzo. Guelzo is without a doubt the finest Ciivl War historian writing today. This book reads like a greatly updated (and far more readable) Battle Cry of Freedom. McPherson has always hit me as too heavy on data, far too light on story. Guelzo finds an incredible balance and also works a new view of Reconstruction into the treatment as well. A fine read and highly recommended. 

[Rooney]

A Nice Little Place on the North Side: Wrigley Field at One Hundred by George Will. This is a charming, informative little history of the Cubs and the great city of Chicago. Chicago has been run down so much these last few years it is nice to read a book that reminds me how much the Empire City of the Great Lakes means to America, it's culture and it's history. Also, it put forward some neat theories on Babe Ruth's famous "Called Shot" in 1932 and also the Zangara's attempted assassination of FDR. A fun read and highly recommended.

[Rooney]

Citadel of Sin: The John Looney Story by Richard Hamer and Roger Ruthart. This is a fine work of local history. It tells the dark story of John Patrick Looney, the crime boss of Rock Island, Illinois. I visit the Quad City area monthly and it is amazing to learn about a gangster who ran his own newspaper, held a law degree and wrote a play about Irish freedom fighter Robert Emmett. If you have ever seen the film Road to Perdition you know who Looney is. He was played by Paul Newman and the charterer was named John Rooney. The film does not do a great job telling the historical truth of the John Looney story but it is still a great movie. 

[Rooney]

God Bless America: The Surprising History Of An Iconic Song by Sheryl Kaskowitz has proven to be a lovely little work that explores Irving Berlin's patriotic tune. Little did I know that it was written in 1918, was changed to an isolationist hymn and Woody Guthrie wrote "This Land is My Land" as a protest of the song. Incredible the history that lies behind things. 

[Rooney]

The Battle Hymn of the Republic: A Biography of the Song That Marches On by John Stauffer. A wonderful treatment of a great American song.

[Rooney]

Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan by Edmund Morris. What an odd treatment this memoir is. Morris spend a good deal of the time telling the reader about himself and questioning the intelligence and character of Reagan, whom hired him to write the memoir in 1985. Half the time I scoff at how pseudo-intellectual Morris is. He inserts French and Latin phrases almost as if to tell the reader, "Look at me! I am smart!" If one wants to read a good book on Reagan I do not think this is the one to go to. It is written in an engaging way, but the biographer seems more interested in himself than the subject of the biography.

[Rooney]

Jack Kemp: The Bleeding Heart Conservative who Changed America by Fred Barnes and Morton Kondracke. This has been pretty good so far. It goes into a lot of Congressional inside baseball and does a pretty competent job teaching what supply side economics is and is not. A great read for the political historians and Republicans on the forum.