John Adams was born in Massachusetts in 1735. Adams attended Braintree Latin School, where he caused havoc by skipping class and having a general disdain for his teacher. Eventually, he entered Harvard College in 1751. His father wanted him to become a minister, but Adams decided on law as his career. He eventually married his third cousin, Abigail, with whom he had six children. He made a name for himself as a Founding Father through his strong opposition to the Stamp Act of 1765. He was strongly critical via newspapers under his penname Humphrey Ploughjogger, which I thought was ridiculous and couldn't help but giggle every time I read it. Adams served as counsel for the British after the Boston Massacre, because no other lawyer would take them on. He also served on the Continental Congress, helping to draft the list of grievances against the King. He did a lot of diplomatic service to foreign countries. He was the first Vice President of the United States, under George Washington. Eventually, he would go on to serve as the second President of the United States. His presidency saw a few notable moments: the XYZ Affair, Alien and Sedition Acts, the Quasi-War, and the Fries Rebellion. He established the Library of Congress, and also moved the capitol to Washington, D. C. He died on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, on July 4, 1826. (Thomas Jefferson died a few hours before Adams on the same day.) He was 90 years old.

David McCullough was an amazing historian. His research is always spectacular. There are a lot of interesting books and other materials listed in his bibliographies for further reading on the subject or the time period in which his books are focused. I greatly enjoy his work, and have not found one that I disliked or have anything negative to say. In fact, the only thing negative that I could come up with about this book is that it was exceptionally long. I am trying to get through all of these unread books of mine, and I had started out reading and listening to the shortest ones first so that I felt like I was making progress. When I got to this big book, I felt slowed down. The writing was wonderful, and it was not dull to read, despite the 700 page count. This author has some really great and informative books on United States history, and I strongly encourage anyone who is interested in US History or who is studying US History to read the books written by this author. They are very valuable.

 John Lehman was born in Pennsylvania in 1942. Lehman began his career in the Air Force Reserve, but ultimately joined the United States Navy in 1968. He rose through the ranks to become a commander, and also served under Henry Kissinger on the National Security Council. In 1981, President Regan appointed him Secretary Of The Navy. He served in that capacity until 1987. During his time in that role, he posited and strongly advocated for the creation of a 600 ship Navy. He did several other things, especially in regard to furthering the Navy during his time as Secretary.

One non-naval thing I learned about the author is that he is the first cousin of Grace Kelly, once removed. I am a Grace Kelly fan, so I thought that tidbit was especially interesting. In fact, he was/still is on the Princess Grace Foundation (USA), which supports artists in film and dance.

I was gifted this book by a friend who served in the United States Navy. She knew that I enjoyed war books, and this was in a box of several books that she mailed me. I am thankful for good friends who like to gift me books! I hate that it took me so long to get around to reading this particular one, but I am diligently working through my unread items in my effort to downsize. As far as this particular book goes, I found it more interesting that I first thought that I would. I am not very well versed on Naval history, so I had hoped to learn a bit about that, and did. I also enjoy personal memoirs about military service, so it was a win in that department as well. I was a little concerned about the content, because of the political affiliation of the author, but it did not contain a slew of hate speech and rudeness, which was a great relief. Learning about the plan for a 600 ship Navy was very interesting, especially since this book gives a behind the scenes look at it. Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If you are interested in the US Navy, this might be one for you! 

This book takes a deep dive into the case of Elizabeth Haysom. Elizabeth's father was a steel executive, and her mother was Nancy (Astor) Haysom, an artist. She attended boarding schools overseas, but returned to Virginia for college. While attending college, she met Jens Soring, the son of a German diplomat. Her parents bodies were discovered in their Virginia home, nearly decapitated. As it turns out, Elizabeth had rented a car and drove to Washington D.C. with Jens to establish an alibi, even though they were not initially suspected in the murders. I do not want to give away any details on their motives or how they were discovered, but it was a wild case. 

Ken Englade is one of the more enjoyable true crime writers that I frequently read. He always manages to tell the facts of cases in a way that is interesting and not just a recitation of facts. Readers really learn a lot about the people involved in the cases, and their backstories. His books are also written in a tasteful manner, and do not sensationalize crimes, merely convey the facts of the case and the personal histories of those involved. I enjoyed this book. If you are interested in this book, it is currently available to listen for free on Audible Plus if you have the subscription. I will say that this book concludes some time ago, so you should really do a quick Google search for updates on Elizabeth and Jens. I always recommend doing a Google search for updates on any true crime books you read, because appeals, parole, deaths, etc. can always occur in the meantime. If you are going to learn about a case, you should want to know the most current details as well. 

 John List was born in Bay City, Michigan in 1925. He graduated high school in 1943, and subsequently enlisted in the United States Army. He served during World War II as a laboratory technician. He attended college after he was discharged from the United States Army, and obtained two degrees in accounting and business administration. He was a devout Lutheran, and served his church in the capacity of Sunday School teacher. He married Helen Morris Taylor in 1951. The couple had three children together, as well as one daughter from Helen's previous marriage. The stepdaughter moved out, leaving the other children at home. List murdered his children, wife, and mother on November 9, 1971. The bodies were not discovered for a month. List vanished. He was the subject of an FBI manhunt, and was featured on America's Most Wanted, where he was recognized by a neighbor in his new city. List was arrested on June 1, 1989.

This book is currently available on Audible Plus to listen to for free with your subscription. Additionally, this book is featured on The Last Podcast On The Left, episode 438. The hosts of the podcast usually suggest really good books to read that they have used in their episode research. I had faith that this book would be very informative about John List, and it was. I learned some things that I did not learn from the podcast or on the Forensic Files episode that I watched about this crime. I really enjoyed this book, and am planning to look for more by this author. 

 The case that this book covers is one that took place in 1932 in Natchez, Mississippi. The author of this book started out researching some of the Antebellum homes that were offered for tours. The Natchez Pilgrimage was celebrating it's 80th anniversary of tours at the time the author began researching, and this is how she discovered Goat Castle. Goat Castle was the home of Richard Dana, which he shared with Octavia Dockery. The house was so named because the duo had several pet goats that just did as they pleased. Dana and Dockery enlisted the services of George Pearls, who happened to be an African American man. They wanted him to rob their neighbor, and longtime nemesis, Jennie Merrill. Mr. Pearls was unable to face trial, so somehow an innocent woman, Emily Burns, was put on trial for this crime instead. This whole story was wild.

I really enjoyed learning about the Antebellum homes. Southern culture is something else entirely, and I say that as a born and raised Southern person. People are of two mindsets here- you must love and celebrate everything SOUTHERN, or you must denounce it. It really isn't that simple. There is a medium area. You must look at the whole. The actions of the south created and caused a lot of things, lasting things, and not all of them are good. You can enjoy the architecture of a place, while also learning about the things that happened on the property. You cannot erase the things that happened, because that serves no historical purpose, and also really does a disservice to the memories of those who endured who knows what on the properties. Anyway, that is a digression from the purpose of this review, but I encourage any readers of this review, those who are interested in Civil War history, to really look at the establishment of properties and homes like this. Not all Antebellum homes were Plantation Homes, but looking into the family wealth and where it came from is something that should be considered when touring or learning about these homes. Just because the façade is beautiful, what is behind closed doors may not be.

This book is currently available on the Audible Plus catalogue. The author really did a great deal of research on this book. The case was not one that I was familiar with prior to reading this book. People have heard about the Jim Crow laws and all of the other racist nonsense that goes on down here. (Certainly, if it wasn't believable to people before, it should be now, in light of many recent events.) This case is a prime example of society in the south. It doesn't matter WHO did the crime, as long as SOMEONE pays for it, especially if that SOMEONE can be African American. It furthers the belief that all African Americans are miscreants and untrustworthy in some way. This case and this book is a reminder that racial injustice was absolutely taking place- not only taking place, it was COMMON PLACE. I think this book was interesting for several different reasons. My history major heart was pleased to learn about the social aspects of this time period, the homes, etc. My true crime loving heart was very interested in the case, the outcome, and the injustice. This was a spur of the moment download for me, and I am very pleased with this selection. 

Ellis Island is an island located in New York Harbor. From 1892 to 1954, Ellis Island was the busiest immigration center in the United States. (Interestingly, I have found two of my ancestors that immigrated through this location.) Something like 12 million people were processed through Ellis Island when they entered the United States. In addition to an immigration station, the island was home to Fort Gibson, a naval magazine, a detention center for migrants, and housed prisoners of war in both World War I and World War II. Ellis Island was added to the Statue Of Liberty National Monument as a historic site for tourism in 1965. I would love to see this site one day.

The author of this book did an amazing job in communicating what it was like to filter through Ellis Island in a vivid enough way that readers could imagine it. I appreciated the research that the author did into the history and development of Ellis Island, but I appreciated the telling of stories from people who actually immigrated and came through there. First hand accounts are so valuable to the historical record, and to the families in which they belong. I learned a great deal about immigration from this book. This was a really tremendous book, and I wish that I would have gotten around to reading it sooner. If you are looking to learn about the history of Ellis Island and immigration, I highly recommend this book.

 Peter Balakian was born in 1951 in New Jersey. His father was sports medicine inventor, Gerard Balakian, and his mother was Arax Aroosian Balakian. Balakian is a published and renowned poet, though I was unfamiliar with his work until I looked him up after reading this book. (I read several poems that I very much enjoyed and cannot wait to get the actual books of poetry he published to add to my collection.) He wrote another book, which is on my to be read list, called The Burning Tigris. (The Burning Tigris is about the Armenian Genocide.) In this book, Balakian offers portraits of several members of his family who were displaced and eradicated in the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. (This genocide is fervently denied by a lot of people, especially the Turkish government. It is also one of the most ignored genocides, next to the genocide of indigenous people from North America.)

I thought this book was deeply personal and well written. I loved learning about the people in the author's family. As a World War II history major, I have often been drawn to, and read a lot of, Holocaust survivor books. I think it is extremely important to tell the stories and experiences of people who are no longer around to tell them. It is so important to make sure that crimes against humanity are never forgotten, so that we do not repeat them in our modern societies. (That seems like...pissing into the wind, really, with the things going on today in the United States with the systematic stripping of women's rights, religious freedoms, the dumbing down and whitewashing of education, and rights for LGBTQIA folks. However, it is very important that we keep learning about these very things and preparing ourselves to fight against them.) There are a lot of details about the lesser taught genocide, which I thought was tremendous. I bought it specifically because I had only read about the Armenian Genocide in passing, and had a deep desire to want to learn more. Mission successful. Even though the book was educational, and also a personal reflection on someone's childhood and family members, the book was easy to read and a page turner. I really enjoyed this book a lot more than I expected to. 

 Laura Jean Ackerson was 27 years old at the time of her disappearance. She was living in Kinston, North Carolina, and was last seen alive in Raleigh, North Carolina, on July 13, 2011. She was reported missing by her coworkers when she failed to show up for work. She had dropped her children off to their father's house the day she went missing, and never picked them back up on the scheduled date. Their father, Grant Hayes, was in a custody dispute with Laura, and had since married another woman, Amanda. As it turns out, this miserable couple killed Laura, and did a whole host of disgusting things to her before dumping her body. I won't go into much detail about that, because I do not want to ruin the book for those unfamiliar with the case. Remains were recovered in Richmond, Texas, and were later determined to be Laura's.

This case was featured on the show Deadly Women (Beauty and the Beastly on ID Channel). As far as I can discover, Grant Hayes parents have custody of the children, and I think that is shameful. I have mixed feelings about the family members of people do crimes, because they should not be punished in a lot of cases, but they obviously failed to raise a son with any moral compass what so ever and thus should not be raising those kids. They should have went to someone in their murdered mothers family. Hopefully, the kids are well taken care of and are living the best life that they can, but the whole situation gives me the ick. Grant was given life without parole. Amanda filed `for divorce and was tried separately, but she was found guilty of murder and tampering with evidence. She is serving 13-16.5 years for the murder and 20 for tampering with evidence, to run consecutively. At the time of reviewing this book, both are still alive and incarcerated, breathing air they do not deserve to. Also, if you look up her mugshots, she looks entirely too smug and if I could go through this screen and punch that look off of her face, I would. Same goes for him. Vile human beings.

As far as the book itself went, it was decent. There were plenty of details about the case in the book, and it was clear that the author did proper research about the case before writing. The case was presented in a way that was not boring, which I appreciate. Sometimes, you get true crime books that are very dry, but this was not one. I was very interested in what was going to happen next in the case, and since I had not heard much about it beyond seeing this in the news headlines, I learned a lot. I believe that I have read a couple of other books by this author, and I think they were equally as well done. If you are interested in this book, it is currently available on Audible Plus. 

 Frederick Townsend Ward was born in Massachusetts in 1831. He was a fairly rebellious kid, and left school to serve aboard a clipper ship in 1847. He briefly returned to school, but left again to serve aboard another ship, captained by his father. He served in several capacities at sea throughout the years. He did a stint filibustering. He joined the French Army and served in the Crimean War. Eventually, he just simply turned into a mercenary. He died in China in 1862. He crammed a lot of adventure into his short thirty years, that is for sure. He has a headstone in Salem, Massachusetts, but his body is not buried there. He also has a memorial in China, but the actual whereabouts of his remains are unknown.

I have had this book on my shelves for quite a while, and finally made it around to reading it. I had never heard of Frederick Townsend Ward, nor had I known that mercenaries from the United States participated in the Taipan Rebellion. This was only very briefly covered in one of my history classes in college, so this book was very valuable to me as far as educating myself went. The research was done well, and you could tell the author had studied up on this topic and knew what he was talking about. I just discovered that this author has several more books that look very interesting, so I will probably order those. I accidently ran across this one at my local used book store for a dollar. It was actually in the Civil War section, so it was a big surprise to me that it was not a Civil War book. The events in this book did take place at the same time that the United States was going through the Civil War, so perhaps that is why it was shelved that way. At any rate, I enjoyed this book. It wasn't very long either, which is helping me meet this reading challenge this year and emptying out my TBR stack. 

 

School shootings, and mass shootings in general, have been on the rise in recent years. I was in sixth grade when the shooting at Columbine happened. That was the first mention of a school shooting that I had ever heard of, and now there are so many people just seem to shrug the news off. The actual events are traumatic and heartbreaking, but it is equally heartbreaking that people are not even shocked by it. It is really just a matter of time before it happens in every single community throughout the country. People debate the reasons and motivations behind these shootings, and immediately jump to mental illness. Very clearly something has disturbed these people to the point that they think this particular action is the way to go. There is certainly some level of mental disturbance here. Bullying is also offered up as a reason people do these things, and I am sure that in at least some of the cases, that does play a part. People reach a breaking point. (We could all be a little more educated about things and kinder as well.) This book offers some insight into the psychological reasons that school shooters get to the point of shooting up the schools, as well as the warning signs to look for.

There is a desperate need for gun reform in the United States, but people hear that and start screaming about the government wanting to take guns away. There should be wait periods. There should be background checks. There should be licensing required. There should be age limits. There are a lot of small changes that could be made or improved upon to help combat this situation. One of the main issues is irresponsibility. I live in the South. I have lived in a house with guns every day of my life. They were kept up. We were taught about guns and gun safety. (I have never used one, but I knew early on that they were dangerous.) A lot of people leave them laying out and there are so many gun injuries beyond school shooting because people are irresponsible with them. The ease of access is a problem. We should be more vigilant. We should be more aware of our surroundings and the people in them. We should be saying something when we see something questionable, and when we do say something, authority figures and peers need to take it seriously!!

This was a short book, less than 200 pages. It was also a fairly short listen on Audible, and is currently available on Audible Plus for those of you who are Audible members. The reviews on this book are full of hot takes, which I expected. This is a hot button issue. I appreciated the warning signs to look out for. I think that this book offers up some really good talking points about this topic that can be discussed with your children. This was not my favorite book of the year, or even on this topic, but I think that it has some face value that can be used for education and to start conversations that may be difficult. It is such a short read, that it is worth reading just for that alone.