Patrick Ogle
  • An Explanation
  • Recent Writing Portfolio
  • Books Ive Read 2023
  • Paintings & Other Art
  • History and Current Events
  • My Witty Observations (Humor)

The Puritan Dilemma -The Story of John Winthrop by Edmund S. Morgan

2/20/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
The truth is this isnt a read but a re-read. The first time I read it was over 30 years ago so it counts as new. It is sort of a must-read short book on the Puritans, specifically John Winthrop.

Its treatment of the Puritans is far more even-handed than you will find in most histories. It also places them firmly IN their time, in context, which is important not only when it comes to understanding Puritanism but how it affected America.

With its focus on Winthrop it only brushes upon such notables as John Cotton, Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson (among others) but that is what is great about it, it introduces you to figures you want to know more about.

It is a brief book, a little more than 205 pages long but it makes great use of every page. There are various longer looks at the Puritans and Winthrop but few get at the man and the beliefs like this one.


0 Comments

The First American- The Life And Times of Benjamin Franklin By H.W. Brands

2/20/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
I am a big fan of historical biographies when they are well written and well researched.H.W. Brands', The First American-The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin, is both.

While I've read many biographies from the era this is the first one I found of Franklin that I found both engaging and focused on reality. You don't need to be fanciful or add to the life of Franklin. He was a scientist, a journalist and printer, a diplomat and a politician and he excelled in all these roles. Without any doubt he was the most widely known and respected American of his time and one of the two most important figures in the American Revolution (George Washington being the other).

This book lays out Franklin's life well but there are some issues that could have been talked about at more length. Slavery leaps readily to mind. Early in his life Franklin owned slaves and was ambivalent about the institution. Later he became an opponent. The book does talk about how he came to believe those of African heritage were every bit as intelligent and capable as Europeans. But for such an important issue the book deals with it only briefly. This is possibly because Franklin's surviving letters and writing on the subject are brief. It isn't as if The First American ignores the issue nor does it deny it importance. The subject just seems to cry out for more detail (and this is often true in Founding Father's bios).

I never slowed down reading this except when there were long portions that included letters to and from his lady friends. Part of his history to be sure! Just not one I find interesting, even if it does serve rather definitively to humanize the subject!



0 Comments

The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson

2/20/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Rick Atkinson is known for his three book history of the American Army in the European Theater during World War 2. Those masterful books tell the stories not just of generals and presidents but common soldiers, often in their own words. I would find myself reading these books as the sun rose; I could not put them down.

The British Are Coming is part one of a new trilogy on the American Revolution. It is another deep dive into what led to the revolution and what followed. He gives a clear view of the minds and motivations of those on high like George III and General Washington.  But it also details the motivations, often via letters to loved ones, of common soldiers and other less prominent people. Where are people more likely to tell their true feelings than in such correspondence?

This book also tosses on the trash heap notions that the Americans were being soundly beaten before Saratoga (which isn't covered in this volume). The Americans took their lumps and made a number of dubious decisions--invading Canada, how they defended New York. Yet, for each of those there was a Lexington & Concord, a Trenton, a Princeton etc.

Often, when the American Revolution is taught, the attack on Canada is not covered. It isn't terribly glorious but it is an important part of the history of the war. Atkinson ignores nothing and I am impatiently awaiting volume 2.

0 Comments

The Ocean Of Churn By Sanjeev Sanyal

1/17/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
Late in 2022 I read a survey history book on India , India, A History by John Keay. It was an excellent book but any single volume "history of India" is the rough equivalent of a similar book called "a history of Europe."

The subject is vast, especially when the  book starts with pre-literate societies, known only from archaeology. After the Keay book I started fishing around for more Indian History. While I have a basic knowledge of the history of India? It is not particularly deep, nor does it extend much earlier than the modern era.

The Ocean of Churn by Sanjeev Sanyal is more about the Indian Ocean than India but its point is that the ocean here was a cultural link that transcended any single culture. It is also written by an Indian author who dispenses with some of the fanciful notions that even fairly responsible western historians cling to (see Ashoka).  While it isn't as well documented as the Keay book? It raises more thought provoking ideas--even if many of these are tossed out without documentation. It also makes the vast scope more manageable than the Keay book, which is sometimes bogged down in an over abundance of names and place names.

Ocean of Churn also illustrates the horror of European incursions into the Indian Ocean and the depredations of all Europeans who appeared (some, far worse than others). These incursions, when compared with earlier invasions and migrations demonstrate the Europeans were far more deleterious--especially the British.

The book is written in a conversational, almost breezy, style that makes it a quick read. It is also an informative one that points the reader in the direction of further sources, further information.

This book has also been adapted for children.



0 Comments

A Concise History Of Buddhism By Andrew Skilton

1/17/2023

0 Comments

 
Picture
I've been making a concerted effort to read more history of India and China. I am not completely ignorant of these ancient culture's history but I am nowhere near as well versed as I am in the history of Europe, Africa or the Americas. I actually started reading A Concise History of Buddhism by Andrew Skilton, in 2022 but I include it here since I FINISHED it this year (early on this may be a theme)

I recently read a book called India, A History by John Keay, which is an excellent survey of the history from prehistoric time ALMOST to current events. After that I went searching for more specific topics which turned out to be more difficult than I anticipated.

Buddhism wasn't really on the radar but I stumbled across this book. What it turns out to be is a short but sometimes mind numbing survey of the various Buddhist trains of thought, schisms and theology. If you do not know ANYTHING about Buddhism this is going to be incredibly difficult to get through. The book is not big on explaining the basics, even basic terminology. It is pretty close to ALL theology so do not expect a great deal of political or personal history.

The book does detail many of the different lineages of Buddhism in an understandable way and there are other times when it gives you a glimpse into appeal of the religion. It also has a chapter on   the reason Buddhism vanished in its homeland of India. It is not a particularly critical history but it does not shy away from the "warts" either. There is a concerted attempt to be even handed between the different sects (for lack of a better word).

I am glad that I read it and  I would  recommend this to people interested in theology. It is interesting in a comparative sense too. When you  look at other religious traditions you see parallels. One thing that struck me is how the biggest world religions all seem to share a trait. Almost immediately after the demise (or ascension ) of the religion's founder there are suddenly myriad interpretations and sometimes outright perversions of the original intent. Buddhism does not escape this (if this book is to be believed).

Keep in mind, this book is written by a true believer and there is no delving into the hinted at hypocrisies and potentially ahistorical interpretations by Buddhist thinkers.

0 Comments

    Author

    This is really to motivate me to read and remember what I am reading. I'd love to hear what YOU are reading.

    What I am reading now--The Passenger by Cormac McCarthy and China Marches West by Peter C. Purdue.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023

    Categories

    All
    Non-fiction

    RSS Feed