Literary Defibrillation- The Forum

I bet you all thought that you would never see this post, didn't you? Well here it is readers, and I mean that in every sense. It is time to discuss the books we read for the month of July that celebrate our freedom. Whether you read or not I hope you all had an excellent Independence Day, it is one of those rare occasions when, in our tumultuous country, we can reflect on the ideals and sacrifices that were made so that we can live our lives according to the dictates of our conscience.

Now to the forum...

Molly and I found that competing with each other to see who could finish their books first was excellent motivation this month. I read Washington's Crossing, while Molly read First Family.

Washington's Crossing was one of the most engaging books I've read in a long time. The book examines each party that was involved in the fight between the Continental Army and the Hessians/British Regulars. By delving into each group and the important figures within those groups Fischer (the author) makes Washington, Hamilton, and the militia, as well as the Howe Brothers, Lord Cornwallis, and the Hessians into very accessible, human characters, where they had generally been figureheads with distinct roles (Americans were the 'good guys' the British were the 'bad guys'). However, the author shows that each man had their own motivations for entering into the American Conflict, many of the British leaders were opposed to military action against the Americans, and many of the Americans vacillated in their devotion to the American cause. For me, I think the amazing thing about history is that amazing things were accomplished by ordinary people; people with flaws, who made mistakes, and saw that issues were not black and white but varying shades of grey. Hollywood and 'old-school history' makes us see things in terms of good and bad, and it makes those who changed the world seem like unattainable demigods, when in reality, they were as human as we were. If we rise to the occasions that face us and work to bring out the best part of ourselves we will still stumble and make some mistakes, but we will also become the kind of people who might change the world for the better.

That was my soapbox for the day. Feel free to borrow mine, or bring your own as we discuss these books.

One small note here:

2) We are starting a new blog (I know, it's a lot) but it's something we think is pretty important. The premise is that as a young family we are always looking for things to do together, and while we enjoy Disneyland, Chuck-E-Cheeze and the movies, we think there are alternatives to this kind of entertainment, Families Unplugged, which is the name of our new blog and will provide some ideas about what inexpensive, non-electronically based activities there are in the United States, as well as our experiences, and some cool historical information that might make your trip more interesting as well. So, if you are anxious to find something new to do with your family check us out, we should up and running by this weekend!