All We Say by Ben Rhodes

ALL WE SAY by Ben Rhodes, a New York Times best-selling author, highlights “The Battle for American Identity: A History in 15 Speeches.” He divides the book into three chronological parts: from the Revolution to Civil War; from Reconstruction to the 1940s and beginning of the Superpower era; and from Civil Rights to MAGA. The speakers and their topics are sometimes well-known (e.g., Benjamin Franklin, Frederick Douglass, Louis Brandeis, or FDR’s “Four Freedoms”), but Rhodes has included a variety of speakers who were well-known in their own time like Red Jacket’s “We Have Always Lived Here,” delivered in 1805, or Mary Lease speaking about how “Wall Street Owns This Country” in 1891. Speeches from several other female activists (Maria Stewart, Anna Dickinson, and Dolores Huerta) are presented.  Plus, Rhodes deftly contrasts the oratorial might of Confederate Alexander Stephens and Abraham Lincoln and later Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. More modern-day speeches by Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump are also provided. In each chapter, Rhodes supplies some background and historical context as well as the experiences that shaped the speakers; gives the text of the speech itself; and then additional analysis. He is not a neutral observer by any means and chose these speeches to illustrate a 250-year argument about what it means to be American, contrasting “a story that views the nation as inherently right from the beginning” with one that “views the nation as engaged in a struggle to live up to that founding promise in the Declaration of Independence: a multiracial democracy founded upon the idea of human equality.” It is interesting, too, to reflect upon the ways that technological change has impacted both the audiences (size, attention span, common access) and delivery. Be forewarned that the text is rather dense although avid readers will appreciate the Selected Bibliography and Notes (roughly fifteen percent of the text). Much to ponder here.

This Land is Your Land by Beverly Gage

THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND by Beverly Gage presents “A Road Trip Through U.S. History.” Gage, an award-winning author who teaches American History at Yale, sets out to look at American history by visiting some key locations.  She begins her journey in the Philadelphia area where, of course, the Declaration of Independence was signed. From there, she pursues a rough chronology, visiting presidential homes in Virginia and later Nashville (Andrew Jackson’s adopted hometown).  Subsequent chapters inform readers about the Alamo and central Texas and then upstate New York (focusing on the early to mid 1800s when the Erie Canal and other events contributed to the “Silicon Valley of its day”).  Further stops include The Dakotas, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Los Alamos, Selma, and even Disneyland.  I found Gage’s writing to be relatively entertaining and even amusing at points. She has a talent for sharing many facts without overwhelming or boring her readers. Gage is right to comment upon negative aspects of American history (e.g., the ownership of enslaved people by many Founding Fathers, treatment of indigenous people, etc.) and I agree with her that “it’s possible to hold both sets of ideas—to know your history and still love your country. Americans can be patriots and critics, citizens and dissenters, all at once.” That openness makes our history more real and relevant, but she seemed to stress these aspects again and again which will be off-putting for some readers. The Wall Street Journal reviewer notes that “the book doesn’t quite deliver on its promise; this ‘warts-and-all’ look at the American past dwells, a bit predictably, on the warts.” Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, called it “a marvelous deep dive into the American psyche.” Hopefully, THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND does spark dialogue and reflection, while increasing interest in visiting many of these locales. By her own count, Gage visited “approximately three hundred historic sites, museums, battlefields, parks, monuments, and roadside attractions.” For added perspective, readers may also want to read or listen to titles such as The Great Contradiction by Joseph J. Ellis, The Agitators by Dorothy Wickenden, or The Last American Road Trip by Sarah Kendzior, but they should also look at the multi-page list of Recommended Reading that Gage has compiled.  In addition, her notes comprise approximately ten percent of the text.

I'll Make Me a World by Jarvis R. Givens

I'LL MAKE ME A WORLD by Jarvis R. Givens received a starred review from Library Journal and was the notable non-fiction LibraryReads selection for February. This text contains four essays and purports to share “The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month.” There is a great deal of history, including multiple images, and many stories related to figures critical to both the creation and the commemoration of Black History Week in 1926 and then Black History Month in 1976. However, the overall tone is quite scholarly and academic which could unnecessarily restrict readership. Givens is a Professor of Education and African and African American Studies and the co-founding faculty director of the Black Teacher Archive at Harvard University. He freely shares his personal experiences as a student and as a mentor. That personal history was quite interesting as well as the many more widely recognized historical anecdotes which he included. Givens feels passionately about this subject and that was evident in his research (Notes comprise about ten percent of this text and a detailed Index is included). Crafting an “abridged” version for high school students would be worth pursuing. 

We the People by Jill Lepore

WE THE PEOPLE by Jill Lepore (the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and professor of law at Harvard Law School) offers a history of the U.S. Constitution. Stressing the ability to endure through adaptation, she divides the lengthy text chronologically, looking first at the “Invention” of the Constitution during the end of the eighteenth century. Next, covering almost the entire nineteenth century, including the Civil War and its aftermath, is a section titled “The Contest over Interpretation.” Subsequently, Lepore describes the “Pattern of Amendment” from 1905 to 1959. The final part (through 2016) is called “The End of Amendment.” Each section is full of anecdotes and careful analysis. In her introduction, Lepore notes, “This book aims to chronicle the origins of amendment, to identify the conditions under which amendment is possible, to examine why the practice of amendment has been abandoned, and to reckon with the question of whether the constitution can endure without it.” It seems particularly critical for Americans to become familiar with texts such as this, especially as we encounter ongoing debate over rights enshrined in the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Lepore’s WE THE PEOPLE is the notable nonfiction Library Reads selection for September and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly (“galvanizing and paradigm-shifting”), Kirkus (interview here), and Booklist (“phenomenally researched, eminently accessible, and acutely relevant history”). She was also featured recently on PBS NewsHour; here is a video of that interview:

Also highly recommended: The Words We Live by from Linda R. Monk; even at twenty years old, this text is a wonderful summary of a core American document. And look for The Bill of Obligations by Richard Haass wherein he describes “The Ten Habits of Good Citizens” and offers multiple related resources, including teaching notes.  Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17 and offers a reminder to honor American values and rule of law. 

Resist by Rita Omokha

RESIST by Rita Omokha is subtitled “How a Century of Young Black Activists Shaped America.” The author is an award-winning Nigerian American journalist and an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. In RESIST she traces people and events from the 1920s (time of Scottsboro Nine) through the Civil Rights Era (Brown v. Board and education) to protests over Trayvon Martin and George Floyd and beyond. In late 2020 Omokha traveled over 13,000 miles (thirty states in thirty-two days); she spoke with 127 people and several of their stories are included. Omokha calls herself a storyteller ("drawn to the unsung. To the disenfranchised. To those often relegated to the shadows.") and says it is "important for me to make history personal." Her eloquent writing is filled with emotion: “Today's youth have become a generation forced to witness, from infancy, the perpetuation of injustice and the normalization of othering and subjugation. But in recent years, when such injustices occur, these atrocities pop up on their screens nonstop.” I learned much from Omokha’s book and the social justice efforts of people like Ella Baker, the Bates Seven at NYU, and defenders of the Jena Six, students at a Louisiana high school. Plus, she highlights numerous new – to me – details about other, more famous, activists or events (e.g., Obama’s 1981 speech against apartheid in South Africa). Omokha has included extensive notes and a helpful index. RESIST received a starred review from Booklist (“both incredibly detailed and accessibly readable … an essential text”).

Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay

EVERYTHING WE NEVER HAD by Randy Ribay (Patron Saints of Nothing, a National Book Award finalist) is told in multiple perspectives across four generations of a Filipino-American family. The earliest action takes place in 1930 Watsonville, California where Francisco, a recent immigrant, has to deal with violence, prejudice, and his disappointment at life in America. In 1965 Stockton, California, readers meet Emil, Francisco’s son, a dutiful student and hard-working employee at his aunt’s restaurant. He resents his labor organizer father and vows to make his own way. Then there is 1983 Denver, Colorado where Chris yearns to play football but can’t ever live up to the standards of his demanding father, Emil. Chris rebels as he discovers a love of history and pursues his own interests as a teacher. His son, named Enrique Lorenzo and called Enzo, grows up in 2020 Philadelphia, coping with anxiety, the pandemic, and continuing discrimination. Once again, Ribay offers so much to unpack – immigrant feelings, generational conflict, parenting styles, and plenty of anger. Students will relate to the stories of each of these characters as a young man and may be intrigued by the way the societal environment and the individual choices of each character impacts the next generation. The novel does flip back and forth between time periods and this may be difficult for some students, but EVERYTHING WE NEVER HAD received multiple starred reviews, including from Booklist, Kirkus (“many heartwarming and heartbreaking moments offer deep insights into intergenerational patterns”), Publishers Weekly, and School Library Journal. The book contains a list of recommended resources, both print and online like Asian Mental Health Collective, Filipino American National Historical Society, Stop AAPI Hate, and United Farm Workers. Interested previewers can listen to an excerpt on the publisher’s website.

This Book Won't Burn by Samira Ahmed

It is World Press Freedom Day and I'm posting a review of a novel which deals with censorship:

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN by Samira Ahmed (Hollow Fires and Internment) is filled with anger. The main character, Noor Khan, is a high school senior whose family circumstances force a change in schools in the last quarter of her senior year (yes, hard to believe that other options would not exist in real life). And Noor is understandably upset when she, her Mom, and her freshman sister move from suburban Chicago to a small town in downstate Illinois where they are one of the very few families who are not white or Christian. It is an adjustment for everyone, but Noor channels some of her anger into publicly reading banned books – and faces detention, multiple threats, and physical violence as a result. Fortunately, she is supported by new friends, Juniper with her girlfriend Hanna, plus Fasi, another student with desi heritage. One of the best aspects of Ahmed’s novel is the way she casually introduces many books that have been challenged such as Anger is a Gift, Monday’s Not Coming, All Boys Aren’t Blue, When the Moon was Ours, Fahrenheit 451, and many more.

Too bad that the preview for THIS BOOK WON'T BURN did not include a list of all of those titles. It also seemed rather unrealistic that 500 books would be simultaneously removed from a single school library. Even in Texas (the state with the dubious honor of hosting the most book challenges recently) where a school district near San Antoino pulled 400 books at one time, it was noted that “Most of those [titles] are appropriate and will stay on our library shelves as is.” Ahmed’s novel is set in Illinois with an activist librarian who would also likely have had a more robust review process in place. Ahmed raises a very important issue, but she tends to employ caricatures (a school board President who would try to run down a student with a car?). For example, she explicitly calls out MAGA supporters and Liberty Moms, but even though the book’s publication coincides with this week’s celebration of the second annual Little Free Library Week, Ahmed does not give her readers any information about groups like Little Free Library or mention recycling a used newspaper kiosk; even AARP offers suggestions to create these yard libraries. THIS BOOK WON'T BURN would benefit from an appendix of related resources -- like the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom or PEN America (and PEN teaching guides) or the Texas FReadom Fighters or even the lawsuits brought by other publishers who devote web pages to the topic and provide links to an action toolkit.

THIS BOOK WON'T BURN received a starred review from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus summarized it as follows: “A timely story about silence as complicity, defending freedom, and the courage to fight against hate.” Readers may also wish to investigate The Asian American Foundation and their annual STAATUS Index Report.  

The Age Of Grievance by Frank Bruni

THE AGE OF GRIEVANCE by Frank Bruni is a new work of non-fiction which covers politics and of which his publisher says, “there’s a potentially devastating erosion of the civility, common ground, and compromise necessary for our democracy to survive. How did we get here?” Bruni points to numerous examples, some all the more relevant with the number of arrests in recent days on college campuses.  He does offer “The Antidote,” as his final chapter is titled: there, he describes humility, humility from political leaders, from journalists, from activists, and from ourselves.  Unfortunately, his text seems rather biased, condescending, even a bit whiny - all the things that he is urging readers to avoid. For example, he writes, “Not all grievances are created equal. … There is January 6, 2021, and there is everything else. Attempts by leaders on the right to minimize what happened that day and lump it together with protests on the left are as ludicrous as they are dangerous.” Despite the legitimacy of his point, it does not seem consistent with attempts to foster dialogue and toleration. Have a look and decide for yourself, but also spend some time with texts like The Sum of Us by Heather McGhee - a much more positive take on how we can come together. Bruni himself also provides an excellent list of roughly three dozen titles for “further reading.”

An Unfinished Love Story by Doris Kearns Goodwin

AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin is indeed “A Personal History of the 1960s,” and it is a truly fascinating one. I had no idea that her husband was Dick Goodwin, an advisor and speechwriter for both Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. The soaring rhetoric of those times is surely missed today, and Kearns Goodwin does an excellent job of recounting events from an insider perspective (she herself later was an aide and biographer for President Johnson), complete with numerous excerpts and commentary from other public service contemporaries. In addition to sharing insights about the Kennedy administration, Kearns Goodwin documents the shock coupled with necessary planning and preparations after his assassination. She discusses international policy as well as the development of domestic programs like Johnson’s Great Society. Here, for example, is a short excerpt from the Voting Rights speech which Dick Goodwin wrote and Johnson delivered in an unusual address to both houses of Congress:

AN UNFINISHED LOVE STORY is highly recommended; for a sense of Kearns Goodwin’s intimate writing style, turn to this short essay about LBJ’s decision to not run in 1968, taken from the book and recently published in The Wall Street Journal. NOTE: beginning in October, The Briscoe Center for American History will host an exhibition on The Goodwin Papers: “History and Fate: The Goodwins and the 1960s”. 

Means of Control by Byron Tau

MEANS OF CONTROL by Byron Tau traces “How the Hidden Alliance of Tech and Government Is Creating a New American Surveillance State.” Tau is an investigative journalist who specializes in law, courts, and national security; he formerly wrote for The Wall Street Journal and has spent years researching this text which is based on “more than 350 interviews and tens of thousands of pages of documents.” Tau conveys a sense of honesty and integrity to his readers even with the disturbing information he shares: “The truth is that no consumer or citizen can know what data is being collected about them or how it's used, let alone consent.” He writes roughly chronologically and divides the text into four parts. The first begins around 9/11 and describes the evolution of consumer data brokers and their early contributions to national security. The second is about early efforts to monitor social media as it grew. The third part focuses on advertising data, smartphones, and geographic tracking. Finally, he looks at more recent “increasingly weird world of esoteric data that without even knowing it we're all generating…” Throughout, Tau comments on civil rights, especially privacy, and writes at length about the “partnership” between - and motivations of - corporate and government entities. MEANS OF CONTROL received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“A chilling chronicle …. filled with shocking revelations and first-rate reporting…”). Kirkus said that Tau’s “explanations of how surveillance techniques have evolved in the 21st century … are exceptionally clear and unsettling.” The writing style is very accessible and MEANS OF CONTROL deserves a wide readership.  

Medgar and Myrlie by Joy-Ann Reid

I first heard about MEDGAR AND MYRLIE by Joy-Ann Reid when I saw an interview with her on pbs NewsHour:

 

Reid, an MSNBC host, subtitles her text “Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America” and delves into his life and civil rights work as well as deeply into that of his wife, Myrlie, after Medgar’s assassination in June 1963. Medgar Evers was a soldier stationed in Europe during WWII. He came home to Mississippi where he later worked for the NAACP in an era when headline news dealt with the murder of Emmett Till, the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, lunch counter sit-ins and retail boycotts, and integration of state college campuses. Reid argues that Evers’ activism “was the foundation on which later efforts by SNCC, CORE, and other organizations were built.” She conducted more than a half dozen interviews with Myrlie (who was NAACP National Chair in 1995) and also provides significant research – more than a fifth of the book is devoted to notes, bibliography, and an index. MEDGAR AND MYRLIE received a starred review from Booklist (“Reid’s spotlight shines brightest on the commitment the Everses made to the movement and to each other”). A love story involving Mississippi, America, and each other. Reid writes, “he pressed her to understand that he did his work because he loves her and their children.”

LBJ's America

LBJ’S AMERICA edited by Mark Atwood Lawrence (Director of the Johnson Presidential Library) and Mark K. Updegrove is a collection of essays about “The Life and Legacies of Lyndon Baines Johnson” from Cambridge University Press. The text is divided into four broad sections: background on LBJ and his times, his domestic policies, foreign affairs, and reflections on his impact. That last section is written by Melody C. Barnes, Obama’s director of the White House Domestic Policy Council. This text is filled with facts and details; approximately twenty percent is devoted to notes, extensive bibliographic citations, and a helpful index. And the essays provide valuable insights on a man who is remembered for dramatic advances in civil rights and immigration law as well as the quagmire, societal divisions, and deaths due to the escalation of the Vietnam War. UT Austin published an interview with Lawrence which explores some of these contrasts. It is worth noting that historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin have praised this new text which will likely have greatest appeal for scholars and academicians due to its language, tone, and high quality of selections (e.g., Joshua Zeitz provides an essay on the War on Poverty). Austin’s Book People is promoting LBJ’S AMERICA along with the upcoming Texas Book Festival on Nov. 11 and 12. I also think it would be very interesting to watch Turn Every Page, the new documentary about the collaboration between Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb as they spent roughly fifty years documenting the LBJ story.

Humphrey and Me plus The Woman at the Wheel

Back to historical fiction with reviews of two recent works: 

HUMPHREY AND ME by Stuart H. Brody is a work of historical fiction that covers almost two decades beginning in the early 1960s. There are two narrators: Ray Elias, initially a bit of a nerdy a high school student who gets involved in politics, and Hubert Humphrey – first as Senator, then as VP and presidential candidate and finally as a Senator again.  As any student of American history knows this was an exciting, turbulent time in American history and Humphrey was a key character involved with civil rights and progressive politics. What troubled me was the book’s depiction of him as talking about war protestors as “Hitler-loving youth” – I could not find that quote in any of the databases or online sources I checked. Yes, this is a work of fiction, but it is important to accurately portray a person of Humphrey’s stature. Brody, who is a professional speaker on ethics, did not cite his sources in the preview that I saw, leading to further questions about his descriptions of Humphrey’s musings and state of mind. Important events, like Kent State, were not even mentioned (although Humphrey had spoken on campus). And, while the story may be semi-autobiographical, Ray was very self-centered and not that well developed. The work that Humphrey did to improve quality of life for Minnesotans and Americans is inspiring (and we could all do with some inspirational leadership from politicians these days); reading a biography (even one intended for young people) would be my recommendation instead of this novel.

THE WOMAN AT THE WHEEL by Penny Haw (The Invincible Miss Cust) offers insight on a fascinating, but little-known historical figure: Bertha Benz, business partner and wife of automobile inventor Carl Benz. Haw describes Bertha’s childhood, courtship with Benz, and her subsequent contributions to his work. Unfortunately, the text seems rather repetitive. In part, that is justified because the pair were met by substantial skepticism and business set backs as they strove to develop their “motorwagen.” It must have required great faith and fortitude to persist in developing that first automobile and Haw stresses that. As she explains, “Bertha wanted to live a life of innovation and purpose in an era when women were expected to be grateful to do nothing more than keep house and raise children.” Together, Bertha and Carl eventually launched a company which employed hundreds of people and was the world’s leading automotive manufacturer. He praised her in his autobiography: “brave and courageous, she hoisted new sails of hope and support at a time when no one else believed in the dream.” Haw includes a Bibliography, Reading Group Guide, and a Conversation with the Author which centers on this extraordinary woman.