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I was thinking of a banner that would better reflect this blog and came up with The Independent American Reader.  Initially I was thinking of something mineralogical as I sometimes like to think of myself more as an armchair geologist than historian, picking away at the layers of news media with the hope of uncovering some interesting vein, or negotiating the rough currents like my favorite geologist John Wesley Powell.  But, I thought that was getting a little too metaphorical and went with a more straightforward title.  The American Reader had already been taken.

This blog was originally intended as a reading group for American history, but I post more and more on contemporary news stories, films, music and other items to hopefully draw more persons into this blog.  I greatly appreciate all those who do check it out, but would love to see more feedback.  The posts are open for comments.  If you are not a Blogger subscriber, your comments will appear as anonymous, so you can still retain your privacy if you like.

The Reading Group remains an integral part of this blog, although we haven't done one in awhile.  Please feel free to post your suggestions.


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  1. TripplerApril 30, 2014 at 6:30 PM

    We have done a lot of shared reading over the years on a very wide range of subjects so that I am at a loss for any more suggestions. At present, I am reading via audio book Yunte Huang's "Charlie Chan: The Untold Story of the Honorable Detective".

    I did not know the fictional character was based on a real detective from Hawaii. And as a historical bio it could possibly be interesting reading for the group.

    ReplyDelete
  2. James FergusonMay 1, 2014 at 8:36 AM

    Interesting suggestion. Haven't thought of Charlie Chan in years.

    After watching Grand Hotel Budapest, I find myself reading Stefan Zweig's The World of Yesterday.

    ReplyDelete

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