Book Reviews - Non-Fiction
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The reviews will be alphabetical by Title, or grouped by author or "series" title, if part of a series. My most recent books are on the previous page.
John Adams: A Life John Ferling
I didn't know much at all about Adams before this, except that he was the second U.S. President. This biography is very readable, and I enjoyed it.
The American Indian in North Carolina by Douglas L. Rights, 1957.
I enjoyed this book. It starts with the coastal Indians, and gives a good history of those in each region including their ultimate fate, if known. The history is moving westward across the state, just as the white settlements did.
Annals of Tennessee by J. G. M. Ramsey, 1853. - (800+ pages).
If you have roots in Tennessee before 1800, then you need to own this book. It covers the history of the state up through the year 1800 in great detail. I read it and found one of my ancestors listed (Colonel John Pemberton) and several other relatives were mentioned also. This book is "a must have".
Breaking Loose Together: The Regulator Rebellion in Pre-Revolutionary North
Carolina
I grew up just outside of Hillsborough, NC and I often visited the many historic sites in town. One of those was a marker devoted to several "regulators" who were hanged there in 1771. I never quite understood what they were hung for, or what it was all about, but finally I found this book and it clearly shows a movement in piedmont (central) North Carolina of farmers, and other middle and lower class individuals who were fed up with corrupt officials, and a corrupt system. They had a pretty good point, but it ended in the Battle of Alamance Creek, and in the hanging of several leaders of the movement. Interestingly, many of the same people on the "other side" were important figures in the upcoming Revolutionary War, on the side of the Americans. An excellent book.
Carolina Cradle: Settlement of the Northwest Carolina Frontier 1747-1762 by Robert W. Ramsey
This book details the settlement of old Rowan County, NC and vicinity, mostly by immigrants from Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey via the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. This is an excellent account of the migration patterns, and reasons for the influx of settlers in this area.
Common Sense (Dover Thrift Editions), Thomas Paine
"Common Sense" (by Thomas Paine, 1776) was published just before the Declaration of Independence was made. It was an important document and is a very interesting look into the ideals of Independence. It is fairly short (64 pages) but quite interesting. I read this in January 2003, right after finishing "The Glorious Cause" (see below).
The
Declaration of Independence and Other Great Documents of American History
1775-1865
This short book (64 pages) contains the text of several early and important documents, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and various speeches, etc. There is a brief explanatory commentary section before each document. I read this in January 2003, after finishing "The Glorious Cause" (see below).
The European Discovery of America: The Northern Voyages A.D. 500-1600
Samuel Eliot Morison.
This excellent volume covers the Vikings, John Cabot and other early explorers
of the northern part of North America. The European Discovery of America: The Southern Voyages A.D. 1492-1616
I read both these books as a teenager at the Public Library and recently re-discovered them.
The
First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin H. W. Brands,
2000
I read this in Feb 2003 and it was great! Almost everything I read about Dr. Franklin was something I didn't already know. I was surprisingly ignorant about this important American. Like most people I knew a little bit about him, but probably no more than is taught in grade school. He was quite a brilliant scientist, philosopher and politician. He was not perfect by any means, but certainly worthy of being called "The First American".
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation by Joseph J. Ellis,
2000
I didn't quite realize what this book was about until I started to read it. I knew it was about George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr, but I did not realize it was going to be a detailed outline of the politics of the day (which was surprisingly similar to what goes on in Government today). Before reading this book I had no idea what kinds of political machinations were going on in those first few decades of this nation's existence. It was quite interesting and enlightening. I thought it might be a little over my head (for I hate politics), but I still found it very interesting, but I'll admit there were a few words I did not know!
Frances Stewart Silver killed her husband Charlie Silver and was hung for the crime. Tradition makes her out to be a cold blooded murderer. The true story is quite different. She is often listed as the first white woman hung in North Carolina (not true). Read this book!
The
Glorious Cause: The American Revolution, 1763-1789
This book covers the full period of the American Revolution, illustrating the underlying causes and the difficulties the American Colonies had with the British Government, and then goes into detail about political and military events, finally covering the Constitutional Conventions. This is an excellent overview of the entire Revolutionary War period. I finished this book in January 2003, and would highly recommend it for anyone interested in the Revolutionary War.
The History of Britain from ancient times through the death of Elizabeth I (in 1603). This book was pretty interesting. I wanted to read it since most of my ancestors originated in Great Britain. I learned a great deal about England, though not so much about Scotland and Ireland. There is also a DVD in case you don't want to read it, but would rather watch it.
From King James I through the American Revolution. Not as good as the first one but still very interesting.
The Life of Daniel Boone by Lyman C. Draper, edited by Ted Franklin Belue.
This huge book was written in the 1850's by L. C. Draper, but never finished by him. It was recently published and as soon as I discovered it, I purchased it and read it. It took me nearly a year to read, but I wasn't reading it steadily at first, though after awhile, I began to read one chapter a night until I finished it. It only covers Daniel Boone's life up through 1779 (he died in 1820). This book dispenses with all the mythology, but the facts are just as amazing as the tall tales we are all used to hearing. It is 576 pages, and I enjoyed it greatly. It also made me want to read more of Draper's work, though most of his data is still unpublished, I think.
Thomas Jefferson and the New Nation: A Biography Merrill D. Peterson.
In my continuing study of famous Americans, I read this book about the 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. By many accounts he was the most important of the Founding Fathers, and that may be true. I wanted to make sure I got a very detailed account of his life so I chose this one. It is just over 1000 pages, so it is quite big, and unfortunately the print is kind of small, though that does mean there is a lot of data crammed in here. A very interesting book.
A biography of the 4th President of the United States James Madison. He served two terms and was President during the War of 1812. A very thorough and interesting biography.
Biography of James Monroe, 5th President of the US. He served two terms and was the last of the Revolutionary era "Founding Fathers" to become President.
Montcalm and Wolfe: The French and Indian War
I had never known much about the French and Indian War, other than that George Washington took part, and that a few of my ancestors were rumored to have been involved. This book is an excellent account of that conflict. I'll admit that this book contained some words that I had to lookup (many of them French), but it still quite interesting.
Ms. Miller offers several interesting and plausible theories about what may have happened to the famous "Lost Colony." Very interesting.
The No Spin Zone: Confrontations With the Powerful and Famous in America
Bill O'Reilly
If you watch his show on a regular basis, this book will feel like a "re-run" to you (it did to me), for it is mainly taken from his most interesting shows over the years. There are interesting topics covered, and while I agree with much of what he says, he loses me on a few points, but the book is still enjoyable and worthwhile. If you are a conservative you'll love it, if a liberal, you'll hate it (unless you enjoy reading what the "other side" thinks). This book was a quick read for me, I mostly read it during commercial breaks over a period of 2 days. I don't recommend it unless you are an O'Reilly fan.
This is a tour book, but it is actually filled with North Carolina Revolutionary War History, much of it not otherwise available in one place. An excellent book, even if you are not going to do the traveling.
This is an excellent history of Revolutionary War Battles in North Carolina and South Carolina. It does not go into the politics of the War so much, just the actual battles and personalities in the Carolinas.
Colonial
South Carolina: A History Robert M. Weir.
I finished this 26 May 2003 after putting it aside for awhile and reading some others (Adams biography mainly). I was born in South Carolina, and the vast majority of my mother's ancestry is from that state (since the 1700's anyway), so I have a great deal of interest in South Carolina's history. This book is very interesting, and almost everything I've read so far is new information to me, so it is most interesting! I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in South Carolina in the 1600's and 1700's. Politics, society, slavery, etc. is covered in much detail. The Revolutionary War (which ended the Colonial era) is covered in one chapter in a interesting, albeit, brief overview. I would like to read something else that covers South Carolina and the Revolutionary War and I will someday.
The War of 1812 Military History. This one is almost entirely from the Canadian point of view. As an American I found that interesting. This one is heavy on military details.
The War of 1812 is very interesting. It covers both the political and military history of the war, emphasis on political.
Washington: The Indispensable Man James Thomas Flexner
I finished this in early March, 2003. I was somewhat familiar with Washington from reading about the French and Indian War and the American Revolution, but I didn't know much about the "Father" of our country. After reading this, I'm more proud than ever to use that title for him. He was truly larger than life, and he lives up to his legend. This same author wrote a 4 volume set of books on Washington, which I may read someday, but I'm not ready to tackle such a large project just yet. This single volume covered Mr. Washington's life in enough detail to satisfy most people.
Last Updated January 21, 2006
