Memos from the command post.

What I read this month, January edition.

Battle Cry of Freedom, James McPherson

• If you’re a history buff, then you probably already love this book.  This is the best one volume history of the Civil War Era.  I say era because McPherson covers much more than the war itself.  The book starts during the Mexican War and discusses the dozens of factors leading to the outbreak of war and then talks about everything going on behind the scenes while the war waged in the several theaters. A must read for anyone interested in American history.  Not for those fans of single battles or events, he offers a general history or the battles, not spending more than a few pages on any single battle or campaign, but there are thousands of books for that.  If you teach American history, you need to read this.  If I ever teach the Civil War, this is my point of reference.

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Against Happiness, Eric G. Wilson

• This book is written in praise of melancholia.  That is the tone I felt while reading this short (150-ish pages) work.  It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t inspired either.  Wilson seems to drag on and does not structure his writing well.  I had to force myself to make it through parts of this book which contains a lot of unnecessary words.  I do not recommend this book, plain and simple.

The Pearl, John Steinbeck

• Another short work, this can easily be read in a day.  A classic story about human greed, I can’t really say much more without giving something away that the reader should discover on their own.  A great read; highly recommended.

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