Inaugurational Reading

I have enjoyed American history since as early as I recall learning it...which dates back about 15 years to 5th grade. When I saw Glory for the first time in 8th grade, followed by a trip to Washington D.C. I was hooked. Probably most notably by the historical reenactment of Jamestown.*

My favorite year of history was my junior year in high school. The teacher was one of the best I ever had, and he presented America's story in a way that truly felt like the birth of a nation. And even though I excelled in the class, there was still a part of me that was absorbing the information into my short term memory to do well on an exam or trench warfare Jeopardy.

I find now that I am craving the knowledge that was once presented to me, but on a deeper level. I live in a home that watches each Ken Burns documentary from the epic greats of the Civil War to baseball, and I find that also as I age, I am becoming more engaged in politics. Could be that I am a homeowner and taxes take on an entire new meaning to me now (ie they sucked before and now I really, REALLY want to stick to the Property Tax man) and of course being older, wiser, and more mature reveals more informed opinions.

The long and short of it is that I have decided to take a tour of history through presidential biographies. Being a Type A personality with extreme order required in life, you can guess that book number one starts with president number one:

Being that I don't often stray far from fiction, let alone HP, I decided that this one looked good among the 10 or so other authors. I admit it, I judge a book by its cover, and this one looked authentic. But, as I typed the title into Google search just now, it came up as predictive text so perhaps that's a good sign, along with the reviews on the back cover from the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Chicago Tribune, and Newsweek.

Like a good student I will offer my thoughts on this revolutionary hero (or is he???) when completed. The book is due back July 29 and I don't like renewing so ready, set, go!

*I am just waiting for the day Scott tells me he booked a surprise trip to Georgia and the first item on our agenda is a Civil War reenactment, Confederate style. I.Would.Die. Naturally he'd have the good sense to bring a hoop skirt for me too, and then we'd find a suitable Tara for ourselves and enjoy our new porch with sweet tea or and a mint julep. The end.