Briar Patch Books

Category: Biography

  • Vermont Royster, one of the editorial greats

    Paul O’Connor is nothing if not brave. Here, he dares to review a book written by the senior associate dean with whom both of us work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication. And to think some people question the ability of journalists to be objective. I’m…

  • Jefferson: No more Mr. Nice Guy

    Paul O’Connor takes a look at – and a listen to – the latest re-examination of Thomas Jefferson, one of our greatest presidents (or was he?). By Paul T. O’Connor THOMAS JEFFERSON: THE ART OF POWER. By Jon Meacham. Read by Edward Herrmann. Random House Audio. 15 CDs. 19 hours. $50. Also available in hardback…

  • Much more than a baseball story

    Paul O’Connor has strong opinions, and one of them is that he loves to hate the New York Yankees. As a Notre Dame grad, he also has some, shall we say, feelings against the University of Michigan. But he managed to put his prejudices aside to review a new audio version of a memoir by…

  • It’s not easy being queen

    Anne Barnhill is recuperating at her home in Garner, N.C., after having had surgery, but that doesn’t mean she’s stopped writing. Nor does it mean she has stopped reading. In addition to working on her next novel, Anne has found the time and energy to review some books, including this one for our blog. (Pardon…

  • A thought-provoking new look at the Father of Our Country

    We all know that our Founders were devout, practicing Christians favoring small government and no taxes, right? Guess again. Or better yet, read Paul O’Connor’s review of a new biography of George Washington on Briar Patch Books. By Paul O’Connor WASHINGTON: A LIFE. By Ron Chernow. The Penguin Press. 817 pages. Hardcover, $40. Softcover, $20.…

  • A real American baseball hero

    Paul O’Connor, Briar Patch Books contributing editor, is on the road this summer. He’s had a little time to read and reflect on the national pastime, his own particular passion for the St. Louis Cardinals, the greatest Cardinal of them all – and life in America. By Paul T. O’Connor STAN MUSIAL: AN AMERICAN LIFE.…

  • Old blue eyes and golden voice

    Paul O’Connor has discovered that a new book about “The Voice” reveals a lot about Sinatra the man. By Paul T. O’Connor FRANK: THE VOICE. By James Kaplan. Doubleday. 718 pages. $35, hardcover. Siriously Sinatra, the satellite radio station dedicated to American standards, occasionally plays a live cut that contemporary listeners probably find offensive but…