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What’s not to like?
Did you like Ike? If you are old enough to remember when he was president, you probably don’t have any negative memories of Dwight D. Eisenhower. Maybe not any particularly positive ones, either. He was just there, the president, old reliable. Paul O’Connor, who’s barely old enough to have memories of Ike, reviews a book…
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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.…
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American dreams
You may derive some odd comfort from a reminder that as crazy as our times seem, they fit right in with the story of American history. Steve Wishnevsky reviews a book that looks at a past America on the brink of a great war. By Stephen Wishnevsky TWILIGHT AT THE WORLD OF TOMORROW: GENIUS, MADNESS,…
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Who did whatever it was?
Paul O’Connor’s latest reading venture involved an actual book rather than the screen of his iPhone, and he moved from 19th century fiction to a real-life 20th century mystery. By Paul T. O’Connor DEATH OF A PINEHURST PRINCESS: The 1935 Elva Statler Davidson Mystery. By Steve Bouser. The History Press. 206 pages. $19.99, trade paperback.…
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Wicked River
Here’s our debut review by Paul O’Connor, a veteran news reporter, editorial writer and journalism professor who lives in Raleigh. Paul has traveled the country extensively in recent years, crossing the Mississippi many times. He’s also quite the Mark Twain buff. By Paul T. O’Connor WICKED RIVER: THE MISSISSIPPI WHEN IT LAST RAN WILD. By…