Recent Reads, Volume XIV

A brief summary of what I’m currently reading or have recently finished, why I read it, and whether I’d recommend it. Although really, it’d have to be truly terrible for me to bother writing about a book I wouldn’t recommend……

The Lincoln Conspiracy (Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch) – For obvious reasons, I was originally intrigued by the subtitle of this book: “The Secret Plot to Kill America’s 16th President – and Why It Failed”. Intrigue, because as we are all well aware, Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president, was actually killed. This book, though, refers to a secessionist plot to kill Lincoln before he was even sworn in, on his journey to the inauguration in Washington, D.C. Featuring such well-known figures as William Seward and Allen Pinkerton, it read more like thriller fiction than history. Its Dewey Decimal number does record it as history; you can read it and decide for yourself whether historical fiction might be more appropriate or expected.

The Zookeeper’s Wife (Diane Ackerman) – Drawing heavily from the memoirs (which were, in turn, based on her diary and loose notes) of the figure from whom the book draws its title, this book relates the story of the WWII as seen through the eyes of the director of the Warsaw Zoo. Though the animals were killed by shelling or seized to be rehomed in German zoos in the early days of the zoo, the keepers remained and managed to shelter over 300 people over the course of the war in the empty cages and underground tunnels. It provides a look at what the ordinary lives of ordinary people looked like in occupied Poland, and a small glimpse of the Warsaw Resistance.

Rocket Boys (Homer H. Hickam, Jr) – the son of a West Virginia coal mining supervisor, Howard Hickam Jr’s mother told him the only way for him to stay out of a coal mine was to go to college, and the only way to do that was to build a rocket. This was right after the Russians launched Sputnik, and Hickam took her words to heart. He taught himself calculus, differential equations, thermodynamics, and more; garnered the support of virtually the entire town; and eventually did work for NASA. It’s a good look at adolescence in a coal mining town, and a group of boys’ commitment to growth and progress despite the odds.

Roll Me Over (Raymond Gantter) – Subtitled “An Infantryman’s World War II”, Gantter was a private entering the European theater of WWII towards the end of 1944, and served for about a year, returning home in the first few days of 1946. I’ve read a lot about World War II, but this was a unique perspective, on the ground and without much influence. I wouldn’t call it graphic, but some readers may find his description of certain aspects of interactions between the victors and civilians to be uncomfortable reading.

So there you have it: 4 books I’m reading right now or have recently finished. If you’ve read any of these (or decide to after reading this post), drop me a note and let me know what you thought of them! And let me know what you’re reading right now too.