5 comments about Martha Washington: First Lady of Liberty.

1. This thing reads like a college dissertation. And calling George Washington a "good old boy"? Horrors. If you can fight your way to the end of this one, you've got more patience than me. And people who know me say I am VERY patient.



2. Ms. Bryan does for Martha Washington what David McCullogh did for John Adams. This compelling and thoroughly researched account brings Mrs. Washington to life and paints the social forces in operation during her time. It is only once we understand the context in which important historical figures exist that we can understand those figures as people.



3. This book was a wonderful insight into America's "first" First Lady. Not only did the book delve into Martha's life, it painted a picture of the times in which she lived. I learned more about the period and slavery than I thought I would ~ very well written. My favorite part was learning more about her first marriage to Daniel Parke Custis. Background is everything and most biographies lack it ~ this book doesn't. Read it and learn.



4. I have not finished this book yet; I will. And I am enjoying much of the historical and social background -- but Bryan's need to repeat certain 'facts' verges on perseverism. Sometimes, she even acknowledges that she has said the same thing before. Then why say it? Do we not have memories when we read?

   The 'scholarship' is quite specious -- undocumented 'facts,' episodes and experiences of Martha Washington that are pure supposition.

   The book starts as an interesting concept but is becoming an annoying and repetitive hypothesis.




5. I have read thousands of pages of biography related to the Revolutionary War but only recently began reading about the ladies of that period beginning with "Founding Mothers". I purchased this book at Mt. Vernon during our recent visit there thinking at the time that I may never even read it. After all, I like most people think of Martha Washington as similar to Mrs. Claus: short, chubby, and interesting only because of whom she was married to. WELL, once I started reading this book it was extremely difficult to put it down. It's a page-turner. It has details that I'd never read before. It makes the reader feel as tho he/she is living during that time and feeling what they felt and seeing what they saw. I love it. Former reviewers mentioned the "Good Ole Boy" phrase used about George Washington and they clearly don't understand what the phrase really means. It does not mean country bumpkin. It more likely means a man who is well-known in his circle, from a prominent family, who knows others from other prominent families and they all have their way of doing things and want it to stay that way. I highly recomment this book and believe it could be used as required reading in college and it is long enough and great enough to be well worth paying full price! Keller

5 comments about Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume 2 , The Defining Years, 1933-1938.

1. Although not being an American, I'm aware that there are many in the States who are not too fond of ER and who are very critical of her. This second volume of Blanche Wiesen Cook's series on America's former First Lady is as remarkable and absorbing as was the first. There is no doubt FDR was a man of character,courage and great personal charm and warmth, there is equally no doubt that his wife suffered great personal trauma (and embarrassment) at his refusal (doubtless for political reasons)to speak out against the racial problems (in particular lyching in the South) and the Hitlerites treament of Jews in prewar Germany and Austria whilst the US continued to trade with the Germans. The same could be said of his stance during the Spanish Civil War. Eleanor was a nag (as was mentioned here in other summaries of this book) but never without good reason.
   And all of her dire predictions came true. ER's passion for life, her beliefs, her love and respect of her husband, come through over and over again. Her ability to manipulate people, a less attractive aspect of her character - is also here for all to see (as her relationship with Lorena Hickock so aptly demonstrates).
   Was there too much of Hick in this book ? I didn't think so. The relationship was a long term, on going one. The letters were not destroyed by ER, who I believe must have realised they'd become public after her death. Finally, ER's energy levels must have been extraordinary - her ability to criss cross the country seemingly non stop was remarkable considering that travel and the mode of travel was nothing like it is today. What an absolute bonus such a partner was to FDR's re electibility !
   I look forward to the next "installment" with great anticipation.



2. This is a very well-researched and meticulously written book. However, I never felt I got to know Eleanor Roosevelt. I found the reference to Mrs. Roosevelt throughout the book as "ER" off-putting. It put an emotional distance between the reader and the subject. While we are treated to many details of Mrs. Roosevelt's life, we are never really let in to her emotional life. BWC (the author) goes into such detail about everyone else around Mrs. Roosevelt and she tells us what happened, but she doesn't let us see things through Mrs. Roosevelt's eyes. I still have no idea what the relationship between FDR and his wife was. Nor do I really understand why she remained with Lorena Hick so long. This book really amounts to a laundry list of who, what, where. A really effective biography will let us into the personal lives of the subject and let us feel as they feel as the story of their life unfolds. I never found that emotional resonance in this account. Eleanor Roosevelt left behind copious amounts of source material. I think that the author could have done a much better job of letting us experience Mrs. Roosevelt more fully as a person and not just as a public figure with a lot on her agenda.



3. I was shocked to discover that volume 2 only covered 5 years, albeit 5 important years. However, that should serve as a caveat for a potential reader.
   
   This volume is a much harder read than volume 1 as this version grinds to a screeching halt in places. While I agree it was important to document ERs long, tortured relationship with Lorena Hickock, too much emphasis (and repetition) was placed on what looks to be a normal parting-of-the-ways as ER ascended.
   
   There are some very intriguing and thoughtful moments in this book (which makes its a worthwhile read), but they are broken up by too many abrupt harbringers of moral/political doom or redemption with sparse or no follow-up.



4. I have to admit that I gave up on this book. I'm hoping to find a more readable biography of Mrs. Roosevelt. Cook's style and grammar are just too jumbled for me.
   
   Look in the "look inside this book" section here and go to page 14. This is a prime example of Cook's overuse of quotes. I appreciate that she did her research, but if she was going to quote so much, she should have just included one whole article. As it is, the whole page is a mish-mash of sentances and words taken from various sources creating a confusing unreadable mess.



5. In the first volume of her series on Eleanor Roosevelt, Blanche Wiesen Cook, a historian and women's studies professor, introduced us to a compelling historical figure who, after years of living in passive submission to her husband and mother-in-law, had finally broken free to create her own "independent life" - a life filled with careers (teacher, writer, public speaker) and fulfilling private friendships. In volume two, Eleanor Roosevelt faces the challenge of keeping her independent life as she assumes the traditionally social (and passive) role of First Lady. "Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume Two, 1933 - 1938" contemplates Eleanor Roosevelt's life during the first five years of her husband's presidency.
   
   In her first volume on Eleanor Roosevelt, Cook took a feminist approach in asking questions about power, relationships, and identity. Unfortunately, volume two falls short of the first volume, in leaving many of these questions not only unanswered, but sometimes even unasked. Whereas the central theme of volume one was Eleanor's struggle to assert herself as an "independent power," in volume two, we are not just reading the story of Eleanor Roosevelt, but also the parallel story of her husband and his presidency, which places Eleanor Roosevelt in a dependent role as she must work her way into her husband's political circle to gain influence. In fact, too often, volume two devolves into a story of FDR's presidency and Eleanor's reaction to it, rather than the story of Eleanor Roosevelt as an individual, independent agent. Eleanor is often portrayed as dependent on FDR for power, her moods uplifted when his speeches reflect her views and depressed and cold when they don't, particularly when she is shut out from the inner circle and has to learn about what is going on from her own son. While she occasionally dissents from the administration's talking points, her writing and speaking career is now primarily aimed at advancing FDR's policies. The most disappointing example of Eleanor's capitulation to her husband is on the subject of the Holocaust, where she remains silent from 1933 to 1938. When a German refugee appeals to Eleanor Roosevelt's sense of justice, asking, "Can you really stand by and watch this? Can you stand and see us more or less all gassed? I should like to have your word, you will do something," Eleanor Roosevelt replies, "Unfortunately, in my present position I am obliged to leave all contacts with foreign governments in the hands of my husband and his advisers." Obviously, Eleanor Roosevelt does gain power within FDR's political circle, but it is never clear what the extent and significance of this power really is.
   
   Another central theme in volume one was how Eleanor Roosevelt's relationship with a new circle of feminist and lesbian friends helped her create her own life apart from FDR. After Eleanor discovered FDR's infidelity with Lucy Mercer, and they began living separately, Eleanor established her own new life at Val-Kill, a residence she shared with Nancy Cook and Marion Dickerman. In addition, Eleanor made her first true friend in Lorena Hickok, an established reporter with the Associated Press. In volume two, these relationships all dissolve, as Eleanor acrimoniously splits with Cook and Dickerman and drifts apart from Hickok. Hickok, in fact, is the key figure in volume two, as her relationship with Eleanor Roosevelt is chronicled in painful detail. While their relationship is clearly the most important in Eleanor's life during her time as First Lady, it unfortunately takes a bit of a tragic turn as Hickok gives up her job with the AP, and along with it, her self-respect, becoming dependent on Eleanor Roosevelt for work, in addition to financial and emotional support. As Hickok grows increasingly depressed and resentful of Eleanor's other friends and busy schedule, they continue to drift apart, to the point where, when they do share a vacation alone together, Eleanor is miserable, missing her work and eager to return to her life as First Lady. As Eleanor Roosevelt drifts away from the friends who were so important to her in first creating her own independent life, it is clear that her interests and priorities have changed. Her political life is now the most important thing in her life.
   
   What does this say about Eleanor Roosevelt's identity? This is the final question then left to be answered. Unfortunately, the question is never even posed to readers. Does it matter that Eleanor Roosevelt depends on her husband for power and she no longer has an independent role of her own? What does it say that she pulls Lorena Hickok into a dependent relationship where she retains all the power? Why is her public life more important to her than her private relationships? What, in fact, is her new identity? While in volume one, we are left with the image of Eleanor Roosevelt as an independent woman, pursuing her own career interests and developing her own loyal set of friends apart from FDR, in volume two, we are mostly left with an image of Eleanor Roosevelt not as an independent force, but as the First Lady, a woman who keeps a busy schedule and cares for a lot of causes and people, but none in particular.
   
   In focusing on the day-to-day details of Eleanor Roosevelt's life and FDR's administration, "Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume Two, 1933 - 1938" reads more like a timeline from a boring history text - a list of dates and facts - than a compelling biography of Eleanor Roosevelt the person, her priorities and main accomplishments. In trying to tell two stories - first, of the political movement behind the New Deal and, second, of the role Eleanor Roosevelt carves out for herself within her husband's administration - ultimately Cook fails to tell either story.

5 comments about The Seventh Child.

1. I read this book with utter delight. She tells it like it is and hold no punches. She tells of her life and some of her siblings while growing up economically poor but spiritually rich. She suffers the loss of her mother as a teenager and abandoned by her father in youth and still manages to hold on to wonderful values and doesn't make excuses like so many do today. She finds pleasure in the most simple things of life and doesn't demand a $125 dollar pair of Nike's shoes to be happy. If you can read this book do so, and let some of her richness rub off on you.



2. This is the most enjoyable and insightful book I've ever read!! This lady (Miss Baxter) has beaten all of the odds. She has inherent common sense, wit and skill. I admire extremely how she's led her life: being a good daughter, a good person, a natural born leader, mercy tempered with an abundance of common sense, family oriented, etc. I just wish she could live a second life to do all the things that were denied her in her youth and beyond. Miss Baxter is an Exhorter: this is a person who brings sunshine and hope into the lives of everyone she meets. If my life could be a third as full as hers, I would die happy! And I haven't forgotten Miss Gloria Bley Miller! Miss Miller: This looks like a labor of love to me. It is an excellent work. Thank you so much for taking it all down!!!!!!



3. I first saw Freddie Mae on Rosie O'Donnell. I thought she was an interesting "character". I throughly enjoyed this book. Freddie Mae tells us about her life growing up in the South and moving North to New York. She has some stories to tell! She tells it like it is. She made me laugh! The book is light, easy reading. I would love to talk with Freddie Mae. This is a book I would recommend as a gift.



4. Thanks to Gloria Bley Miller for recognizing the simple, yet poignant story Ms. Baxter had to tell. Ms. Baxter's story is so ordinary it's extraordinary in it's basic core in the black community. My mother, her sisters, and their mother could have written this story. I love the strength and independence of black females and Ms. Baxter provides a beacon that demonstrates the values we all aspire to: truth, light, peace and harmony.



5. Growing up in 1930s South Carolina, Freddie Mae Baxter was the youngest of eight children in a poor and fatherless family.
   
   Nonetheless, Baxter's charming recollections indicate a happy life, full of simple pleasures, needs and desires. Life was slower-paced, and no one seemed to want much to be content. Lacking many material possessions, families were closer, and friends were for life.
   
   In the '40s, young Freddie Mae moved to New York, hoping for a better life. She ended up spending the next few decades in a succession of domestic jobs, and although she never married, she loved and provided richly for nieces, nephews, and neighborhood children.
   
   In addition to bits and pieces of Baxter's past, this collection of vignettes also offers her thoughts on a variety of subjects, including family relationships, social evils, and her love for music.
   
   This quick, quirky read will leave an impression upon readers for some time to come.

No comments about Love and Duty: Amelia and Josiah Gorgas and Their Family.

3 comments about Recollections of a Handcart Pioneer of 1860 (Second Edition): A Woman's Life on the Mormon Frontier.

1. I must admit that I am a bit biased, since Mary was my wife's great grandmother. A touching book, and does not white wash the trials experienced.



2. A fascinating peep into the everyday life of one woman who, along with many others, braved the trail west. Her story is told simply and factually - it has the feel of sitting down with an old friend you haven't seen for a long time and catching up on the news. Whether you're of the Mormon faith or not (I'm not, but enjoyed the book for its historical content), you can't help but admire the hardy spirit of this pioneer woman in the face of death and hardship and rejoice with her in the simple delights that come along just often enough to make it all worthwhile. Though the title sounds like the book focuses mostly on the trail experience, it actually tells her story through the rest of her life.



3. Recollections of a Handcart Pioneer of 1860 (Second Edition): A Woman's Life on the Mormon Frontier
   
   As a Gr Granddaughter of handcart pioneers, I've wondered what could have driven them to such extreme efforts, but my ancestors left very little in writing. This book was a small window into a culture that is difficult to understand. I only wish she had gone into more detail. Her calm acceptance of polygamy, and her courage in raising 7 children in such a desolate place, almost single-handedly, leaves much unsaid.

5 comments about The Lee Girls.

1. The Lee Girls by biographer Mary P. Coulling is the informed and informative story of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's four daughters: Mary Custis Lee; Eleanor Agnes Lee; Mildred Childe Lee; and Anne Carter Lee. Diaries, letters, paintings, and other contemporary records were utilized as primary source materials upon which to base an bibliographically historically accurate narrative of these women's lives through girlhood, the horror of war, and the era of reconciliation and rebuilding. A truly excellent and well balanced chronicle, The Lee Girls is a welcome and highly recommended addition to American Regional History, Civil War Studies, and Reconstruction Era Studies collections and supplemental reading lists.



2. Anyone interested in Robert E. Lee the man, will be delighted with the insights into his family provided by author Coulling. Lee was an exceptional leader, but his role as a father was even more revealing of his loving nature and the nuances of his personality. In my opinion, this book does a lot to demystify Lee. I do not see him as such a complex and mysterious individual as some historians have labeled him. His consistency is especially evident in this chronicle of family life.

   Apart from Lee, the book focuses extensively on the lives of the daughters. Each daughter is portrayed as a complete person, and their individuality is celebrated. One can learn quite a bit about Mary Lee the mother, too, and even the grandparents who were so deeply loved by the girls. The sons are not ignored, either.

   There is an overcast of sadness about the story, at least I felt a little sad, because they did have a difficult life. It's true that the Lee family was prominent in society and certainly they can be seen as privileged, but these privileges carry their own burden.

   I highly recommend The Lee Girls to all those who want to escape to the past for awhile and enter into the Lee household.




3. This book is a well written and very well documented account of the four Lee daughters. Most of us are aware of the generals and battles of the Civil War. This book gives an insightful look into the lives of women during this time period. The author gives us an accurate account of the attitudes and behaviors of the time even when they are not currently acceptable. She also portrays the individuals in a very balanced manner. You realize that aside from being a prominent military family they are also a loving family with the struggles and triumphs all families share.



4. The book was a wonderful view into the life of Robert E. Lee's family as well as perfect picture of what the social, educational and family scene was in the mid 1800's. The dairies of family members allow us to picture their journey through life with intimate detail. The book points out the closeness of family, as well as the lost art of letter writing, as our society has progressed from pen and paper to e:mail and instant messages.



5. Excellant book. I borrowed it from the library a couple of years back and thought so much of it that I wanted to purchase a copy for my personnal library. A very insightful look into the lifes of Robert E. Lee's daughters and their lifes.

5 comments about President Nixon: Alone in the White House.

1. I found this a fascinating look at presidential power and gave me further insights into Nixon and the power structure that existed around him. I remember the days of Watergate but this gave me new insights and background information about what actually went on. It's truly a slice of living history. Also the similarities between Vietnam and Iraq are almost frightening...perhaps some of those in command should read this too.



2. Reeves delivers an exciting and wonderful book that chronicles Nixon's presidential years. This book begins with Nixon entering office and ends on the day he leaves office. It goes day by day through the presidency and gives you a good sense of what the Nixon administration was thinking and what was happening in the country at the same time. From foreign policy with China and Russia to domestic problems like Kent State this book covers everything you would want to know about the Nixon Administration. It is easily five stars. The book is very readable and is a great reference guide for those who just want to learn about Nixon or those who want to study his administration in depth.



3. Mr. Reeves look at the Nixon presidency from the vantage point of the President himself provides the reader with a fascinating look at one of the most compelling political figures of our time.
   
   To paraphrase Bob Dole, it was a miracle that Nixon ever made it to the pinnacle of political power. From the very first day in office, we are given the picture of a man who is both elated that he has reached his destiny, but at the same time is unable to savor the moment. Although the book does not deal with RN's life, Reeves does a masterful job at painting a portrait of a man embittered by the cut and thrust of politics. We see a man who has his eye on his enemies, real and imagined, and who is bound and determined to triumph over him.
   
   Reeves does indeed show us the "who, what, when, where..." of the Nixon presidency, yet resists the temptation of playing amateur psychologist and does not address the "why" of Richard Nixon.
   
   Instead we are treated to a story of a man who was truly "alone in the White House." However, this title is misleading, for Nixon's penchant for solitude, and secrecy are only part of the story. A better title for this book would have been "President Nixon: The Remaking of the Presidency," because that is exactly what he set out to do.
   
   Reeves presents a balanced look at RN. We see him at his best; statesmen, "architect" of foreign policy, strategic thinker, and visionary for a stable world order.
   
   We also get a look at the man at his worst; the many "horrors" of Watergate, his pathological Jew-baiting, his thin-skinned reaction to the press, his obsession with being seen as a "man of the people," and on and on. In sum, there is much to dislike about Richard Nixon; there is also much to admire.
   
   After reading a book like this, one has to wonder what would the Nixon legacy have been if he chose not to cover up Watergate and lanced the boil, dug deep, and plowed ahead to finish his second term. Reeves' book shows all too clearly, and poignantly, that "the Old Man" was incapable of doing anything but he did at the time, which is a shame. RN's legacy is that he left a stain on the body politic that has engendered a cynacism toward politics.



4. This is a solid work of Presidential scholarship. I appreciated its "worm's eye" view because it allows for the presentation of a great many primary source materials and documents that are invaluable for summing up the bizarre man who was President Richard Nixon. Reeves reveals a fair amount of personal bias and dislike for his subject here, but, fortunately, the intrusions of his point-of-view are not ubiquitous. Reeves seems to unquestionably believe that busing was good for blacks and it appears that he has an affinity for most government programs; a stance that is totally unwarranted. That being said, the work remains well-organized, clear and valuable. Reeves is a biographer and journalist so, unlike some of the other reviewers, I was glad that he did not share with us his psychological observations of the President. In all likelihood, they would have been ungrounded. Alone in the White House is a good, but not great, book.



5. Richard Reeves is a fair author. Having read his previous book on President Kennedy, I was interested in his take on Nixon. This book is not a bio, nor is it a political history per se. Rather this book, like the Kennedy and Reagan books, weaves a path through the first four years of Nixon's presidency. The age old question will always remain: how a guy as smart as Richard Nixon, and he was smart, got caught up in a bevy of intrigue, black ops, and paranoia.

No comments about New Deal or Raw Deal?: How FDR's Economic Legacy Has Damaged America.

3 comments about The Solitude of Self: Thinking About Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

1. This book is a study of Elizabeth Cady Stanton's final address in 1892 called "Solitude of Self" in which she feels the human condition we all suffer sometimes, loneliness. When she went to London in 1840, the way she was treated made her declare, "I am only a woman."
   
   In this different perspective on woman's suffrage and such, the Civil War is called a "Revolution" of sorts, but it was a fight to the bitter end, a war to remember and which may never be over in people's minds. She talks about the errors of the past, equality for all, and a century of wrong.
   
   Elizabeth, from upstate New York and later Boston, was concerned with aboliton, suffrage, and the power of religious doctrine. She spoke in the Grand Opera House in 1975 Chicago to a standing-room only audience. She was a political activist of her time. This book is based on letters, diaries, speeches, and Mrs. Stanton's THE WOMEN'S BIBLE.
   
   Vivian Gornick has written FIERCE ATTACHMENTS and APPROACHING EYE LEVEL previously.



2. 
   It seems that ECS was on to "self esteem" a century before it had a name. The author starts here and ties the book up contemplating the loneliness of radicals and those ahead of their times.
   
   In the middle the author strays from the idea of self, but the rambling is interesting. We learn more about how the 19th century feminism grew out of the abolitionist movement (just as 20th century feminism grew out of the civil rights movement) something of the 19th century lecture circuit, and divisions in the women's suffrage movement, etc.
   
   I'd have liked to have seen more on the idea of "self" and/or the "solitude of self" in this period, but found enough other material in the book to keep me reading.



3. I enjoyed reading this short book about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her times because it told me just enough about her and fitted her thoughts and ideas into what was going on intellectually in the United States at the time. I appreciated the connections made between her type of feminist thinking and that of others before and after. It made me think, too, about my own feminist philosophy. And, once again, I was surprised by the depths of male chauvinism through the ages.

1 comments about Wives of the Signers.

1. Describes the hardships and struggles experienced by the wives of those who signed the Declaration of Independence. A very enlightening read; something that should be a part of every high school American history class!