Four Books: Great Journeys through History

Book One

These are abnormal book reviews. And North Platte, Nebraska, was an abnormal town in 1942.

You would think that if an army of six million men took on a town of twelve thousand, the larger force would win. But in World War II, one such force never managed to overwhelm the little city it occupied for four long years. Only this happened in the center of the United States of America.

During the war, American troops rode on trains across the continent en route to the East or West Coast. From there they were shipped across the ocean to the Pacific or European theaters of war. North Platte, Nebraska, was right in the middle of all this, and its train depot recorded six million soldiers passing through in the first half of the 1940s.

What the townspeople did for these brave, fearful, eager, green, or experienced veterans brought tears to my eyes. They voluntarily manned and supplied a canteen for the soldiers nineteen hours a day, seven days a week, for more than three straight years. Troops could expect kisses, snacks, letters, and more in this town, which had chosen its own sacrificial path during that abysmal war.

I love to put myself in the shoes—as best I can—of people I meet or learn about. I try to think as they might think; feel as they might feel. Unfortunately, World War II abounded with awful tales to imagine. But this story, captured by Bob Green in his book Once upon a Town: The Miracle of the North Platte Canteen, must still enrich the hearts of those who experienced it.

Book Two

It was some 150 years after the fact, and frankly it was a dry historical survey. But The Civil War by Bruce Catton reignited my interest in that momentous period of American history like nothing else had in a long time.

I had forgotten about many battles, Andersonville Prison, and numerous generals and politicians. Also, I like to buck trends and study the understudied. For example, the Eastern Theater is better known than the Western Theater or the Southern campaigns in America’s Civil War. So a review of these and other lesser known aspects of the conflict was a treat.

Zeroing in on a narrow topic—such as the North Platte Canteen—provides powerful insight to an epic event. But understanding the entire picture—such as America in 1861-1865—is crucial, too.

This seems clearer to me from my last interaction with this book. As I was finishing it, one of my colleagues expressed interest in reading it. I knew he knew little about the war. I knew he was an intelligent person. I knew an overview would be a great place to start. And I felt proud to share it with him. Why?

He is an Egyptian—and the Arab Spring was underway. He really was interested in my country’s history, but I cannot help but think he was pondering his own nation’s past and future as well.

Book Three

While flying to Uganda for my final college semester, I did not guess that a novel about colonial South Africa would fast make my top ten list. But Alan Paton’s Cry, the Beloved Country did just that.

I had never heard of the international best-seller, and I knew and cared little about South African people or politics. But I got hooked after I began engaging the story’s forgiveness, integrity, and self-sacrifice.

A favorite passage:

“Therefore I shall devote myself, my time, my energy, my talents, to the service of South Africa. I shall no longer ask myself if this or that is expedient, but only if it is right…I do this not because I am courageous and honest, but because it is the only way to end the conflict of my deepest soul. I do it because I am no longer able to aspire to the highest with one part of myself, and to deny it with another. I do not wish to live like that, I would rather die than live like that. I understand better those who have died for their convictions, and have not thought it was wonderful or brave or noble to die. They died rather than live, that was all.”

The story is somewhat Christological in nature, and it still plays itself out in my mind years after I read it. That reminds me, of the four books in this article, Cry, the Beloved Country is the only one I have read twice…so far.

Book Four

I earned a history degree in 2005. Since then my study and love of history has continued in book after book. One of the best was entitled, simply, Truman. The 1,120-page masterpiece by master historian David McCullough consumed scores of hours of audio-book listening for me in 2009.

But then I moved overseas—halfway through my library’s tapes. I felt flummoxed, but resolute. One year later, on my first vacation home, I re-borrowed it from the library and took it with me to finish it. Have you ever mailed a library audio book back to your local library from the other side of the world? A great book can be worth it!

Truman examines the life and career of President Harry S. Truman. From childhood to marriage, from World War I artillery missions to atomic warfare against Japan, from county courthouse to U.S. Senate, from vice president to whistle-stop reelection campaign as president, from quirks to beliefs, and from heritage to legacy, McCullough portrays Truman as a great, but human, leader.

Oh yes, and Truman was a dedicated, life-long Democrat. I am a dedicated, life-long Republican. But that mattered little as I rolled through this incredible biography.