War...What Is It Good For?

I once considered The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien as the quintessential book about war for people of my generation (1960s). I had been raised on the glorious stories of World War II and was stunned to learn that no war is really glorious no matter its lofty goals or heroic feats. O’Brien’s heartrending account of men dying in the muck and mire of Vietnam spoke to my generation in a way that was unforgettable. I did not think another writer could break my heart the way he did in that book. I was wrong.

In March by Geraldine Brooks, the war is a different one (the American Civil War), but the message is the same. March, an army chaplain and the father of the girls in Little Women, sets off to war with good intentions. Like all men and women of goodwill, he learns that war remains a terrible thing. Even though victory is won and peace is declared, there is no help for the hole that is burned into his soul. Going home will require a different, but no less important, courage than that needed on the battlefield.

The House at Sugar Beach

In The House at Sugar Beach, Helene Cooper, a reporter for The New York Times, writes of her African childhood in the country of Liberia. Cooper is the descendant of two families who came to African from the United States as part of the shipload of freedmen under the auspices of the American Colonization Society. Her description of her life as the daughter of a wealthy family, her loss of innocence during the bloody civil war of the 1980s, and her urge to return to the land of her childhood searching for redemption from her foster sister result in a fascinating read.

Audition

Ever wonder which famous people are great interviews---or awful subjects for interviews? Read Audition by Barbara Walters and you’ll have your answer. Walters spills the beans on the more personal side of famous people, while also divulging some very interesting personal stories of own. Whether you like Barbara Walters or not, you have to give her credit for breaking the glass ceiling in television news.

The Candy Bombers

The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour, by Andrei Cherney, is a great history book even if you think you don’t like history. This is the touching story of the Berlin Airlift and how a simple act of kindness changed the course of history. The author’s narrative style makes you forget you’re reading “real” history and instead listening to a really good story. The accompanying pictures are a real plus.

On Agate Hill

What more could you ask for in a southern Civil War novel—a decaying plantation, dead war heroes, tragic children, mysterious strangers. Well, you get all that and more in this one. Lee Smith's page-turner becomes a “whodunit” when one of the characters is murdered and readers are left to figure out what really happened. On Agate Hill is a great read and a perfect book club selection.

On Agate Hill by Lee Smith