Very nice site on this series. Seems like Sean Wilentz has taken over for Schlesinger.
Welcome to this month's reading group selection. David Von Drehle mentions The Melting Pot , a play by Israel Zangwill, that premiered on Broadway in 1908. At that time theater was accessible to a broad section of the public, not the exclusive domain it has become over the decades. Zangwill carried a hopeful message that America was a place where old hatreds and prejudices were pointless, and that in this new country immigrants would find a more open society. I suppose the reference was more an ironic one for Von Drehle, as he notes the racial and ethnic hatreds were on display everywhere, and at best Zangwill's play helped persons forget for a moment how deep these divides ran. Nevertheless, "the melting pot" made its way into the American lexicon, even if New York could best be describing as a boiling cauldron in the early twentieth century. Triangle: The Fire That Changed America takes a broad view of events that led up the notorious fire, noting the gro
Nice, thanks. This seems like a good series to read regardless of other bios I might pick up.
ReplyDeleteJust looked at the "eminent lives" series, but it appears to only cover a handful of presidents. Beethoven and de Tocqueville and others are also in there.
Don't know where to post this but it is an eminent life.American Masters on PBS tonight opens season 23 with Sam Cooke.
ReplyDeleteYou can always make a post of your own, bo.
ReplyDeleteYes I could and as a bonus they went right into an hour on Marvin Gaye but I have the feeling these have been on before.
ReplyDeleteOkay last post on this but the Sam Cooke was new even though I've heard most of it before.The Marvin Gaye is from 2008 and to tie it in to the thread one of the persons interviewed on the Sam Cooke show was Jimmy Carter of the Blind Boys of Alabama.
ReplyDeleteI was looking at some of the other titles in the series, and it was interesting to see that Douglas Brinkley chose to write on Ford and not Carter, who he devoted quite a bit of energy to in Unfinished Presidency. Not to mention, Carter's presidency was much interesting than Ford's.
ReplyDeleteDoctorow on Lincoln should be interesting.
Seems like McGovern got Lincoln in the end,
ReplyDeletehttp://www.americanpresidentsseries.com/bookpage.asp?NUM=16
I love the choices of some of the authors. I think that's what makes the series unique. I almost picked up the McGovern one when I was on the Lincoln reading binge, but for some reason changed my mind. Probably because I read the McPherson mini-bio instead (which wasn't very good).
ReplyDeleteI would be up to reading as many in the series as others are interested in. And if Robert can check in from time to time all the better. My guess is he's read all of them up to six or nine months ago.
I'm already finding in reading Madison that there is more I want to read on Madison. These books are fine introductions to a president, but as their brevity suggests, only scratch the surface.
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