Hey Otterites!
Have a bit of a follow up to my last post. I just finished up a really good book, Arthur Herman’s 1917. Herman’s become one of my favorite authors with his astute and well researched history books. In this one, he discusses the last year plus of World War I and the beginnings of the Russian Revolution, juxtaposing the actions and beliefs of Woodrow Wilson and Vladimir Lenin. Now you already know the S&O feelings about Woodrow Wilson, and certainly you should be able to guess those on Lenin. Still this tome was illuminating. As with any history or bio I always dig it when the authors also dig into the supporting characters with the same verve and insight as the main cast. This is such a sweeping history that the side characters include Alexander Kerensky, Henry Cabot Lodge, David Lloyd George and all the WWI era personalities. Great stuff. Most illuminating depiction of the Russian Revolution I’ve read. Highly recommneded.
Next up is a book I’ve been hoping to pick up for years and finally found it, Richard Brookhiser’s Gentleman Revolutionary. It is the story of Founding Father Gouverneur Morris. He was the guy who financed much of the Revolution and guided the writing of much of the Constitution, right next to S&O hero James Madison. Anxious to dig into this one.
Grab a book Otterites, and dig in. Summer reading is a great thing.
