« Satellite service goes out--and we're excited | Main | I wish my technical buddies would have told me this »
September 27, 2005
Missed McCullough
I recently finished reading Rise to Rebellion, Jeff Shaara's excellent almost-non-fiction account of the events leading up to the Revolutionary War. Phil Windley blogged today's lecture at BYU by David McCollough, who recently published a non-fiction book, also about the Revolutionary War. I wish I could have been there (though it was probably much more valuable to my employer that I was in ITIL Foundation training).
Not only does the lecture resonate with the book I just finished, but I've got John Adams queued up to read after I finish Shaara's next book. After reading Phil's notes, I'm even more excited about reading it.
I've gone most of my life off of what I remember of what I learned in school about the founding of America, thinking that I understood what had happened and its significance. How poorly I understood the events, the people and the motivations that led to the creation of the United States.
I thought I knew what this country "is about" (I have lived here most of my life, except the first few days in Canada), but I gained a much deeper understanding of what America (the concept/philosophy/mindset) is about after understanding the men and women who set it in motion.
I don't know if it would help to have read Shaara or McCollough when I was in school (though it probably wouldn't have hurt). History class in school didn't do much for helping to understand the people or how they thought. And I'm sure part of my new understanding comes from having an adult perspective.
Posted by pete at September 27, 2005 8:03 PM