Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd

Night on Fire by Ronald Kidd

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Review copy provided by Netgalley

I was amazed by this book's unflinching presentation of racism in the time of the Civil Rights Movement. Told from the point of view of a bystander who looked on as the Freedom Riders bus and its riders were brutalized from attempting to break down the bus segregation laws that existed in Alabama and other southern states, this book brings both the historical events and the perspectives of people from both sides of what transpired in sharp focus.

What I found most impressive was how the author presented race relations. Kidd did a superb job showing the mistrust that existed between black and white community members through the eyes of a child. This book is deeply moving and memorable. While it presents racially charged hatred, it does it in a way that is sensitive to its readers. There are no examples of foul language or racial slurs with the exception of the use of the word 'crackers' in reference to white people in two places in the book. This is an honest, plainly outstanding piece of historical fiction that belongs in the libraries of elementary schools and middle schools everywhere.

I am adding a copy to my library as soon as I can. I encourage all librarians who read this to do the same. It should be in consideration for use in school curriculum as we attempt to teach this vital piece of American history. I don't know of a more compelling piece about the Freedom Riders. It's relatable and thought-provoking. Excellent book. A true pleasure to read. Given the chance, it could create engaging conversation in the classroom.



View all my reviews

Lost States by Michael Trinklein

I wasn't expecting such an intriguing find when I wandered into the clearance section of a Barnes and Noble recently. I was there so my wife could pick up the latest in a paranormal romance series that she's been reading, and I wasn't planning on picking anything up for myself. I should have known better than to think I could wander into a bookstore and leave empty-handed. The clearance section is usually where they get me. This time, I happened upon Lost States, an anecdotal geography book on states that were proposed at different points in U.S. history, but didn't make the cut.

I'm a bit of an anecdotal history buff. I don't read the big, thick tomes that would help me to truly understand the Civil War, Teddy Roosevelt, or the Great Depression. I don't have the attention span for them. But give me a book with 100 stories about little known facts and events that changed the course of American history and I'm on it. Lost States is that kind of book. As author Michael Trinklein states in the introduction, "This book isn't meant to offer exhaustive detail on every unsuccessful statehood proposal; rather, the goal is to pique your curiosity, instill a sense of wonder, and enjoy a laugh or two." If that's not a winning sales pitch, I don't know what is.

So that's how I've spent the week after Easter, reading about states and republics that almost were, but didn't quite make the cut. There are a lot of interesting stories connected to failed statehood proposals. A few of my favorites are Adelsverein, the German colony in Texas that never came to be even after the Germans managed to strike a deal with the Comanche that lived in the area; Forgottonia, the western portion of Illinois that only really wanted an interstate to pass through so they could generate some local business; and Nickajack, the secessionists that tried to secede from their own states before they were forced into joining the Confederate States of America.

There are plenty of other stories that I found interesting in here as well. Popham, Franklin, and North Slope were equally deserving of a mention, as were many others, but that's something you'll have to find out by reading. The book does highlight a few concepts again and again.

1. Rural populations and urban populations from the same state often have different interests, and in a lot of cases one of them feels like they're being misrepresented and mistreated by the other.
2. While the U.S. Government has always had a profound interest in strategically locating military bases and military supply lines in such a way as to prevent the other world powers from endangering U.S. soil, they are happier to claim land as a U.S. territory than to grant it statehood.
3. Native Americans and the country of Mexico have never been treated very well when it came to statehood matters. Canada has made out pretty well by comparison. Basically, racism has played a role in the failure of many statehood proposals.
4. No one has ever known what to do with the American Midwest. It has been sliced up like a misshapen land pizza so many times, it's a wonder cartographers didn't just give up on the whole thing. The land between the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, the Appalachian Mountains, and the Gulf of Mexico is a mess of strange borders, and it could have been a lot better.

If you're looking for some more insight on the matter, look into picking up your own copy of Lost States. It's entertaining, and even though it's not very difficult to read, it might make you think.

Hitting the History Books

I've taken to reading history a lot lately. I'm not talking about multi-volume biographical tomes or sum everything up in a paragraph a decade complete histories, but books that look further into events so I can really get a grasp of where people were coming from. I do not know where my motivation for this comes from. It's certainly not from my wife, who regularly derides my constant anecdotal tales as irritating and dull. I've told her that I do it for the benefit of my teaching history, but I'm not sure that's really it either. Sadly, I think it's a personal fixation I have with things making sense and moments that don't seem logical being explained. So I've been reading up.

What I've found most vexing is that I've reached a point in my reading where I've started being comparative. I've read more than one text on the same moment in history and the same person, and I've noticed that they don't always agree on the details or even the broader themes. I've learned that politics plays a part in the reporting of history, something I believed before reading it firsthand. But I've also gotten a sense of another more frightening reality. We just don't do our homework. Most readers don't know enough background to say if we're being fed the truth or the justification for some convoluted rant laden with misinformation and distortion. The same applies with some historians. They spend so much time gathering material, they ignore the more important analysis and verification of what they write. When I read something that I find interesting or surprising in a history text anymore, all I want to know is where and how the writer found that out. I guess that is me growing into a better reader, but I do miss reading with a profound trust and astonishment at every page turn.

Here are some of the texts that gave me the goosebumps that I was talking about.

Lies My Teacher Told Me
This was the original or grandfather text of a lot of my history reading. I read this and scoffed and was intrigued and grew addicted. I think I even mentioned it in an earlier post on this blog. The pages on Helen Keller and Woodrow Wilson were especially fascinating. I have to admit, when I read the title, I was not that impressed. I thought, "Great, another attack on the public school system. Just what we need." Then, I read about it in Chris Crutcher's book, Deadline, and I picked it up right away.

That's Not In My American History Book
This seems to follow the same theme as the one above it, but equally interesting. I'm not sure about how credible it is all the time since I have read some dissenting reactions in reviews, but I tend to believe it is credible most of the time and if not, there are at least a few other books I've read that corroborate the stories that the author told. Of course, there are also a few books I've read that contradict details, but oh well. I liked the book. I annoyed my wife with at least a few different stories I've read in here. Sorry, dear, if you read this. I didn't mean to annoy you. I just don't comprehend that everyone else isn't fascinated by this too.

Don't Know Much About History
Kenneth Davis has written more of these Don't Know Much books that than I thought could be created. Just how many things can any one person not know much about? However, these are the sort of books that intrigue the newfound history buff in me. I read these and learn so much and compare what I've read here to what I learned there and before I know it, I'm the fly in the ear of that lovely woman, my wife, once again. Mr. Davis begins many of this books the same way: with some introduction that speaks briefly to the negative experience he had in history class. Seems kind of ironic to read that in the beginning of a book by a bestselling historian, but I have to say that I get what he describes and I like where he's gone with his own books. I hope that by reading them, I've prepared myself to avoid the pitfalls his teachers went through.

Lies You Learned At School
This one is simple and to the point, though not completely focused on history.  Still, every page is a new supposed truth overturned by a very concise explanation and citation of facts. I like the book, though it leaves me with more of an appetite for more books like it than a satisfied feeling at the end. I guess that works for the author, but it's certainly a departure from the other books I've mentioned. I'd recommend this to anyone who likes their reading to be broken into small doses that don't require a significant devotion of time or a strong commitment to reading in order since the book is not arranged in a particular order chronological or otherwise.

Weird History 101
This one has the wildest stories I've ever read. And it's completely fun. I'd recommend this one to anyone. You don't have to like history to like this book. I think I picked it up on clearance in a warehouse-style bookstore. I never expect much from the books I get in those places, but I really loved this one. It was so well put together. Easily a favorite. I love any story that is full of oddities and this one is built on them.

So this is just a nice starter list. It's not the end-all-be-all list by any stretch of the imagination. There's so many more books that I could and probably should mention, but there's only so long that a person can stare at the same screen and tap, tap away at a keyboard. If you know a better book and you want to mention it, feel free to comment. Until next time, happy reading.