Instructions: The date at the beginning of each book is the date on which my review was published in this blog. Each review consists of three parts: 1. “Why read it?” 2. Sample ideas from the book, either paraphrased or quoted, and 3. Final, thought-provoking quotes. To locate the review, look at the “Blog Archive” at the right of the blog. Click on the year 2007. Find the month in which the review was published, click on it and go to the date of the review.
Monday, March 12, 2007. The American Seasons. Edwin Way Teale. Nonfiction. Traveled through the seasons across America.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007. Anthem. Ayn Rand. Novel. An antidote to the culture of melding the individual into the group.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007. The Art of Teaching. Gilbert Highet. There is more to teaching than simply standing up in front of a classroom and telling students what to do.
Thursday, March 15, 2007. As I Lay Dying. William Faulkner. Novel. Faulkner uses words to help the reader visualize the character, mood and even the weather in the South after the Civil War.
Friday, March 16, 2007. Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America. Thurston Clarke. Explains the methods used by JFK and Ted Sorenson in preparing JFK’s speeches.
Saturday, March 17, 2007. The Autobiography of Mark Twain. Ed. Charles Neider. Twain’s autobiography reflects his cynicism and in the end his preoccupation with death, “the deliverer.”
Sunday, March 18, 2007. Babbitt. Sinclair Lewis. Satirical novel about the American middle class. George Babbitt is unimaginative, self-important, and longing for something beyond conformity.
Monday, March 19, 2007 to March 22, 2007. Best American Essays of the [20th] Century. Eds. Oates and Atwan. Essays tracing the twentieth century, mostly on social issues. Some of these essays are unforgettable. Example: Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” in response to a letter from white clergymen asking him why he is in such a hurry for civil rights on behalf of the Negro.
Friday, March 23, 2007. The Best and the Brightest. David Halberstam. The contrast between the Kennedy and LBJ styles of leadership, which led to the escalation of the war in Viet Nam by LBJ. LBJ’s advisers were the same as those surrounding JFK, but the leadership styles were so different. JFK sought every point of view, especially controversial points of view, on every issue and made decisions himself. LBJ, on the other hands, sought consensus from his advisers.
Saturday, March 24, 2007. The Best Nature Writing of Joseph Wood Krutch. Began to write about nature with the thought of spreading Joy about living. One of a number of writers on nature who believes that humanity is an equal partner in nature, rather than its dominator.
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