Reading - and enjoying - "SuperFreakonomics." Pondering "Unlock the Hidden Job Market." Reviews to follow. Also rereading "A Christmas Carol."
Am still in Shelby Foote's "The Civil War." I'm working on volume one and am lobbying for the second volume for Christmas. Foote's writing possesses an eloquence that sometimes demands the rereading of a paragraph. For Americans, the Civil War is an Odyssey. How can one not to be fascinated when perusing the thoughts and personalities of Lincoln, Davis, Lee, McClellan, Grant, Jackson, Forrest, and others? It is interesting that today's Southerners are the backbone of the American military.
One day while living in Virginia, I was backed up in traffic near an intersection. Glancing at the median, I saw a small metal sign revealing this was the site of a significant cavalry battle during the Civil War. The light changed and we moved on.
4 comments:
Amazing coincidence! I just finished part 1. I felt like I should wear a t-shirt "I survived Shelby Foote's Civil War History Part 1!" Highly enjoyable, but boy was it long!
Honestly I read the book because after 9/11 I, like many Americans, wanted to return to my roots to learn what it was to be an American. The foundation of the country was the first seminal event shaping our national identity. The second was the Civil War. I'm not satisfied I understand everything about the CW and its implications, but I do know it radically transformed us from a collection of states to one state.
I think about it as if the UN fought a war against countries which succeeded from it. If the UN won, the world would be radically different from what it is now, for better or for worse. Even if the south had won the war, everything would have been different.
Margret Mitchell, speaking through Ashley Wilkes, said the cause for which they fought was defeated as soon as they took up arms to fight it. I am starting to learn what this meant. The south in fighting to preserve itself ran just as roughshod over states rights as the union did in preserving itself. A fragile illusion, the south's values vanished upon the touch of hard reality. So, too, did many of the values of the founding fathers.
Dan,
I think part of Lincoln's genius, drawing on the shift from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, was the realization that it would be impossible to have a nation in which portions could drift in and out. It could have been very tempting just to let the South leave in order to prevent or reduce bloodshed.
We were also fortunate that after the Civil War, men such as Robert E. Lee encouraged reconciliation. Had they been hardliners, there could have been low-level fighting for generations.
Foote's book is excellent but you're right. It is a long read.
Dan -
I hope you like the "Unlock the Hidden Job Market" book. The job marketplace has changed so much in the last few years and tougher searches need an effort more refined than a resume, networking with friends and on-line job boards.
The author - Duncan Mathison
Duncan,
I am enjoying it and will be writing more of my impressions soon.
You've tackled a very important topic.
Thanks for dropping by.
Michael
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