THE TIME TRAVELLER’S GUIDE TO MEDIEVAL ENGLAND: A HANDBOOK FOR VISITORS TO THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY, is a fabulous romp through times unimaginable. Don’t let the first chapter’s rather graphic depiction of overcrowding and the plague put you off. Historian Ian Mortimer is an excellent writer simply preoccupied by how people managed in another time. Truly a travelogue for those who might wax nostalgic about simpler times, readers will learn everything from what to wear (weasel if you’re royalty, homespun if you’re not), where to stay (inns, monasteries, or castles), and what to eat (bacon if you’re royalty, rats if you’re not). Only occasionally nauseating, it’s a fascinating read. (Hardcover, $26.00) Recommended by Kelly.

American Made: When FDR Put the Nation to War by Nick Taylor features a remarkable social worker and bureaucratic genius, Harry Hopkins, who headed the largest employment enterprise spearheaded by any government in modern history–the Works Project Administration (WPA). It was the most outstanding of the alphabet soup of agencies begun by the Roosevelt administration during the depression to relieve human misery. By discussing real people to illustrate each aspect of the WPA (theater arts, music, archeology, geology, public works, etc), the author presents an interesting and inclusive exploration of each aspect of the US government’s outreach. Very readable. (Softcover, $15.00). Customer recommendation by Martha.

SEPTEMBER 9 Wednesday 7PM
@ THE LAWRENCE PUBLIC LIBRARY
Co-sponsored by The Raven
READING & SIGNING

Bryce Benedict
Jayhawkers: The Civil War Brigade of James Henry Lane

Author Bryce Benedict brings us the first detailed investigation into the activities of the ragtag group of free-state fighters who followed the mercurial U.S. senator into many skirmishes and raids along the Kansas-Missouri border during the early part of the Civil War.

Bryce Benedict served for twenty-one years in the U.S. Army and the Kansas National Guard and is now lead defense counsel for the Kansas State Self Insurance Fund. His historical articles have appeared in the Plains Guardian, the newspaper of the Kansas National Guard. Read about the book.

Need a heroine? Trying to understand what the feminist movement was all about? I highly recommend WOMAN BEHIND THE NEW DEAL: THE LIFE OF FRANCIS PERKINS, FDR’S SECRETARY OF LABOR AND HIS MORAL CONSCIENCE by Kirsten Downey. Ms. Perkins was the first woman member of the cabinet. Her incredible story is a history of the US in the 20th century through World War II.

With cunning, intelligence and plain old hard work Francis Perkins pressed FDR, the congress, corporations and the labor movement (and sometimes the Supreme Court) to pass progressive legislation that impacts our lives today. Social Security, the minimum wage, the 40 hour work week, working conditions and child labor laws are among the laws that she was instrumental in having passed despite being harassed and vilified because of her gender. The one missing piece in her plan was universal health care–an issue that haunts us to this day. Hardcover, $35.00 Customer review: Martha.

The author offers us thoughtful and thorough exploration of Lincoln as an extraordinarily talented writer. He recounts the literature that formed and informed his style, especially focusing on Lincoln’s early life and the influence of his beloved step-mother.  This book is a very significant addition to works on the analysis of Lincoln’s genius, and those who enjoyed Gary Wills’ LINCOLN AT GETTYSBURG and Douglas Wilson’s LINCOLN’S SWORD: THE PRESIDENCY AND THE POWER OF WORDS will want to have this book.  Recommended by Pat.