A Journey Through History

David Faucheux will join us again on 4/1/25 at 8pm Eastern to facilitate the discussion of the historical fiction novel The house is on fire DB120593 by Rachel Beanland. NLS annotation The house is on fire DB120593 Author: Beanland, Rachel Reading Time: 12 hours, 31 minutes Read by: Rachel Beanland, Michael Crouch, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, Andi Arndt, Ruffin Prentiss III Subject: Historical Fiction “Richmond, Virginia 1811. It’s the height of the winter social season, the General Assembly is in session, and many of Virginia’s gentleman planters, along with their wives and children, have made the long and arduous journey to the capital in hopes of whiling away the darkest days of the year. At the city’s only theater, the Charleston-based Placide & Green Company puts on two plays a night to meet the demand of a populace that’s done looking for enlightenment at the front of a church. On the night after Christmas, the theater is packed with more than six hundred holiday revelers. In the third-floor boxes, sits newly-widowed Sally Henry Campbell, who is glad for any opportunity to relive the happy times she shared with her husband. One floor away, in the colored gallery, Cecily Patterson doesn’t give a whit about the play but is grateful for a four-hour reprieve from a life that has recently gone from bad to worse. Backstage, young stagehand Jack Gibson hopes that, if he can impress the theater’s managers, he’ll be offered a permanent job with the company. And on the other side of town, blacksmith Gilbert Hunt dreams of one day being able to bring his wife to the theater, but he’ll have to buy her freedom first. When the theater goes up in flames in the middle of the performance, Sally, Cecily, Jack, and Gilbert make a series of split-second decisions that will not only affect their own lives but those of countless others. And in the days following the fire, as news of the disaster spreads across the United States, the paths of these four people will become forever intertwined. Based on the true story of Richmond’s theater fire, The House Is on Fire offers proof that sometimes, in the midst of great tragedy, we are offered our most precious–and fleeting–chances at redemption” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Waterville, Maine : Simon & Schuster Audio, 2023. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5948434?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQmhvdXNlJTJCaXMlMkJvbiUyQmZpcmU

NLS  annotation The first conspiracy: the secret plot against George Washington DB93794 Authors: Meltzer, Brad, Mensch, Josh Reading Time: 11 hours, 10 minutes Read by: Scott Brick Subject: U.S. History An account of a treasonous plan by George Washington’s bodyguards, working together with New York City mayor David Mathews and New York governor William Tryon, to kill the commander in the months leading up to the Revolutionary War. Some violence. Commercial audiobook. 2019. [New York, NY] : Macmillan Audio, 2019. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/3674411?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQmZpcnN0JTJCY29uc3BpcmFjeQ

NLS annotation Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I: the mother and daughter who changed history DB124509 Author: Borman, Tracy Reading Time: 8 hours, 53 minutes Read by: Tracy Borman Subjects: World History and Affairs, Biography of Heads of State and Political Figures, Women “One of the most extraordinary mother and daughter stories of all time – Anne Boleyn, the most famous of Henry VIII’s wives and her daughter Elizabeth, the ‘Virgin Queen’. Anne Boleyn is a subject of enduring fascination. By far the most famous of Henry VIII’s six wives, she has inspired books, documentaries and films, and is the subject of intense debate even today, almost 500 years after her violent death. For the most part, she is considered in the context of her relationship with Tudor England’s much-married monarch. Dramatic though this story is, of even greater interest – and significance – is the relationship between Anne and her daughter, the future Elizabeth I. Elizabeth was less than three years old when her mother was executed. Given that she could have held precious few memories of Anne, it is often assumed that her mother exerted little influence over her. But this is both inaccurate and misleading. Elizabeth knew that she had to be discreet about Anne, but there is compelling evidence that her mother exerted a profound influence on her character, beliefs and reign. Even during Henry’s lifetime, Elizabeth dared to express her sympathy for her late mother by secretly wearing Anne’s famous ‘A’ pendant when she sat for a painting with her father and siblings. Piecing together evidence from original documents and artefacts, this book tells the story of Anne Boleyn’s relationship with, and influence over her daughter Elizabeth. In so doing, it sheds new light on two of the most famous and influential women in history.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. London : Audible Studios, 2023. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5297406?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUFubmUlMkJCb2xleW4lMkIlMjUyNmFtcCUyNTNCJTJCRWxpemFiZXRoJTJCSQ

NLS  annotation The situation room: the inside story of presidents in crisis DB121216 Authors: Stephanopoulos, George, Dickey, Lisa Reading Time: 10 hours, 10 minutes Read by: Peter Ganim, George Stephanopoulos, Elisabeth Rodgers Subjects: U.S. History, Government and Politics “George Stephanopoulos, former senior advisor to President Clinton and for more than 20 years host of This Week and Good Morning America, recounts never-before-told crises that decided the course of history, from the place 12 presidents made their highest-pressure decisions: the White House Situation Room. No room better defines American power and its role in the world than the White House Situation Room. And yet, none is more shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Created under President Kennedy, the Sit Room has been the epicenter of crisis management for presidents for more than six decades. Time and again, the decisions made within the Sit Room complex affect the lives of every person on this planet. Detailing close calls made and disasters narrowly averted, THE SITUATION ROOM will take readers through dramatic turning points in a dozen presidential administrations, including: –Incredible minute-by-minute transcripts from the Sit Room after both Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were shot –The shocking moment when Henry Kissinger raised the military alert level to DEFCON III while President Nixon was drunk in the White House residence –The extraordinary scene when President Carter asked for help from secret government psychics to rescue American hostages in Iran –A vivid retelling of the harrowing hours during the 9/11 attack –New details from Obama administration officials leading up to the raid on Osama Bin Laden –And a first-ever account of January 6th from the staff inside the Sit Room. THE SITUATION ROOM is the definitive, past-the-security-clearance look at the room where it happened, and the people–the famous and those you’ve never heard of–who have made history within its walls”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. New York : Hachette Audio, 2024. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6017442?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQnNpdHVhdGlvbiUyQnJvb20

David Faucheux will be leading a historical fiction discussion as he does three times a year of Ella: a novel DB123445 by Diane Richards. Below is a book review submitted by David of this novel followed by its NLS annotation, Bookshare link, and Zoom invitation. Book review I want to thank Alan for forwarding this review of my December choice for discussion during the next Journey through History. First the NLS annotation: Ella: a novel DB123445 Author: Richards, Diane Reading Time: 10 hours, 24 minutes Read by: Alexandra Grey Subjects: Historical Fiction, African American Topics “When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York–a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella, wearing men’s galoshes a size too big, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. I have always found biographical novels of interest because they somehow — and in a way that nonfiction simply cannot – manage to bring characters to life and make us care. Sometimes, after taking one of these historic novels in, I look for a nonfiction biography to add depth or another perspective. Reviewer's Note: See the short bibliography at the conclusion of this review. I found this novel about Ella Fitzgerald's early life interesting if a bit upsetting. The novel opens on July 18, 1948, with her about to appear on The very new Ed Sullivan Show. But then we are taken back to January of 1932 when Ella is told by her mother that she will have to help out in the laundry where the mother works. Ella, needless to say, is not amused. She loves to dance and has been practicing with her neighbor; they live in Yonkers and Ella lives for dance contests especially because participants who do well can earn money prizes. In any event, the mother unexpectedly dies at work, her white boyfriend becomes abusive to Ella who goes to live with her aunt in Harlem where she takes up with a criminal element and becomes a Numbers Runner in order to bring in much-needed income as the money is very good in the numbers racket. Her mentor is killed when the white mob decides that they want to muscle in on the lucrative numbers game. In typical mob fashion, people start dying as bullets start flying. Because Ella has been missing so much school at the excellent institution where her aunt has enrolled her, she is picked up by the truant officer. With the help of several police officers who have accompanied the truant officer, Ella is taken to jail. She then is sent to an upstate reformatory where she is badly treated as are other “colored” girls who are told “to know your place.” They are not taught typical high school subjects such as English as are the white girls but rather made to work in the reformatory garden. They learn from other imprisoned girls about the sexual predations of several low-life white, male workers at the reformatory. Ella herself is locked up in solitary for over a week. She manages to escape after a year when several of the girls, both white and African-American, are chosen to sing Christmas carols at the nearby town. With the help of several women hiding in the train yard, she hops a train to New York City and lives on the streets of Harlem where she dances with street kids for coins. Due to a lucky break (she draws the shortest straw), She is chosen for a coveted spot to participate in an early Amateur Night at the famed Apollo where the audience is known for its ruthless critique; if they like you — they love you. Otherwise, they scream and boo and you are swept off the stage by a broom-wielding tap dancing someone called The Executioner. Ella was supposed to dance but as she was put on first during Amateur Night, she would follow the conclusion of the professional show which consisted of two superb twin sister dancers clad in vivid yellow dresses spangled with sequins, even to their sparkly dance shoes. Ella manages to convince the emcee to let her sing which she does. The audience falls in love. Then, suddenly, we are back with Ed Sullivan and she goes on and sings. How Ella gets from the stage at the Apollo in November of 1934 to Sullivan's world in 1948 is anyone's guess as the novel does not explain. All in all, an excellent intro to Ella Fitzgerald with some interesting singing by narrator Alexandra Grey who herself has an interesting story to tell. Meet Alexandra Grey, the 2016 Breakout Star of … – ScreenCrush For further interest: Ella Fitzgerald – Ed Sullivan Show And on BARD Ella Fitzgerald: a biography of the first lady of jazz DB40020 She persisted: Ella Fitzgerald DB115988 Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: the jazz singer who transformed American song DB118643 Dangerous rhythms: jazz and the underworld DB109819 And I would encourage anyone interested in either Ella Fitzgerald or Marilyn Monroe to keep checking on BARD as I'm sure the novel Can't We Be Friends by Denny Bryce and Eliza Knight that came out earlier this year should appear there at some point. A search indicated at this time the book is not in progress, but I think it will eventually make it. I reviewed it for Library Journal and enjoyed it. There are certainly enough books, fiction and nonfiction, about Marilyn. Enjoy NLS Annotation Ella: a novel DB123445 Author: Richards, Diane Reading Time: 10 hours, 24 minutes Read by: Alexandra Grey Subjects: Historical Fiction, African American Topics “When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York–a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella, wearing men’s galoshes a size too big, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. New York : HarperAudio, [2024] Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6016879?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZsaWJyYXJ5VG9TZWFyY2g9Ym9va3NoYXJlJmF1dGhvckZpbHRlcj1EaWFuZSUyQlJpY2hhcmRzJmF1dGhvcj1EaWFuZSUyQlJpY2hhcmRzJnNvcnRPcmRlcj1SRUxFVkFOQ0U

We will be discussing the book Master slave husband wife: an epic journey from slavery to freedom DB112758 by Ilyon Woo. NLS Annotation Master slave husband wife: an epic journey from slavery to freedom DB112758 Author: Woo, Ilyon Reading Time: 12 hours, 59 minutes Read by: Janina Edwards, Leon Nixon Subjects: Bestsellers, Biography, U.S. History, African American Topics “The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave. In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North. Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. Americans could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who traveled another 1,000 miles criss-crossing New England, drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionist luminaries of the day—among them Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown. But even then, they were not out of danger. With the passage of an infamous new Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, all Americans became accountable for returning refugees like the Crafts to slavery. Then yet another adventure began, as slave hunters came up from Georgia, forcing the Crafts to flee once again—this time from the United States, their lives and thousands more on the line and the stakes never higher. With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife is an American love story—one that would challenge the nation's core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all—one that challenges us even now.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. [New York] : Simon & Schuster Audio, 2023. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5915051?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPU1hc3RlciUyQnNsYXZlJTJCaHVzYmFuZCUyQndpZmUlMjUzQSUyQmFuJTJCZXBpYyUyQmpvdXJuZXklMkJmcm9tJTJCc2xhdmVyeSUyQnRvJTJCZnJlZWRvbQ

Jana Littrell has generously volunteered some of her new retirement time to leading and programming this group's discussion, congratulations Jana ! Her first book is Walls: A History Of Civilization In Blood And Brick, DB 92383, by David Frye. Approximately 10 hours in reading time. NLS Annotation Walls: a history of civilization in blood and brick DB92383 Author: Frye, David Reading Time: 9 hours, 56 minutes Read by: Robert Sams Subject: World History and Affairs A historian discusses the role of man-made edifices and barriers throughout history. Explores the importance of walls in ancient civilizations, a thousand-mile-long wall in Asia, sieges of fortified cities, political conflicts centered upon walls, gated communities, and more. 2018. New York : Scribner, [2018] c2018 Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/2790145?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVdhbGxzJTI1M0ElMkJhJTJCaGlzdG9yeSUyQm9mJTJCY2l2aWxpemF0aW9uJTJCaW4lMkJibG9vZCUyQmFuZCUyQmJyaWNrJTJC

On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, the group will discuss 1923: The Crisis of German Democracy in the Year of Hitler's Putsch by Mark William Jones (DB116875 ). The book recounts the unsuccessful first attempt to overthrow Germany's democracy. This was followed 10 years later by Hitler's appointment as Prime Minister, the end of democratic government in Germany and the deaths of millions in World War Two. Can this happen again? NLS Annotation 1923: the crisis of German democracy in the year of Hitler’s putsch DB116875 Author: Jones, Mark William Reading Time: 14 hours, 11 minutes Read by: Matt Addis Subjects: World History and Affairs, War and the Military “In 1923, the Weimar Republic faced a series of crises, including foreign occupation of its industrial heartland, rampant inflation, radical violence, and finally Hitler’s infamous “beer hall putsch.” Fanning the flames of anti-government and anti-Semitic sentiment, the Nazis tried to violently seize power in Munich, only failing after they were abandoned by like-minded conservatives. In 1923, historian Mark William Jones draws on new research to offer a revealing portrait of German politics and society in this turbulent year. Tracing Hitler’s early rise, Jones reveals how political pragmatism and unprecedented international cooperation with the West brought Germany out of its crisis year. Although Germany would succumb to tyranny a decade later, the story of the republic’s survival in 1923 offers essential lessons to anyone concerned about the future of democracy today.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5898846?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPTE5MjMlMjUzQSUyQnRoZSUyQmNyaXNpcyUyQm9mJTJCR2VybWFuJTJCZGVtb2NyYWN5JTJCaW4lMkJ0aGUlMkJ5ZWFyJTJCb2YlMkJIaXRsZXIlMjUyNiUyNTIzMzklMjUzQnMlMkJwdXRzY2g

On August 6 we will review THE GREAT DIVIDE: A NOVEL, db120159 by Cristina Henríquez. The program is produced by David Faucheux. The author describes the Pros and cons regarding the construction of the Panama Canal through a sweeping description of the lives of the inhabitants living in or drawn to canal area by the chance of employment . NLS Annotation The great divide: a novel DB120159 Henríquez, Cristina Reading time: 13 hours, 25 minutes. Robin Miles Historical Fiction Family “It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. For Francisco, a local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his country, nothing is more upsetting than the decision of his son, Omar, to work as a digger in the excavation zone. But for Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection. Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados who arrives in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work. Alone and with no resources, she is determined to find a job that will earn enough money for her ailing sister’s surgery. When she sees a young man, Omar, who has collapsed after a grueling shift, she is the only one who rushes to his aid. John Oswald has dedicated his life to scientific research and has journeyed to Panama in single-minded pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But now, his wife, Marian, has fallen ill herself, and when he witnesses Ada’s bravery and compassion, he hires her on the spot as a caregiver. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice.”– OCLC. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5915809?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPXRoZSUyQmdyZWF0JTJCZGl2aWRl

Join us on July 2, 2024, first Tuesday, to review another blockbuster and best seller by Robert Woodward , Fear: Trump in the White House DB91876 Duration: 12 hours 20 minutes. NLS Annotation Fear: Trump in the White House DB91876 Woodward, Bob Reading time: 12 hours, 22 minutes. Robert Petkoff A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Biography Government and Politics Bestsellers U.S. History Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist details the decision-making process for both foreign and domestic policy within the Trump administration. Draws on interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes, diaries, files, and documents. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2018. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/2686300?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUZlYXIlMjUzQSUyQlRydW1w

NLS Annotation Mercury rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the new battleground of the Cold War DB110864 Shesol, Jeff Reading time: 11 hours, 40 minutes. James Frangione Biography History, Juvenile “A riveting history of the epic orbital flight that put America back into the space race. If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War–a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival–and America was losing. On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the “hour of maximum danger.”” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/4597347?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPU1lcmN1cnklMkJSaXNpbmc

On May 7th, JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY introduces best-selling author, poet and teacher, Clint Smith, who brings his Harvard sociology training on his visits (with recorder) to Civil War and Reconstruction Era Monuments from New Orleans to New York and Virginia to Texas in his book How the word is passed: a reckoning with the history of slavery across America DB103908. As noted on Blinkist.com: “ Through immersive visits to historical sites, Smith examines how slavery is remembered and how it continues to shape the country today.” The Journey through History Zoom meeting link follows. Be aware that all Accessible World Zoom meetings are set to automatically record and the Zoom Client on both your computer and your smart device presents a message announcing the recording when you first enter a meeting using these clients. You must tab or swipe to the Got it or OK button and execute it to acknowledge your awareness of the recording or you will be unable to unmute your device and speak in the meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/177809772?pwd=dSt5ZjBzK3hYL3doRE5NVy96M3JVUT09 Please join us on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 8:00 PM Eastern to discuss the following: HOW THE WORD PASSED: A RECKONING WITH THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY ACROSS AMERICA. DB103908

By her own design DB110548 Huguley, Piper Reading time: 12 hours, 48 minutes. Tracey Conyer Lee Historical Fiction Historical Romance Fiction Romance “1953, New York City. Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe’s dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. It may take all day and all night for the next week to accomplish the task, but they will do it. 1918, Tampa. Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann’s talent and offers her an amazing opportunity–the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida’s society elite. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. Based on the true story of one of the most famous designers of the twenties through the sixties who has since been unjustly forgotten, By Her Own Design is an unforgettable novel of determination despite countless obstacles and a triumph celebrated by the world.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Download By her own design DB110548 Here is the Bookshare link to this title: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/4583204?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPWJ5JTJCaGVyJTJCb3duJTJCZGVzaWdu

Please join us on Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 8:00 PM Eastern to discuss America’s first daughter DB88020 by Stephanie Dray. NLS Annotation America’s first daughter DB88020 Dray, Stephanie Reading time: 21 hours, 53 minutes. Pilar Witherspoon A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Historical Fiction Patsy Jefferson, eldest daughter of Thomas, grows up during the tumult of the American Revolution. When her mother dies, she joins her father in France and is torn between love and filial duty when courted by an abolitionist. This conflict of desires follows her through life. Some violence. 2016. Bookshare This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/1887909?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPWFtZXJpY2ElMjUyNiUyNTIzMzklMjUzQnMlMkJmaXJzdCUyQmRhdWdodGVy

Tuesday night a stalwart group of History Buffs read and reviewed the first half of American Prometheus which is a product of over twenty-five years of painstaking research by its two prize winning authors. The first half or “TRIUMPH” portion of the book focuses on how he resolved his social problems which many financially privileged prodigies experience to demonstrate the leadership skills to successfully direct the massive and famous World War Two Atomic Bomb Project. After the “triumph” comes the “TRAGEDY “the how and why of his fall from national fame plus his plans for nuclear control. The list of literati attending his two funerals demonstrated the extent of his fame which surpassed the impact of loss of Security Clearence the during the McCarthy era. We know how it ended and hope to find out the why and how of the fall and its ultimate impact on the world under the nuclear umbrella. So read on and tell us your thoughts next February sixth. American Prometheus: the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer DB61087 Bird, Kai; Sherwin, Martin J. Read Chapter 23 to end. On February 6 Here's the Bookshare link for this title: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5599711?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUthaSUyQkJpcmQlMkI Don Queen

Our next month's book to discuss is the best seller “American Prometheus: the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer” DB61087 by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin, 699 pages. Because of its length, we will cover the growing up and transformation of the brilliant Oppenheimer and ultimate triumph in Chapters 1 through 23In our January 2nd meeting and the remainder of the book covering the outcome of his loss of security in our February 6th meeting. American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer. the first full-scale biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer, "father of the atomic bomb," the brilliant, charismatic physicist who led the effort to capture the awesome fire of the sun for his country in time of war. Here's the NLS annotation: American Prometheus: the triumph and tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer DB61087 Bird, Kai; Sherwin, Martin J Reading time: 27 hours, 34 minutes. Steven Carpenter A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. Science and Technology Biography Biography of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904-1967)--"the father of the atomic bomb." Chronicles his New York City upbringing, marriage to Kitty Puening, work on the Manhattan Project, and life after the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission hearings which denied Oppenheimer his security clearance for questioning the ethics of nuclear weapons. Pulitzer Prize winner 2006. 2005. Here's the Bookshare link for this title: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/5599711?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPUthaSUyQkJpcmQlMkI

Hello Journey through History book group fans, Our book for 12/5/23 in A Journey through History is Lady Tan's Circle of Women DB 115160 by Lisa Se. David Faucheux will be leading our discussion and has provided the below email received from the author Lisa See in the email history with some links regarding the book. Hope to see you at the meeting. Here is the NLS annotation: Lady Tan's circle of women DB115160 See, Lisa Reading time: 13 hours, 6 minutes. Jennifer Lim Historical Fiction Women Bestsellers "According to Confucius, “an educated woman is a worthless woman,” but Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. Her grandmother is one of only a handful of female doctors in China, and she teaches Yunxian the pillars of Chinese medicine, the Four Examinations—looking, listening, touching, and asking—something a man can never do with a female patient. From a young age, Yunxian learns about women's illnesses, many of which relate to childbearing, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls find fast friendship and a mutual purpose—despite the prohibition that a doctor should never touch blood while a midwife comes in frequent contact with it—and they vow to be forever friends, sharing in each other's joys and struggles. No mud, no lotus, they tell themselves: from adversity beauty can bloom. But when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife—embroider bound-foot slippers, pluck instruments, recite poetry, give birth to sons, and stay forever within the walls of the family compound, the Garden of Fragrant Delights. How might a woman like Yunxian break free of these traditions, go on to treat women and girls from every level of society, and lead a life of such importance that many of her remedies are still used five centuries later? How might the power of friendship support or complicate these efforts? Lady Tan's Circle of Women is a captivating story of women helping other women. It is also a triumphant reimagining of the life of a woman who was remarkable in the Ming dynasty and would be considered remarkable today." -- Provided by publisher. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. From: David F Below is the bit from Lisa See's email reply to me that I wanted to share with the group. I love to join book clubs on Zoom. Unfortunately, I won't be able to join you on that date, because that's my husband's birthday. Since I can't join you, I hope you'll take a look at my web site, particularly the Step Inside the World of Lady Tan section, where I have a lot of photos, videos, etc. Here's the link: https://lisasee.com/step-inside/lady-tans-circle-of-women/#guide Two more things. Lady Tan's Circle of Women was Target's Book Pick for August. I signed all the copies that people can order online. Plus the edition comes with a special essay written by me. I think it's discounted too. I know they still have copies. Here's the link in case your participants want to take advantage of this: https://www.target.com/p/lady-tan-39-s-circle-of-women-a-novel-target-exclusive-edition-by-lisa-see-hardcover/-/A-89091344#lnk=sametab Second, I'm not sure if you'll be interested in this either, but Linda Louie, the owner of Bana Tea, has created a tea package for book clubs that has the teas that are in the novel. The reason they're in the novel is because they're two of my favorite teas! Writers get to do things like that. Here's the link: https://www.banateacompany.com/pages/Lisa-See-Tasting-Kit-2023.html

A Journey through History will be discussing The Wager: a tale of shipwreck, mutiny, and murder DB 113965 when we next meet on 11/7/23. When we met on 10/3/23, our November book was announced as Peril by Bob Woodward but on further review, we discovered we had already discussed this book at our 2/1/22 meeting. NLS annotation: The Wager: a tale of shipwreck, mutiny, and murder DB 113965 Grann, David. Reading time 8 hours, 32 minutes. Read by David Grann A production of National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, Library of Congress. On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty's Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes. But then … six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang. The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann's recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O'Brian, his portrayal of the castaways' desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann's work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound." -- Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller Instead, We have a highly rated best seller .

Autobiography by William Thomas Hamilton one of the legendary Mountain Men who explored and settled the Louisiana Purchase which he published in 1905. He began his exploits in 1842as a fur trapper and later Army Scout assisted by his extraordinary skills in Indian sign language. Here's the NLS annotation: My sixty years on the plains: trapping, trading, and Indian fighting DB20468 Hamilton, W. T, (William Thomas); Sieber, E. T. Reading time: 4 hours, 44 minutes. Read by Art Metzler. U.S. History Straightforward account of the author's experiences as a mountaineer. First published in 1905. Classics of the Old West.

Miss Del Rio novel DB111757 by Barbara Louise Mujica 13 hours and 9 minutes long It is a largely true book selected by David Faucheux, our Historic fiction editor. It is the dramatic and vividly described life as told by her best friend including their life and flight from revolutionary Mexico in 1910 and Miss Del Rio's rise to movie stardom. She pulls no punches as to the class and racial discrimination which sadly still exists today.

Our August book was written by two prominent Historians, One Russian and the other American, who took advantage of the demise of the Soviet Union and thaw in the Cold War to access KGB AND OTHER Soviet and American files in 1990 to find out what truly happened. While it cleared up a number of issues some were rather frightening such as how close we came to a nuclear war. Also, it revealed JFK's repeated private attempts to reach a détente with Khrushchev before the Missile Crisis.. TITLE: One Hell of a Gamble: Khrushchev, Castro, and Kennedy, 1958to 1964 AUTHOR: Aleksandr Fursenko and Timothy Naftali DB46210 Bookshare link: https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/1562841?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPW9uZSUyQmhlbGwlMkJvZiUyQmElMkJnYW1ibGU

The first and only successful slave revolution in the Americas began in 1791 when thousands of brutally exploited slaves rose up against their masters on one of the most profitable colonies in the Atlantic world. Their success was devastating not only to their former masters but to colonial powers including the United States. We'll discuss this in the next meeting of A Journey through History on 6/6/23 with the book Avengers of the New World: the story of the Haitian Revolution DB60295. The NLS annotation follows: Avengers of the New World: the story of the Haitian Revolution DB60295 Dubois, Laurent Reading time: 14 hours, 45 minutes. Anne Flosnik A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress. World History and Affairs Professor analyzes the 1791-1803 revolution in the French Caribbean country of Haiti. Traces the history of Hispaniola and describes how slaves from Africa under Toussaint Louverture defeated France, Britain, and Spain and achieved emancipation at great economic and human cost. Violence. 2004.

We will review Captain James Cook by Richard Hough (DB41944). It chronicles the life of James Cook, born 1728, who began working with his father as a day laborer at age eight, rose from lowest rank in the merchant marine, then to the Royal Navy to become the most celebrated explorer of his time. His three final trips mapping one third of the world and discovery of the cause of scurvy were the foundation of the British Empire.

On April 4, David Faucheux will present his historic fiction, Switchboard Soldiers, a novel, by Jennifer Chiaverini (DB109619) NLS ANOTATION: In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American Forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls and speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire and be utterly discreet since the calls often conveyed classified information. At the time, nearly all well-trained American operators were women. But women were not permitted to enlist or even to vote in those days. Nevertheless, the US Army Signal Corp promptly began recruiting them. More than seven thousand six hundred responded. Their story has never been the focus of a novel until now. For those interested in a nonfiction account of this unique aspect of World War I, you may also wish to check out The Hello Girls: America's first women soldiers DBC06268.

The Face Maker: A Visionary Surgeon's Battle to Mend the Disfigured Soldiers of World War I by Lindsey Fitzharris, DB108939. Approximate reading Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes Armed with a Cambridge diploma and compassionate manner, Dr. Harold Gillies from New Zealand, opened the first hospital specializing in facial reconstruction of previously shunned, disfigured soldiers. The author describes the many challenges encountered such as the absence of text books or specialists.

This is a Memoir with a happy ending. how a ten year old Chinese peasant boy living at a starvation level in a Mao Commune became a international Ballet star after recruitment into and undergoing rigorous training at Mao's wife's National Ballet school. While visiting Houston Texas he defected from China after finding “my first love” angering Chinese officials resulting in His imprisonment in the Chinese consulate in Houston Texas. He was released after the intervention by vice-president and Mrs. Bush. Read the book for a happy but realistic ending. Mao's Last Dancer Li Con Xin Db 60921 Fifteen hours and twenty minutes Read by Gordon Gould

During the busy Winter Holidays don't forget our book to review on January 3.. It is shorter than some.. If you can't finish it suggest reading Chapters 9 through 11. 10, Our reading suggestion for January (FALLING IDOLS: TWELVE STATUES THAT MADE HISTORY is a short 9 hour 10 minutes. The Author states that this book is "about how we make history ". selecting Statues which have been in the news yet preserves our "memories in stone ." The author selects historically significant personages from the last 350 years spending considerable time on the controversial statues of personages such as Robert E. Lee and Jeff Davis related to The Civil War and reconstruction.

David Faucheux will be presenting the following book on December sixth The storyteller of Casablanca DB107192 NLS ANNOTATION: Morocco 1941, Twelve year-old Josie and her family fled Nazi occupied France for Casablanca where they awaited safe passage to America. Seventy years later, Zoey is a wife and mother living as an ex-pat in an unfamiliar place. But when she discovers Josie's diary from the 1940's beneath the floorboards of her daughter's bedroom, Zoe enters the inner world of young Josie. 2021

Brad Snyder and Alan Lemly co-hosted the October session discussing the book ISAAC STORM by Erik Larson. Everyone seemed to like it. There were no challengers with the Erik Larson Best Sellers we had reviewed. On Tuesday, November 1st we will leave the familiar Trumpian, Anglo-American literary venue for Hitler's Germany and some incredibly courageous dissidents. Defying Hitler: the Germans who resisted Nazi rule DB94884 Thomas, Gordon; Lewis, Greg NLS ANNOTATION: An account of the many Germans who actively resisted Hitler. Describes and profiles individuals who passed industrial secrets to Allied spies, forged passports for escaping Jews, denounced Nazi law, distributed anti-Nazi fliers, spied on the SS, and more. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

On October 4 we will be reviewing Isaac Storm: a Man, a Time, and the deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson(db48811). This was published more than a hundred years after the Galveston Flood and was this author six best selling books four of which we have discussed. Name them if you can. NLS ANNOTATION Galveston Texas, September 8, 1900, a massive hurricane approaches the city. Isaac Kline, head of the Weather Bureau's Galveston Station fails to receive advance warning due to bureaucratic blundering and scientific snobbery. No evacuation is ordered and more than eight thousand citizens are subsequently lost including Kline's wife. Best Seller 1999.

On September 6 we will review our second World War Two Churchill book, The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, covering WWII from May 1940 to May 1941. It focuses on how Winston Churchill and his Family coped with the Blitz which killed over forty-thousand Londoners and led England to foil Hitler and his plans to conquer all of Europe. Similar to Lincoln and Napoleon, there are already many books on Churchill. The author's access to the detailed diary of Churchill's youngest daughter, Mary Churchill, gave the author a unique view of the family during the Blitz.

On September 6 we will review our second World War Two Churchill book, The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson, covering WWII from May 1940 to May 1941. It focuses on how Winston Churchill and his Family coped with the Blitz which killed over forty-thousand Londoners and led England to foil Hitler and his plans to conquer all of Europe. Similar to Lincoln and Napoleon, there are already many books on Churchill. The author's access to the detailed diary of Churchill's youngest daughter, Mary Churchill, gave the author a unique view of the family during the Blitz.

As usual, we will skip July and meet on August 2 when David Faucheux present his historic fiction but is a realistic history of the 1937 NAZI invasion of the Ukraine. A real page-turner with realistic character description. The title is The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, db107522. Again, except for July, Journey Through History meets on the first Tuesday of the month at eight P.M. Eastern Time.

As usual, we will skip July and meet on August 2 when David Faucheux present his historic fiction but is a realistic history of the 1937 NAZI invasion of the Ukraine. A real page-turner with realistic character description. The title is The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn, db107522. Again, except for July, Journey Through History meets on the first Tuesday of the month at eight P.M. Eastern Time.

On Tuesday, June 7, your History Group will discuss the consequences of WWII after Yalta and the expanded roles of the privileged daughters of the three powerful leaders. Here's the NLS annotation: The daughters of Yalta: the Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans : a story of love and war DB102417 Katz, Catherine Grace Reading time: 14 hours, 57 minutes. Christine Rendel Biography World History and Affairs An account of the "daughter diplomacy" of Anna Roosevelt, Sarah Churchill, and Kathleen Harriman, who accompanied their powerful fathers to the Yalta Conference with Joseph Stalin in the final days of World War II. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020. Don Queen

On Tuesday, June 7, your History Group will discuss the consequences of WWII after Yalta and the expanded roles of the privileged daughters of the three powerful leaders. Here's the NLS annotation: The daughters of Yalta: the Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans : a story of love and war DB102417 Katz, Catherine Grace Reading time: 14 hours, 57 minutes. Christine Rendel Biography World History and Affairs An account of the "daughter diplomacy" of Anna Roosevelt, Sarah Churchill, and Kathleen Harriman, who accompanied their powerful fathers to the Yalta Conference with Joseph Stalin in the final days of World War II. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2020. Don Queen

the Journey Through History Group will review The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial settlers , Tribal Nations and the kidnap that shaped America by Matthew Pearl( Db106571). Reading time: six hours fifty seconds. Synopsis from Bookshare.org. The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap That Shaped America by Matthew Pearl “A rousing tale of frontier daring and ingenuity, better than legend on every front.” — Pulitzer Prize–winning author Stacy SchiffA Goodreads Most Anticipated Book In his first work of narrative nonfiction, Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of acclaimed novel The Dante Club, explores the little-known true story of the kidnapping of legendary pioneer Daniel Boone's daughter and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation. On a quiet midsummer day in 1776, weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, thirteen-year-old Jemima Boone and her friends Betsy and Fanny Callaway disappear near the Kentucky settlement of Boonesboro, the echoes of their faraway screams lingering on the air. A Cherokee-Shawnee raiding party has taken the girls as the latest salvo in the blood feud between American Indians and the colonial settlers who have decimated native lands and resources. Hanging Maw, the raiders' leader, recognizes one of the captives as Jemima Boone, daughter of Kentucky's most influential pioneers, and realizes she could be a valuable pawn in the battle to drive the colonists out of the contested Kentucky territory for good. With Daniel Boone and his posse in pursuit, Hanging Maw devises a plan that could ultimately bring greater peace both to the tribes and the colonists. But after the girls find clever ways to create a trail of clues, the raiding party is ambushed by Boone and the rescuers in a battle with reverberations that nobody could predict. As Matthew Pearl reveals, the exciting story of Jemima Boone's kidnapping vividly illuminates the early days of America's westward expansion, and the violent and tragic clashes across cultural lines that ensue. In this enthralling narrative in the tradition of Candice Millard and David Grann, Matthew Pearl unearths a forgotten and dramatic series of events from early in the Revolutionary War that opens a window into America's transition from colony to nation, with the heavy moral costs incurred amid shocking new alliances and betrayals. Copyright: 2021 ISBN: 9780062937810

the Journey Through History Group will review The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial settlers , Tribal Nations and the kidnap that shaped America by Matthew Pearl( Db106571). Reading time: six hours fifty seconds. Synopsis from Bookshare.org. The Taking of Jemima Boone: Colonial Settlers, Tribal Nations, and the Kidnap That Shaped America by Matthew Pearl “A rousing tale of frontier daring and ingenuity, better than legend on every front.” — Pulitzer Prize–winning author Stacy SchiffA Goodreads Most Anticipated Book In his first work of narrative nonfiction, Matthew Pearl, bestselling author of acclaimed novel The Dante Club, explores the little-known true story of the kidnapping of legendary pioneer Daniel Boone's daughter and the dramatic aftermath that rippled across the nation. On a quiet midsummer day in 1776, weeks after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, thirteen-year-old Jemima Boone and her friends Betsy and Fanny Callaway disappear near the Kentucky settlement of Boonesboro, the echoes of their faraway screams lingering on the air. A Cherokee-Shawnee raiding party has taken the girls as the latest salvo in the blood feud between American Indians and the colonial settlers who have decimated native lands and resources. Hanging Maw, the raiders' leader, recognizes one of the captives as Jemima Boone, daughter of Kentucky's most influential pioneers, and realizes she could be a valuable pawn in the battle to drive the colonists out of the contested Kentucky territory for good. With Daniel Boone and his posse in pursuit, Hanging Maw devises a plan that could ultimately bring greater peace both to the tribes and the colonists. But after the girls find clever ways to create a trail of clues, the raiding party is ambushed by Boone and the rescuers in a battle with reverberations that nobody could predict. As Matthew Pearl reveals, the exciting story of Jemima Boone's kidnapping vividly illuminates the early days of America's westward expansion, and the violent and tragic clashes across cultural lines that ensue. In this enthralling narrative in the tradition of Candice Millard and David Grann, Matthew Pearl unearths a forgotten and dramatic series of events from early in the Revolutionary War that opens a window into America's transition from colony to nation, with the heavy moral costs incurred amid shocking new alliances and betrayals. Copyright: 2021 ISBN: 9780062937810

The Engineers Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Emily Warren Roebling refuses to live conventionally—she knows who she is and what she wants, and she's determined to make change. But then her husband Wash asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible. Emily's fight for women's suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when Wash, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. Lines blur as Wash's vision becomes her own, and when he is unable to return to the job, Emily is consumed by it. But as the project takes shape under Emily's direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building—hers, or her husband's. As the monument rises, Emily's marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it? Based on the true story of the Brooklyn Bridge, The Engineer's Wife delivers an emotional portrait of a woman transformed by a project of unfathomable scale, which takes her into the bowels of the East River, suffragette riots, the halls of Manhattan's elite, and the heady, freewheeling temptations of P.T. Barnum. It's the story of a husband and wife determined to build something that lasts—even at the risk of losing each other. by Tracey Enerson Wood

The Engineers Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood She built a monument for all time. Then she was lost in its shadow. Emily Warren Roebling refuses to live conventionally—she knows who she is and what she wants, and she's determined to make change. But then her husband Wash asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible. Emily's fight for women's suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when Wash, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. Lines blur as Wash's vision becomes her own, and when he is unable to return to the job, Emily is consumed by it. But as the project takes shape under Emily's direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building—hers, or her husband's. As the monument rises, Emily's marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. When the bridge finally stands finished, will she recognize the woman who built it? Based on the true story of the Brooklyn Bridge, The Engineer's Wife delivers an emotional portrait of a woman transformed by a project of unfathomable scale, which takes her into the bowels of the East River, suffragette riots, the halls of Manhattan's elite, and the heady, freewheeling temptations of P.T. Barnum. It's the story of a husband and wife determined to build something that lasts—even at the risk of losing each other. by Tracey Enerson Wood

In March, (finally after fifty years) the real people behind Roe V. Wade are revealed. Families were afflicted by alcohol and drugs. There was never an abortion. The opposition to Roe V. Wade is rising and faces a conservative Supreme court. FROM BOOKSHARE.ORG A masterpiece of reporting on the Supreme Court's most divisive case, Roe v. Wade, and the unknown lives at its heart. Despite her famous pseudonym, “Jane Roe,” no one knows the truth about Norma McCorvey (1947–2017), whose unwanted pregnancy in 1969 opened a great fracture in American life. Journalist Joshua Prager spent hundreds of hours with Norma, discovered her personal papers—a previously unseen trove—and witnessed her final moments. The Family Roe presents her life in full. Propelled by the crosscurrents of sex and religion, gender and class, it is a life that tells the story of abortion in America. Prager begins that story on the banks of Louisiana's Atchafalaya River where Norma was born, and where unplanned pregnancies upended generations of her forebears. A pregnancy then upended Norma's life too, and the Dallas waitress became Jane Roe. Drawing on a decade of research, Prager reveals the woman behind the pseudonym, writing in novelistic detail of her unknown life from her time as a sex worker in Dallas, to her private thoughts on family and abortion, to her dealings with feminist and Christian leaders, to the three daughters she placed for adoption. Prager found those women, including the youngest—Baby Roe—now fifty years old. She shares her story in The Family Roe for the first time, from her tortured interactions with her birth mother, to her emotional first meeting with her sisters, to the burden that was uniquely hers from conception. The Family Roe abounds in such revelations—not only about Norma and her children but about the broader “family” connected to the case. Prager tells the stories of activists and bystanders alike whose lives intertwined with Roe. In particular, he introduces three figures as important as they are unknown: feminist lawyer Linda Coffee, who filed the original Texas lawsuit yet now lives in obscurity; Curtis Boyd, a former fundamentalist Christian, today a leading provider of third-trimester abortions; and Mildred Jefferson, the first black female Harvard Medical School graduate, who became a pro-life leader with great secrets. An epic work spanning fifty years of American history, The Family Roe will change the way you think about our enduring American divide: the right to choose or the right to life.

In March, (finally after fifty years) the real people behind Roe V. Wade are revealed. Families were afflicted by alcohol and drugs. There was never an abortion. The opposition to Roe V. Wade is rising and faces a conservative Supreme court. FROM BOOKSHARE.ORG A masterpiece of reporting on the Supreme Court's most divisive case, Roe v. Wade, and the unknown lives at its heart. Despite her famous pseudonym, “Jane Roe,” no one knows the truth about Norma McCorvey (1947–2017), whose unwanted pregnancy in 1969 opened a great fracture in American life. Journalist Joshua Prager spent hundreds of hours with Norma, discovered her personal papers—a previously unseen trove—and witnessed her final moments. The Family Roe presents her life in full. Propelled by the crosscurrents of sex and religion, gender and class, it is a life that tells the story of abortion in America. Prager begins that story on the banks of Louisiana's Atchafalaya River where Norma was born, and where unplanned pregnancies upended generations of her forebears. A pregnancy then upended Norma's life too, and the Dallas waitress became Jane Roe. Drawing on a decade of research, Prager reveals the woman behind the pseudonym, writing in novelistic detail of her unknown life from her time as a sex worker in Dallas, to her private thoughts on family and abortion, to her dealings with feminist and Christian leaders, to the three daughters she placed for adoption. Prager found those women, including the youngest—Baby Roe—now fifty years old. She shares her story in The Family Roe for the first time, from her tortured interactions with her birth mother, to her emotional first meeting with her sisters, to the burden that was uniquely hers from conception. The Family Roe abounds in such revelations—not only about Norma and her children but about the broader “family” connected to the case. Prager tells the stories of activists and bystanders alike whose lives intertwined with Roe. In particular, he introduces three figures as important as they are unknown: feminist lawyer Linda Coffee, who filed the original Texas lawsuit yet now lives in obscurity; Curtis Boyd, a former fundamentalist Christian, today a leading provider of third-trimester abortions; and Mildred Jefferson, the first black female Harvard Medical School graduate, who became a pro-life leader with great secrets. An epic work spanning fifty years of American history, The Family Roe will change the way you think about our enduring American divide: the right to choose or the right to life.

Our next month's title ‘PERIL' by Bob Woodward. Was there really a “PERIL”? Last March 5, 1919, we reviewed Fields of Blood: Violence in congress and the road to Civil War by Jane Freeman where Congressmen from slave states carried and used clubs and guns to intimidate beat and even kill (at least one) fellow Congressman to prevent their submission of anti-slavery petitions. While the January 6 insurrection lasted only one day it cost several lives and nearly brought the American Democracy to a standstill. Also, it nearly upset Nuclear China enough to making a preventative first strike. Author Bob Woodward says we may have to repeat this peril again in four years. We will review the new bestseller “Peril DB 104817” by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, 13 hours thirty-six minutes.