Category Archives: Uncategorized

09.10.25
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JOHN HANCOCK/WILLARD RANDALL

If you thought you knew John Hancock you are in for a great awakening!

Willard Sterne Randall’s John Hancock is most timely during this 250th year of the American Revolution. Hancock is so much more than his signature of great renown. Randall places Hancock’s importance to the American quest for democracy , the Revolution and the Continental Congresses along side Dr. Joseph Warren, Samuel Adams, John Adams and Paul Revere.

The book is far beyond a biography of Hancock but a through study of all of the critical events that led to the American Revolution. Hancock the rebel, the revolutionary, adroit politician, and incredibly successful businessman, among the wealthiest in the colony.

The son of a poor preacher sent to live with his wealthy uncle who prepared him to take over the family enterprise. He became the first governor of Massachusetts and throughout his life was an extraprdinary philanthropist during a period in which the Colonists had few resources due to British occupancy, trade restrictions, embargoes, and the war itself. The colony’s wealthiest person found food and fuel for those who had none.

A wonderful eye openming addition to your reading list of the American Revolution.

06.25.25
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THE FATE OF THE DAY/ATKINSON

So much more to understand! That is my takeaway from Rick Atkinson’s THE FATE OF THE DAY. This is volume two of his THE REVOLUTION TRILOGY, the first being THE BRITISH ARE COMING. ( see gordons goodreads).

Volume two traces the Revolutionary War action from Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, hardly a triumphant period for the Patriots and the Continental Army. With the exception of the astounding success at Saratoga the reader witnesses a war of attrition with insights into obscure battles, the intrigue within the British Parliament and the Crown, and the absolute inadequacy of political generals under Washington’s command.

Atkinson reveals the abject tragedy of the prolonged war. It is the very detail of Atkinson’s brilliant research that comes alive in this 618 page narrative that demands A Trilogy to tell the truth of the tale.

This reader came away with a previously unknown dimension of the Revolutionary War and volume two only builds a desire to reach for the conclusion and to understand how close we came to having no democracy at all.

The timing of THE FATE 0F THE DAY is perfect as we approach the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. However, this volume is not a one off and is much more meaningful and relevant following THE BRITISH ARE COMING !

Reading these pages gives understanding the to enormity of the sacrifices made by those who preserved our democracy.

02.21.24
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CHITA

CHITA A Memoir with PATRICK PACHECO. The rise of Chita Rivera to Broadway stardom. This book is a must for lovers of the Broadway Theater. It is real and personal. Published in 2023, just months before her death in 2024, it comes to the reader as a timely tribute to her extraordinary life.

CHITA takes you backstage with Anita in the original West Side Story, Rosie in Bye By Birdie, Velma in Chicago, Aurora in Kiss of the Spider Woman and Claire in The Visit. The personal insight into the casts, producers and directors is genuine and warm. “Lenny” Bernstein, Bob Fosse, Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Hal Prince, Stephen Sondheim, and dozens more. And yes, Chita’s lovers are there as well.

Delores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero. Delores, the indomitable teenage Puerto Rican dynamo always present and often in the forefront of Chita’s stardom.

CHITA is a orchestra seat on Broadway. Don’t miss the show!

10.05.23
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ASTOR/ANDERSON COOPER

The perfect author for a book on the Astors. Anderson Cooper is a journalist and he understands the culture because he is a Vanderbilt. Don’t discount the collaboration of Katherine Howe in the research and writing of ASTOR. She is brilliant in her own right as a novelist and historian.

This writer can not think of a better collaboration for the book. ASTOR has the organization, narrative and storytelling that comes from two excellent authors. In the book’s 279 concise pages you will learn of the Astor family and fortune and also receive a continuing glimpse into the vast American income inequality of then and now.

So much to learn of THE RISE AND FALL OF AN AMERICAN FORTUNE in a most rewarding several hours. ASTOR is worth every minute.

ENJOY!

06.28.23
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WHAT TO THE SLAVE IS JULY 4TH/FREDERICK DOUGLASS

I doubt there is a greater perspective on Slavery than the July 4th, Oration by Frederick Douglass, delivered before an audience in Rochester, New York. Applewood Books of Carlisle, New York published the complete text, WHAT TO THE SLAVE IS THE FOURTH OF JULY? It is available of Amazon for $9.99. It is worthy of all American households.

06.08.23
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TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW/ ZEVIN

When i flipped the first pages of Gabrielle Zevin’s novel TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW I hesitated. Why would I be interested in a young group of MIT stereotypes creating video games? The answer came quickly. The novel is MUCH MUCH MORE! Life is complicated and even more so among a group of brilliant young high achievers. There are love stories among the code writers and keyboard clicks that follow convoluted paths of happiness and sadness. My guess is that like me, you will be quickly drawn in by Zevin’s characters.

Put TOMORROW TOMORROW TOMORROW on your list. You won’t be disappointed.

04.26.23
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HOW THE WORD IS PASSED/CLINT SMITH

HOW THE WORD IS PASSED. It is all in the telling and by whom. The Lost Cause myths remain. According to his travels and the first hand experiences author Clint Smith uncovers misinformation and obfuscation in the re-telling of the history of slavery in America. Deliberate distortion remains throughout the nation including at some of the most prominent historical sites but there is some good news in the efforts of a few to set the record straight.

Smith’s book is all about RECKONING and the nations failure to digest the accurate history of slavery. Smith visits the Whitney Plantation, Blandford Cemetery and the Angola Prison in Louisiana. His interviews include Galveston Island, Texas where Juneteenth was born, New York City and Goree island in Africa home to The House of Slaves and the infamous The Door of No Return.

Among the most potent of revelations in the book is Smith’s interviews and observations at Jefferson’s Monticello. He lays bare any illusions or myths about Jefferson’s deep and vile relationship with slavery. He exposes the hypocrisy of Jefferson’s life in facts and figures.

I urge those who wish to see the urgency of America reckoning with its history of slavery and who feel the need to undo the harm in perpetrating the Lost Cause to not miss a page of HOW THE WORD IS PASSED. You may also wish to search Ibram Kendi here in Gordons Good Reads.

02.03.23
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CONFIDENCE MAN/MAGGIE HABERMAN

The book title says it all! Maggie Haberman’s CONFIDENCE MAN THE MAKING OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE BREAKING OF AMERICA is another outstanding example of excellent journalism from this Pulitzer Prize winning New York Times journalist.

CONFIDENCE MAN is exactly what one would expect from Haberman, thorough unbiased reporting. Very little drama, all facts. Another piece of scholarly reporting. She tells the story better than anyone so I will not make an attempt to do so.

02.02.23
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THIS IS HAPPINESS/NIALL WILLIAMS

The title THIS IS HAPPINESS speaks for itself. The title of Niall Williams‘ book aptly describes a wonderful GOOD READ.

The author transports the reader to the smallest of villages in Ireland and quickly the characters and imagery flow from the pages to create a page turning narrative. A tentative seventeen year old studying for the priesthood returns home and circumstances there cause great reflection. Add to the story the coming of electricity to this forgotten outpost bringing with it a search for a long lost love and a cross generational endearing friendship.

Clear the decks for this great novel. It will indeed bring happiness.

02.02.23
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BLACK HISTORY MONTH GGR SELECTIONS

This is a list of books you may find of great interest during Black History Month. You can check them out on this site at gordonsgoodreads.com

BELOVED, TONI MORRISON

THE LOVE LETTERS OF W.E.B. DUBOIS

BLACK RADICAL/WILLIAM MONROE TROTTER

STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING/IBRAM KENDI

BETWEEN THE WORLD AND ME/ TA-NEHSI COATS

THE 1619 PROJECT

THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLKS, W.E.B. DUBOIS

FREDERICK DOUGLAS, PROFIT OF FREEDOM