Christopher Hitchens and God (Not in the same book)

There are people we love to hate and there are people we hate to love. (For the latter, Jay Mohr comes to mind for me.) Christopher Hitchens elicits strong opinions on both sides, with not a lot of room left in the middle. We seem to either love him or revile him.

Despite myself, I like him. Even though he is bull-headed, smug, and has a strange obsession with hating Bill Clinton, I do like Christopher Hitchens. He has a new memoir coming out this week and I would love to read it.



Book website

The Hitchens Web

Christopher Hitchens Online Directory

The Hitchens Zone

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Also out this week is a book I missed in hardcover, but is still on my "gotta read" list. Kevin Roose delivers UNLIKELY DISCIPLE: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University. When he was a Brown University sophomore, Roose transferred to Jerry Falwell's Liberty University, to explore the true nature of America's culture war.

Described as "timely, hilarious and thought-provoking," this book deserves to be on the reading table of anyone who likes religious discourse or personal memoir.

Maybe this one will be on the beach reading list (come on, July!)

author website



Hachette

Twelve

Grand Central

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Nothing Amateurish Here

I am really, really late to this party, but....wow. Just. Wow.

Michael Chabon is quite a writer. I just finished MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, and.....wow.

I highly recommend this book to every husband, father or son. With warmth, candor and insight, Chabon delivers a manifesto of what it should be like to be a man. I admire the relationship he seems to have with his children, his wife, the the world in general. Clearly, he doesn't just live life and he doesn't just love life. But he apparently lives a life closely examined.

If Michael Chabon's fiction is anywhere close to as well-written and engaging as "Manhood," sign me up.

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Author website

Publisher website

The Truth About the Lies

Even though I realize the damage to the economy and unemployment when companies fail, I cannot deny that I love seeing corporate bigwigs get what's coming to them when they manipulate and back stab their way to "success".

Several years ago I read Tom Perkins' self-serving book about the spying scandal at Hewlett-Packard. I felt dirty and not too sympathetic to Perkins and his explanation of what happened. Something about me isn't very willing to give rich businessmen the benefit of the doubt.

Now, along comes THE BIG LIE: Spying, Scandal, and Ethical Collapse at Hewlett-Packard by Anthony Bianco. According to the author's website what happened at HP was "a corporate version of Watergate: a bone-headed covert conspiracy followed by an audacious cover-up."

Maybe it's time for me to get the awful distaste out of my mouth and get the real story.

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Author website

Publisher website

Tears of a Clown

Do you ever feel there's just a whole world out there you're not part of? That's exactly how I feel when I see people reading any book "written" by Glenn Beck. Certainly people who watch his television show can see through his schtick right? Well, apparently not.

But for the rest of us comes COMMON NONSENSE: Glenn Beck and the Triumph of Ignorance by Alexander Zaitchik. Obviously, Alex won't be on Beck's Christmas list; after one of Zaitchik's investigative articles for Salon last year, Beck took to the airwaves to cry about what he called "despicable, yellow journalism." Like Beck would recognize journalism if it bit him in his weepy little crybaby ass.

I'm not sure I can or will read this book. On one hand, I want to arm myself with specific examples of hideous ignorance to throw back in the angry, screaming faces of tea partiers, but, on the other hand, I am leery of the damage to my soul by focusing so much attention to such a tick in the crotch of humankind.

I don't expect this book to change any minds. The people who read it will probably be the people who already agree with its premise. The people who really need to read this book are simply those who never would.

But I might.

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Publisher website

Author website

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It must be true that books about baseball sell better than any other sport's books. Even though the NFL is worlds ahead in spectators and fanaticism (ask me how I know), baseball still rules the roost in bookstores.

New this week from Macmillan (St. Martins/Thomas Dunne) is BIG HAIR AND PLASTIC GRASS: A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swingin' 70's by Dan Epstein.

While I didn't do any swingin' in the 70's (unless you count baseball bats and tennis racquets), i was a big baseball fan. And, come to think of it, there were a few years in which I had big hair too. The 70's were when love for baseball was born and raised, so this book appeals to me immediately.

I want to read this book.

I mean, c'mon, look at the cover....

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Author website here

Publisher website here

My Hero, The Captain

While most of my male 5th grade classmates wanted to be race car drivers or baseball players, I wanted to be an oceanographer. I didn't fully understood what that would have meant, but I knew it would mean I would be like Jacques Cousteau -- my hero when I was 10. His specials were on tv fairly often in those years and I seemingly watched all of them. Cousteau made the sea and his work seem fun and interesting.

This week, Random House (National Geographic) delivers MY FATHER, THE CAPTAIN: My Life with Jacques Cousteau by Jean-Michel Cousteau and New York Times bestselling author Daniel Paisner.

I look forward to learning more about a childhood hero.

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Jean-Michel's website:

Random House

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Sting and the Police

Today's featured book is THE KING OF STING: The Amazing True Story of a Modern American Outlaw by Craig Glazer and Sal Manna.

If you are a serious non-fiction fan, as I am, you probably cannot read the following book description without that knowing flinch of "damn, another book I wanna read," skittering through your brain:

No one could have predicted that a petty crime against Craig Glazer would be the catalyst for a life on the edge. But then again, nothing about Craig Glazer was predictable. A skinny Jewish kid from Kansas City, Glazer was attending Arizona State University when he was robbed while buying marijuana for his fraternity brothers. His head filled with lessons in crime and criminals learned from the movies, Craig decided to get even with the dealers who robbed him. He set up his first fake "sting," pretending to be law enforcement. Unbelievably, his plan worked, and it set him on a path that was as unlikely as it was dangerous. He masterminded a two-year spree of stings that stretched from Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland to Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Los Angeles. Posing as everything from local police to IRS agents to hotel managers, he and his crew set up cons and raked in a fortune. Craig and partner Donald Woodbeck had such success that the Attorney General's office asked them for help ferreting out some of the most sought-after drug lords in the country. It was a dangerous double life. Like many other rags to riches stories, Craig's does not lead to a Hollywood happy ending. There was payback. Woodbeck was murdered and Craig landed in prison. The King of Sting is a story of wanting to be famous, even if it meant becoming infamous.

I know I have been using a lot of copy-and-paste descriptions lately but give me a break...these are previews.

Apparently, the book has been optioned by Hollywood, so read the book before it is "enhanced" by screenwriters.

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Publisher's website here:


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An Interesting Book of Theoretical Genius

Out this week from Scribner , a division of Simon & Schuster, is THE ADVANCED GENIUS THEORY: Are They Out of Their Minds or Ahead of Their Time? by Jason Hartley.

From the back of the book:

Let the debate begin...

The Advanced Genius Theory, hatched by Jason Hartley and Britt Bergman over pizza, began as a means to explain why icons such as Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Sting seem to go from artistic brilliance in their early careers to "losing it" as they grow older. The Theory proposes that they don’t actually lose it, but rather, their work simply advances beyond our comprehension. The ramifications and departures of this argument are limitless, and so are the examples worth considering, such as George Lucas’s Jar Jar Binks, Stanley Kubrick’s fascination with coffee commercials, and the last few decades of Paul McCartney’s career. With equal doses of humor and philosophy, theorist Jason Hartley examines music, literature, sports, politics, and the very meaning of taste, presenting an entirely new way to appreciate the pop culture we love . . . and sometimes think we hate. The Advanced Genius Theory is a manifesto that takes on the least understood work by the most celebrated figures of our time.

I will be reviewing this book soon.

Any book with Brant Rumble's and/or Chuck Klosterman's involvement is a book worth examining.

Follow Jason Hartley on twitter: advancedgenius
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http://advancedtheory.blogspot.com/

Book website here:

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I Think It's A Crime

I have a weak spot for crime memoirs, or what bookstores call "true crime,"; a category name I always hated. But I do enjoy knowing how the criminal mind works. It's not so much the gory details as it is the desire to know why and how someone decides to risk it all for some sort of selfish payoff.

This week Voice Publishing, a subsidiary of Hyperion, releases THE PROFILER: My Life Hunting Serial Killers and Psychopaths by Pat Brown. This book sounds interesting to me, but I am a little concerned by what I read on the website:

"Voice is a new imprint of books for women at the center of life—fiction and nonfiction for smart, educated, busy, curious, seasoned women for whom reading is a passion. Women who want to read to figure out what they want next. An imprint by and for women—as women see themselves."

Does this mean I am not a man if I want to read this book? I am at least interested in seeing if I want to read it. Personally, I feel it is a little shortsighted to market to one gender only in those cases where you have a story that may have a more, pardon the pun, broad appeal, especially in these difficult times for publishing. I mean, I understand that this book was written by a woman, but is the book written in such a way to only appeal to women? If so, count me out.

http://www.everywomansvoice.com/?q=node/940&#

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Also this week, Villard, an imprint of Random House, delivers BURY ME IN MY JERSEY: A Memoir of my Father, Football and Philly by Tom McAllister. My father isn't a sports fan, and I've only been to Philly once (and that wasn't even a real visit), but I do love football and the marketing of this book appeals to me. I like the idea that sports can be the conduit by which father and sons can bond.

From the Random House website:

Born and raised in Eagles country, Tom McAllister learns from his father and brother the rules of being a football fan. Spending Sundays in the infamous 700 level of Veterans Stadium, or sitting in front of the TV with his father in a nearby recliner, Tom sees both the ugly and beautiful sides of Philadelphia football. Like all true Philadelphians, he connects with the players. From icons Chuck Bednarik and Steve Van Buren to modern-day greats Randall Cunningham, Donovan McNabb, and Brian Dawkins and controversial stars such as Terrell Owens, the Eagles players become a part of McAllister’s life. Watching them every Sunday, he tries to develop his own identity as a fan. Torn between his father’s calm and levelheaded fandom and the rowdy, profane, and violent crowds of Philadelphia legend, Tom struggles to achieve balance.

Read more about the book here:

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Jonathan Alter Delivers on a Promise

A highly anticipated release this week is THE PROMISE: President Obama, Year One by Jonathan Alter. Early reviews report the books highly-detailed, engaging and "insider." For a political junkie like me, this book should be mandatory reading.

From Alter's website:

Barack Obama's inauguration as president on January 20, 2009, inspired the world. But the great promise of “Change We Can Believe In” was immediately tested by the threat of another Great Depression, a worsening war in Afghanistan, and an entrenched and deeply partisan system of business as usual in Washington. Despite all the coverage, the backstory of Obama's historic first year in office has until now remained a mystery.

Jules Witcover and Jack Germond used to chronicle politics with "insider" information books. Alter is fighting Bob Woodward for the keys to that kingdom.

I can't wait to read this book.

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http://www.jonathanalter.com/

http://www.simonandschuster.com/

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Death of a King

I was a child when James Earl Ray killed Martin Luther King, Jr. There are no memories of this time for me -- I'm surprised my father didn't throw a party -- but there is nothing....no awareness.

I recently finished Hampton Sides' HELLHOUND ON HIS TRAIL: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the International Hunt For His Assassin. With vivid prose, Sides moves along the narrative with such precision that the reader does feel they are present in the moment. Clearly, the research was exhaustive because the result is a tremendously successful chronicle of a dark time in our nation's past illuminated by a writer of great skill.

For anyone, like me, who wants to know, not just what really happened, but how it happened, I strongly recommend this book.

Learn more about Hampton Sides here.

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http://www.doubleday.com

DOING THE RIGHT THINGS, HENRY AARON AND ANDREW YOUNG

Sometimes you read a review of a book and you say, "Well, I can't do any better than that. There is nothing left unsaid." Such is the case with Mitch Albom's blurb for UNFINISHED BUSINESS: One Man's Extraordinary Year of Trying to Do the Right Things by LEE KRAVITZ.

"Everyone complains about not having enough time – but what happens when we get it? Lee Kravitz used losing his job as a springboard to the human things he should have done. In so doing, he turned bad into bountiful. A great lesson for us all."—Mitch Albom, author of Have A Little Faith

Of course I haven't read the book yet, but Albom's quote summed up for me exactly why I really do want to know Kravitz' story.

Oh, the stack gets higher but I do not despair.

http://www.bloomsburyusa.com/books/catalog/unfinished_business_hc_753

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A little while back I posted my review of a recent biography of Willie Mays. I still say that book was astounding in its depth of research. After reading it I agreed with the author that Willie Mays may be the greatest baseball player of all time.

Now comes THE LAST HERO: A Life of Henry Aaron by HOWARD BRYANT. Aaron's career more closely paralleled by childhood so, while I clearly loved the Mays book, I could be more personally invested in this one. Aaron was an enigmatic figure: a black star in the deep south. I also remember he batted cross-handed. I touched his forearm once as a teenager when he made an appearance at a minor league all-star game in my hometown.

The point is, with Mays' story fresh in my mind, perhaps I need to compare and contrast these two men who are forever in the discussion as best ever.

http://www.howardbryant.net/

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And, finally today, in another crossover from recent reading, civil rights leader ANDREW YOUNG and KABIR SEHGAL deliver WALK IN MY SHOES: Conversations Between a Civil Rights Legend and His Godson on the Journey Ahead.

Honestly, I feel a little icky after giving even faint praise to a Buckley yesterday so I have to get Karmic Equality today by promoting something more close to my belief system. :)

http://us.macmillan.com/walkinmyshoes

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New Releases from Hachette

New this week from Hachette one of my favorite authors, John Feinstein, delivers another golf book. MOMENT OF GLORY: The Year Underdogs Ruled Golf hits bookstore shelves this week. The book is the story of the 2003 golf season in which Tiger Woods struggled with his golf swing and didn't win a single major.

Feinstein always has impeccable sources and is a storyteller who knows how to keep the narrative going. He is one of the few writers of whom I can say I will read everything he writes that I can get my hands on.

http://www.feinsteinonthebrink.com/

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Avis Cardella gives us SPENT: Memoirs of a Shopping Addict, a cautionary tale for those among us with the compulsion to acquire "stuff" in a search for happiness. I am interested in people and their stories and this one has the potential to be a compelling and educational read.

http://www.aviscardella.com/book/

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Out in paperback this week is LOSING MUM & PUP: A Memoir by CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY. This book chronicles the 11-month period where Christopher Buckley lost both his mother and his father, the illustrious William F. Buckley. While I cannot say i was ever fond of William F. Buckley, I did always find him intriguing. Buckley the Younger is usually pretty funny and sarcastic in his writing and I am curious to see how he handles the difficult task of writing about the loss of both parents.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/author/christopher-buckley/

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http://www.hachettebookgroup.com/

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Behind the Scenes Business Battle

New this week from Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt is WAR AT THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: Inside the Struggle to Control an American Business Empire by Sarah Ellison. I often enjoy reading books about companies and their "inside stories". Ellison, a former WSJ staffer, give the real story behind Rupert Murdoch's deal to buy the paper's parent company Dow Jones. According to Ellison, Murdoch's plan all along was to go up against and try to defeat the liberal New York Times. This book was excerpted in Vanity Fair magazines June issue. I really, really want to read this book.




http://www.sarahellison.com/

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http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/

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Laughing, Drinking and Soldiering with Simon & Schuster

O.k., I'll admit it. I like Jay Mohr. I don't know why, but I do. But for some reason I'll read his books, watch his television shows and listen to his sportsradio gigs.

I read his first book in which he described his time on Saturday Night Live, a time that wasn't the happiest for him. But this week he brings us NO WONDER MY PARENTS DRANK: Tales from a Stand-Up Dad.

One review says the book is as "charming as it is irreverent."

Good enough for me.

http://books.simonandschuster.com/No-Wonder-My-Parents-Drank/Jay-Mohr/9781439173213

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Next up is Daniel Okrent with LAST CALL: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition. I have read about ten reviews of this book and, without exception, they all praise the author's meticulous research and detail. Variously praised as a "page turner" or "fascinating" and "entertaining", it should appeal to non-fiction lovers across the board.

From his website:

"For a while, I wanted to call my book How the Hell Did That Happen? -- how, in other words, did a nation that loves its freedom install in the Constitution an amendment that sorely limited that freedom. I backed off from using it as a title, but I believe I've answered both that question and its corollary -- how Prohibition happened, and what it did to America. I hope you'll join me on a voyage toward answering both questions, and that you'll enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoyed writing about it."

I would like to read this book and it doesn't hurt that the author is one of the founders of fantasy baseball. I mean, I am predisposed to like him.

http://www.danielokrent.com/

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And, finally, in paperback this week comes HORSE SOLDIERS: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan by DOUG STANTON.

This book intrigued me when it originally came out in hardcover, but I never had an opportunity to grab it. The book tells how a small group of Special Forces soldiers entered Afghanistan on horseback following 9/11 to pursue the Taliban.



http://www.dougstanton.net/

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http://www.simonandschuster.com

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Intellectual Wednesday with Rodale Books

Rodale Books released an interesting non-fiction title this week: THE INTELLECTUAL DEVOTIONAL BIOGRAPHIES: Revive Your mind, Complete Your Education, and Acquaint Yourself with the World's Greatest Personalities by David S. Kidder & Noah D. Oppenheim. The (I think) fifth in the series of Intellectual Devotionals promises to be one of those kinds of books I like to keep nearby for those days when nothing else sounds good. As far as the daily entries go...well... I'm not very good at staying within the confines of daily readings. But I do really want to read this book. At least then I can pretend to be intellectual and stuff.

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Tuesdays With Random House

Random House has a couple of new release books that interest me this week, and a couple which come out in paperback today too.

First, a heavily promoted title on Twitter, OTHER PEOPLE'S REJECTION LETTERS: Relationship Enders, Career Killers, and 150 Other Letters You'll Be Glad You Didn't Receive edited by Bill Shapiro. Shapiro hit it big with OTHER PEOPLE'S LOVE LETTERS a while back.

http://www.randomhouse.com/crown/features/other-peoples-rejection-letters/

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Next up, a cute little offering from Kate Moses entitled CAKEWALK: A Memoir. Promoted as a funny and touching memoir of a crummy and crumby childhood. As an added bonus, nearly every chapter includes a recipe by Ms. Moses. Reading and eating are two of my favorite things.

http://www.katemoses.com/site/books/cake-walk/

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Out this week in paperback is a winner of both the Pulitzer Prize (perhaps you've heard of it) and the National Book Award (no slouch either), THE FIRST TYCOON: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt by T.J. Stiles. To say this book should be on the shelf of every serious non-fiction reader is to state the obvious. And, living in Nashville, I am confronted by the Vanderbilt name on a daily basis...might as well get some context.

http://www.tjstiles.com/disc.htm

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And, finally this week, Nassim Nicholas Taleb delivers THE BLACK SWAN: The Impact of the Highly Improbable (Second Edition, with a new section: "On Robustness and Fragility". If you like Malcolm Gladwell, and I do, this book seems to be a book you might enjoy. I really want to read this one.

http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/

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http://www.randomhouse.com

http://crownpublishing.com

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It's a Harper Collins Monday

Harper Collins has several books coming out this week worth a mention in the non-fiction world. This week Harper Collins delivers a couple of baseball books, two humorous memoirs and an old favorite goes into paperback. Several HC books are vying for my non-fiction attention.
First up, let's talk sports. STEINBRENNER: The Last Lion of Baseball by New York Daily News baseball columnist Bill Madden (and a member of the baseball hall of fame) delivers a no-holds-barred bio of former owner George Steinbrenner. While decidedly not a Yankee fan, I bet this book would be interesting for anyone, even myself, who lived through the years when George was at the helm.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/columnists/madden/index.html

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Staying on the diamond, and specifically with the Damn Yankees REGGIE JACKSON: The Life and Thunderous Career of Baseball's Mr. October by Dayn Perry. Even though Jackson never played on a team I could like, I always liked him. In the days before sportswriters would write openly of players they couldn't stand (see Barry Bonds), I had no idea Jackson was thought of as a prima donna until late in his career. Regardless, I would love to know more about this enigmatic slugger.

http://reggiejackson.com/

http://daynperry.com/

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History comes knocking with another highly-anticipated Kenneth C. Davis gem: A NATION RISING: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America's Hidden History. See http://bookspin.blogspot.com/2010/05/on-my-radar-monday-edition.html

http://www.dontknowmuch.com/

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Described as a real-life To Kill a Mockingbird, Alex Heard gives us THE EYES OF WILLIE McGEE: A Tragedy of Race, Sex, and Secrets in the Jim Crow South.

http://eyesofwilliemcgee.com/

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Late night favorite Craig Ferguson hits paperback with his AMERICAN ON PURPOSE: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot.


http://www.cbs.com/late_night/late_late_show/

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Speaking of paperback, one of my recent favorites CRAZY FOR THE STORM: A Memoir of Survival by Norman Ollestad hits the shelves this week. Get this book for anyone who loves avdventure. See http://bookspin.blogspot.com/2010/05/still-crazy-after-alluha-year.html

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An intriguing release this week is THE LOST GIRLS: Three Friends, Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World by Amanda Pressner, Jennifer Baggett and Holly Corbett.

http://www.lostgirlsworld.com/

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And, finally, a book I will be reviewing: MANHOOD FOR AMATEURS: Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son by bestselling fiction author Michael Chabon.

http://www.michaelchabon.com/Michael_Chabon/Home.html

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http://www.harpercollins.com

Still Crazy After All...uh...a Year

(Note: this is my original review of this book. CRAZY FOR THE STORM is coming out next week in paperback. I cannot recommend this book strongly enough.)

Well, I hate to sound overly dramatic, but I have just finished one of the best books I have read in a long time.

To be released in May from Ecco, an imprint of Harper, is Crazy For the Storm by Norman Ollestad.

On February 19, 1979, I was in a plane crash with my father;
his girlfriend, Sandra; and the pilot of our chartered Cessna.
Sandra was 30 years old. My dad was 43. I was 11.
Just after sunrise, we slammed into a rugged 8,600-foot mountain
engulfed in a blizzard. By the end of our nine-hour ordeal,
I was the only survivor.

In my estimation, it is a true test of a writer's abilities if they can tell you awful things in a beautiful way (see Rick Bragg's All Over But the Shoutin'). In alternate chapters, Ollestad tells the story first of the plane crash and in the next chapter, wonderful tales of a young boy's relationship to the world around him, but especially the one with his own father.

Larger than life, Ollestad's dad had been a child actor and an FBI agent -- albeit one who dared to criticize in print the famed director, J. Edgar Hoover. This tidbit is merely spice in the soup which was the life the father led. Throughout the book it is proven that Ollestad's dad, also named Norman, was one of those people we often envy -- they live life on the edge, fast and rebellious, and far too often flame out early.

All the characters in the book, even the minor ones, are painted with such a realistic brush that I felt real empathy for young Norman throughout all the adventures with his dad. Despite what some people may see as a reckless and "pushy" style of fathering, what comes shining through is the real love between the two.

In later chapters, the son finally comes to grips with the loss of his father. With a decades later trip to the crash site, son talks to father in the solitude. He apologizes to the ghost of his dad's girlfriend. And, in one of those epiphanies we all experience from time to time, he realizes that memory is sometimes faulty but that there is always some mystical influence on our lives.

I cannot say enough how much I loved this book.



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http://www.normanollestad.com/

http://www.harpercollins.com

What I'm Reading Now

Every once in a while it all comes together: a book you really want to read is as good as you expect. Yesterday I received Hampton Sides' HELLHOUND ON HIS TRAIL: The Stalking of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Largest Manhunt in American History. The narrative moves quickly and, even though you know what's coming....the suspense still builds.

So far, so good.

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http://hamptonsides.com

http://doubleday.knopfdoubleday.com/

On My Radar - Monday Edition

I haven't always like studying history. Just ask Mr. Runyon, my 12th-grade history teacher. Many days I would walk in, place my books on my desk, and then go meet one friend or another and go off on our own adventures while my classmates had to settle for what I ignorantly considered to be boring stuff like Emancipation Proclamations and Manifest Destinies.

As I have said before, a vacation to Washington DC, and a trip to be a best man in Boston kindled my adult interest in the history of America. Now I can't get enough trivia about our wars, our expansion westward and our journey from colonies to world power.

To that end, I have many of Kenneth C. Davis' books on my shelves. Talk about the marriage of history and trivia, Davis is the master. His new book, out next week, A NATION RISING: Untold Tales of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America's Hidden History sounds wonderful.



I can't wait to read about the past in the future.

Davis is the author of the "Don't Know Much About..." series. A terrific addition to any history lover's bookshelf.

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http://www.dontknowmuch.com

http://www.harpercollins.com