Book Club

An extraordinarily well-written account of the political environment in Great Britain leading up to World War II. From the lens of history, it is so easy to know the "right" decisions to make. When living through difficult times, it is not so easy. This book discusses the difficulties Chamberlain and his cabinet faced in dealing with Hitler - how to determine the best course of action when faced with the rise of Nazism, the implications resulting from the casualties and deprivations from World War I and not wanting to put the people of Britain through those horrors again.

There are so many fascinating ways in which the history of the early 20th century ultimately end up being connected in someway with the Nazis - this book is one of those. It is an intriguing history of evolution of automobile racing in Europe. It has a fascinating cast of characters, an interesting discussion of the evolution of race cars, and builds up to a race between a French driver and a Nazi team.

Fascinating book about Congress in the period leading up to the Civil War - the fighting (literally), the personalities, the regional divisions. A lot of interesting parallels between then and the divisiveness in Congress now.

In 1917 a munitions ship laden with explosives sails into Halifax's port. The explosives erupt - and the resulting devastation and this astonishing story is chronicled in this book.

Ulrich is a fabulous researcher and author. In this, her current work, she discusses the history and role of women in the Mormon Church. She focuses on a number of prominent women and their stories.

This book covers a sweeping period of history - essentially most of the 1800s. A fascinating dual biography, study in the use of the media, the exploration of the parts of the American West, and the events surrounding the Civil War. Jessie and John Fremont also knew and worked with a number of important people during the period, and their interactions with those historical figures also add another interesting element to this read.

Written by Dr. Jeremy Brown, this book focuses more on the medical aspects of the 1918 pandemic.

In the 1920s, members of the Osage Tribe in Oklahoma were some of the richest people in the United States as a result of oil finds on tribal lands. This book tells the shocking story of murder, theft, and the tragedies that influx of money had on members of the tribe.

As we struggle through the COVID-19 virus, it is intriguing to compare how the US faced the 1918 Spanish Influenza pandemic.

Another of recently published books on World War II. Erik Larson has again crafted an engaging book, this time focusing on the Churchill family and how the Prime Minister (and his family) worked to improve and keep morale high during World War II.

King Tut, Cleopatra, pyramids, Cheops, . . . all things related to the history of Egypt - and the people involved in finding those ruins.