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I just finished reading George Washington’s Secret Six by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger a fantastic read about General Washington’s New York spy ring that turned the tide of the revolutionary war I highly recommend it.
I read a book about spying during the Revolutionary War, including in New York- it was fascinating (though it was a kids’ book that I read in middle school so I can’t really recommend it- it was fabulously done though). I should check your book out- it sounds like a great read.
Thanks for the rec!
The Horrible Histories series by Terry Deary (for kids) was what got me interested in history in the first place and I still hold a soft spot for them. Although I won’t generally read history books for leisure I can recommend any of Simon Schama’s books. He’s a great historian.
notasheet: but not Simon Schama’s books and material on Israel and Jews. They are clear apikorsus. (He’s a irreligious Jew.)
I love The Power Broker (Robert Caro), about Robert Moses, and What It Takes (Richard Ben Cramer), about the 1988 presidential election. I don’t know how old you are, but if you’re old enough to remember the actual election it’s probably more meaningful- to me, it was all ancient history :). Both completely riveting.
Both are also doorstoppers, so they’re great for a nice long Shabbos afternoon.
I’m not so sure. He had a television series a while ago on BBC called The History of the Jews, and aside from some minor things, it was remarkably accurate and not biased towards his secular views. I don’t think he is an apikores per se, just brought up not knowing much religious. He does keep a couple of things.
And I’m notasheep, but I’m notasheet either 😛
What is important about Washington is that he played the key role in extending civil rights to Jews. Remember that Jews had no rights in any colonies before the Revolution, and were officially banned from about half the colonies. As part of a policy of establishing religious pluralism (which was critical for national survival given the diversity of the colonists/rebels in 1776), he went out of his way to make sure that pluralism included Jews. The stuff about his clever intelligence operations is interesting, but his role in establishing American religiousity combined with religious diversity, is critical (especially to us).
Why does it seem like my book recs were blocked? (If it’s something else, mods, I apologize.)
Does a mod somewhere not like my taste in historical literature?
the original was restored
Okay, great, thanks mods ( and a gut voch!) :).
Goq: I was a bit small and only beginning to develop my memories at the time but yes, I do know what a hanging chad is.
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I learned it in AP US History. (Badadadum.)
(Have I made you feel old yet? 🙂 )
If you do want something further back, I like David McCullough’s biographies (such as Truman and John Adams) as well as Walter Isaacson’s biography of Einstein (also his Steve Jobs one, but you said you wanted to go back a bit further…)
I also like The Siege by Conor Cruise O’Brien, a nice and balanced account of the rise of Zionism and the State of Israel, if only for the introduction, in which the author tells about his experience as a delegate to the United Nations from Ireland, sitting between the delegates from Iran and Israel. A bit drier than the others but still fascinating.
Not dry at all: The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner lived up to all the hype I heard about it. Very interesting account- it’s more about Avner (and his obsession with Begin) than it is a mini-bio of the prime ministers, but his perspective as part of their governments is still worth reading.
The Roosevelt trilogy by Edmund Morris (Theodore, not Franklin).
“One Palestine, Complete,” by Tom Segev, an excellent history of modern Israel from 1882 (start of modern secular Zionism) to beginning of 21st Century (Gregorian years).
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