The Education of Henry Adams - Winner, Biography, 1919

The Education of Henry Adams
by: Henry Adams
Houghton & Mifflin Company, 1918

The Education of Henry Adams was, unfortunately, another one of the painful ones. It is an autobiography written by a pompous aristocrat who thinks much more highly of himself than those who knew him probably did. The book is a philosophical take on his life as he explores how different events, circumstances, and people led to his education in life. Being a person who is much more interested in things and events than philosophical ideas I did not enjoy it. Apparently Henry Adams lost the love of his life and was so traumatized by it that he decided to leave that part of his life completely out of the book without even a word of explanation as to why some of the most important years of a persons life were left out. The book basically covers his childhood and his years as an older man. I would say that the only redeeming thing about this book is that it is an excellent study in the attitude of the elite concerning themselves during the mid-to late-1800s.

A History of the Civil War - Winner, Nonfiction, 1918

A History of the Civil War
by: James Ford Rhodes
Macmillan, 1918
www.bartleby.com

I must begin this post by apologizing to Ryan and all my other avid fans for falling down on my postings. I have continued to read but as my husband and I have recently made a cross country move and I have gotten settled, I have decided that it is time to pick this back up.

I have to admit that I didn't finish A History of the Civil War. It was the first of many, I'm sure, that was so painfully dull that I had to let it go. The book is very detailed about each and every remotely important event in the Civil War. It really reads like a basic history textbook. It would be good for someone who was doing research on specific events, but, as you can imagine, I would not recommend it for pleasure reading.