First Dawn

Judith Miller's First Dawn is based upon the settlement of two western Kansas towns in the post civil war era.  Nicodemus was predominately settled by African American sharecroppers from Kentucky while Hill City was being settled by Caucasians. Although the story is fictional, the author notes that she made every attempt to accurately portray the harsh circumstances of the frontier settlers.

The story revolves around a small group of first settlers led by Ezekiel Harban and his three daughters, Thomas Grayson, a young man with a secret past, and Miss Hattie, the group's matriarch. The group was sold parcels of land near a town called Nicodemus; however,  when they arrive at an open prairie, they find no buildings and limited supplies. The settlers that stay and fight for the dream of landownership and freedom struggle to survive their first winter on the prairie.

Coinciding with the settlement of Nicodemus is the settlement of Hill City where Dr. Samuel Boyle moves his family. The doctor soon develops a relationship with the people of Nicodemus that bonds his family and the two frontier settlements together.

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity

A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity is the autobiography of Bill O'Reilly, executive producer and anchor of The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel. The author points out in the introduction that he parted from the traditional memoir method to focus on those experiences that shaped his belief system. This lets the reader know up front that the book is not the typical examination of one's life laid out neatly in chronological order. Instead, the book is divided into topical chapters laced with pertinent stories about his experiences.

Since I'm a fan of the television show, I enjoyed reading those stories while learning how the events influenced his belief system. It was also interesting to read about events that happened in previous decades from his perspective. Some things I agreed with and some I did not. Did it dramatically improve my life as claimed in the introduction's title? No. Did it cause me think about the events that shaped my own belief system? Yes.

Fans of The O'Reilly Factor will enjoy the book. Critics will not.

Going Rogue

Going Rogue is Sarah Palin's memoir. Although scrutinized and criticized to the nth degree, I enjoyed the book. I wasn't looking for the errors, exaggerations, and "gotcha" moments I'd heard so much about from mainstream media since the book was published. I was looking for the story of the ordinary woman who became the 2008 vice presidential candidate. The woman who believes in many of the same things I do.

I wasn't disappointed. I learned a lot about how the people and situations in her life led to that momentous event. I also learned a lot about Alaska, a state at the opposite end of the spectrum from my state of Florida. And, I enjoyed the stories and the photographs inviting me into her life.

The parts that talk about the campaign and the events since losing the election that have been so vehemently attacked in the media did not appear to be vindictive to this reader. They were written from her perspective so of course they are subjective to her perception of reality. Isn't that how we all see things? From our own reality.

Conservatives and even many independents will enjoy this look into Sarah Palin's life. Liberals will continue to be outraged.

The Raising of a President: The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders

The Raising of a President:The Mothers and Fathers of Our Nation's Leaders by Doug Wead looks at the facts, families, and psychological profiles of some of our past presidents. The characteristics, circumstances, and experiences that equipped these men to lead the free world are studied in the context of understanding how it culminated into greatness instead of destruction. The lives of the presidents studied in depth include George Washington, John Adams and John Quincy Adams, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Most had powerful fathers - some were abusive, such as Abe Lincoln's father, while others were inspirational. Both John Quincy Adams and George W. Bush followed their father to the White House while George Washington and Teddy and Franklin D. Roosevelt lost their fathers at a young age. Mothers also left distinct marks on the future presidents. While George Washington and FDR both had willful and seemingly emotionally disturbed mothers and JFK had a cold and distant mother, Roosevelt and Bush presidents had strong mothers and Lincoln had a loving stepmother.

In the role of family dynamics, birth order varied and played a lessor role than parental influence. Franklin D. Roosevelt was an only child, John Adams and George H.W. Bush were firstborn while George Washington and Abraham Lincoln were middle children.

While the book was interesting, it gave no conclusive formula, common parenting practices, or even dysfunctional family element that substantially influenced these men and led them to the presidency. The common denominator, with the exception of Lincoln, seemed to be a desire for influence, power, or wealth ingrain in the families themselves. In the end, however, the presidents have been as diverse as the country they served.

Norman Rockwell Exhibit

Norman Rockwell was an amazing artist and a great storyteller. A recent exhibit displayed over 300 of his Saturday Evening Post magazine covers between 1916 and 1963, as well as, several original paintings. In studying the walls of magazine covers, his talent, combined with the discipline to paint month after month year after year, was a bit overwhelming.

Some critics have called his art sentimental and unrealistic. And, perhaps in his attempt to capture what was good about America, he glossed over some of the ‘real’ truths of the times, but his works resonated with people back then and still do today. His universal appeal proves the basic human desire for simpler, happier times, as painted into the small-town personification of Rockwell’s paintings, is still alive. His illustrations of everyday life served not so much as a mirror of 20^th century America, but as a mirror enhanced with hopes and dreams.

When Norman Rockwell parted ways with the Saturday Evening Post, he began illustrating for Look magazine. The Look magazine covers differed from the Saturday Evening Post covers in that they included social issues of the day — civil rights, the Peace Corps, and even space exploration. Thus, as the world changed, the stories changed and so did the paintings. Sadly, though, the innocence of the earlier paintings was missing.

One of Norman Rockwell’s greatest gifts is the poignant history of the American spirit — not just the facts and figures or the brutal truth about its history. When the covers are lined up in chronological order, America's spirit comes alive for current and future generations to enjoy.

If the exhibit makes its way to a museum near you, don’t miss it! You’ll leave with a grateful heart for the nostalgic look back at America and the man who put it on paper.