Monday, May 30, 2005

Recent commentary: Recommended community reading

What book would you recommend for community-wide reading?

(published 30-May-2005, Appleton Post-Crescent)

Nothing wishy-washy, touchy-feely, or namby-pamby. I think that “A History of the American People” by British historian, Paul Johnson, should be read in every school and library in America. It takes a Brit, an avowed fan of the United States, to get us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves. For those whose education left a black hole where American history should be, come to it, as Johnson did, “completely fresh.” In full disclosure, he describes his approach à la former Vice President Spiro Agnew in his salad days: “I have not...accepted the fly-blown philacteries of Political Correctness.” Johnson's history is a tribute to us, the American people, “thrown together by fate in that swirling maelstrom of history which has produced the most remarkable people the world has ever seen. I love them and salute them, and this is their story.” How could you turn down an invitation like that?

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