After the Music Stopped by Alan Blinder. Blinder's terrific book on the financial
meltdown of. 2008 argues that it happened because of a “perfect storm,” in which
...
The Ridgefield Library’s Nonfiction Newsletter
Author in the spotlight Doris Kearns Goodwin The meticulous research Doris Kearns Goodwin conducts to present her nonfiction political portraits results in highly engaging, believable and very human portraits of some of America’s most recognizable names. Her tilling of the historical landscape produces accounts with fresh perspective and the depiction of complex personal relationships.
January 2014
The year’s best nonfiction Selected by… Bookmarks The Washington Post Library Journal The New York Times Publishers Weekly * Designates books appearing on more than one list. *Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink Fans of nonfiction that’s backed by extensive, meticulous research will savor this examination of events at a New Orleans hospital before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. A compelling picture of the city and social injustices that persist.
Partial List:
The Bully Pulpit (2013) Focuses on the broken friendship between Teddy Roosevelt and his chosen successor, William Howard Taft, during the Progressive Era when Roosevelt wielded the Bully Pulpit to challenge and triumph over abusive monopolies, political bosses, and corrupt money brokers only to see it compromised by Taft.
Team of Rivals (2005) Historian Goodwin illuminates Abraham Lincoln’s political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.
Wait Until Next Year (1997) The remarkable ‘50s in New York baseball, together with the rituals of her church and the universal preoccupations of childhood, lend structure to this involving memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author.
The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys (1987) Chronicles the story of three generations of these fascinating families, beginning in 1863 with the baptism of John Francis Fitzgerald and closing with the inauguration of John Fitzgerald Kennedy in January, 1961.
The Guns at Last Light by Rick Atkinson Atkinson reconstructs the period from D-Day to V-E Day by weaving a multitude of tiny details into a tapestry of sublime prose. He conveys the immensity of war, the absurdity, the heroism and iniquity.
*Going Clear by Lawrence Wright Going Clear asks exactly the right questions about Scientology: What is it that makes the religion alluring? What do its adherents get out of it? How can seemingly rational people subscribe to beliefs that others find incomprehensible?
Cooked by Michael Pollan Explores the four elements of food preparation: fire (barbecuing), water (braising and stewing), air (bread making), and earth (fermenting pickles, cheese, and alcoholic brews). A well-researched, engagingly written volume.
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown During the Great Depression nine working-class young men from the University of Washington shocked the sports world by winning the gold medal at the 1936 summer Olympics in Berlin. A remarkable story of youthful courage, commitment and determination.
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The Ridgefield Library’s NONFICTION Newsletter– Page 2 After the Music Stopped by Alan Blinder Blinder’s terrific book on the financial meltdown of 2008 argues that it happened because of a “perfect storm,” in which many unfortunate events occurred simultaneously, producing a far worse outcome than would have resulted from just a single cause.
The year’s best nonfiction Drink by Ann Dowsett Johnston Johnston, a recovering alcoholic, veers between reporting and memoir as she untangles the messy realities behind women’s rising rate of alcohol abuse and why it is so much more dangerous for them than for men.
The Sleepwalkers by Christopher Clark Clark provides a comprehensive, highly readable survey of the events leading up to World War I. He avoids singling out any one nation or leader as the guilty party. The participants were, in his term, “sleepwalkers,” not fanatics or murderers, and the war itself was a tragedy, not a crime.
Book of Ages by Jill Lepore In Jill Lepore’s luminous story of the life of Benjamin Franklin’s sister, Jane Franklin emerges as witty, curious and resilient in the face of unimaginable grief. Her importance lies in her ordinariness - her learning thwarted by circumstance, but her intelligence shaped by her uniquely female experience.
*Thank you for Your Service by David Finkel In this sequel to The Good Soldiers, Finkel attends to what he calls the “after war.” His concern is with the soldiers who return from the war zone bearing wounds and with the loved ones on whom those wounds also become imprinted. .
*My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
The first Hispanic-American on the U.S. Supreme Court shares the story of her life before becoming a judge, describing her youth in a Bronx housing project, the ambition that fueled her ivy-league education and the individuals who helped shape her career.
*Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala Deraniyagala’s unforgettable account of her struggle to carry on living after her husband, sons and parents were killed in the 2004 tsunami isn’t only as unsparing as they come, but also defiantly imbued with light.
Gun Guys by Dan Baum Baum, a self-professed liberal Democrat and gun owner, traveled through the United States and explored American gun culture in an attempt to understand why these machines polarize us so.
Gettysburg by Allen Guelzo Recounts the Battle of Gettysburg from the perspectives of ordinary soldiers to offer insight into nineteenth-century military practices, the pivotal influence of politics on the battle’s course, and the unique characters of artillery units.
How to Create the Perfect Wife by Wendy Moore Meet Thomas Day, an 18th-century aristocrat free to study and practice Enlightenment philosophies. Watch him go to an orphanage and adopt a girl for long-term training to be his wife.
The Searchers by Glenn Frankel Traces the making of the influential 1950s film inspired by the story of Cynthia Ann Parker, who was abducted by the Comanche and returned to white culture twenty-four years later. A gripping portrayal of a mesmerizing period of American history.
Days of Fire by Peter Baker Baker, the chief White House correspondent for The New York Times succeeds in telling the story of the several crises of the Bush administration with fairness and balance. He is fascinated by the mystery of the Bush-Cheney relationship and even more so by the mystery of George Bush himself. .
