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Epoch Booklist RECOMMENDED READING
Are there books you’d recommend? We’d love to hear from you. Let us know at features@epochtimes.com onist Christopher de Monti eventually casts his lot with this guerilla force. The passion with which these men and women went down fighting is reflected in the fine storytelling abilities of Uris. A powerful and moving story.
This week, we feature a thrilling World War II novel, a collection of amusing sports stories, and a captivating look at the White House and alcohol.
History
‘The War Librarian’
By Addison Armstrong
2 Tales of Triumphant Journeys
Two women. Two timeframes. Two different circumstances. Their lives intersect in a brilliantly woven tale of courage, friendship, and forging new paths. Heartfelt, often horrific in nature, their stories are sure to enlighten, inspire, and definitely entertain.
G.P. PUTNAM’S SONS, 2022, 384 PAGES
BANTAM REISSUE, 1983, 576 PAGES
History
‘Mint Juleps With Teddy Roosevelt’
By Mark Will-Weber
What the Presidents Drank
at the magazine, his well-known colleagues (like Norman Mailer, Gay Talese, Joan Didion, and Walter Isaacson), and how the writers made the golden age of journalism golden. He also discusses the influence of his boss and the founder of Time, Henry Luce, on journalism and society.
ENCOUNTER BOOKS, 2023, 200 PAGES
For Kids
‘Mila
18’
By Leon Uris
Desperation
Forges Heroes
Based on real events, “Mila 18” is a magnificent saga of Nazi atrocities in Poland, the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw, and the freedom fighters who, in the end, battled German forces in the rubble of broken buildings, armed with a motley assembly of weapons and sheer grit.
Newsman and protag-
‘War of Shadows’
By Gershom Gorenberg
Reading the Enemy’s Mail
Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, one of the most storied commanders of World War II, gained his reputation commanding the Afrika Korps in Egypt. Rommel claimed his success was due to his ability to put himself inside the mind of his opponent. Rommel was not reading his enemy’s mind; he was reading his mail. This book examines espionage and signal intelligence during the 1940–1942 African campaigns. It’s told on a personal level yet reveals grand tactics and national strategies. It is gripping.
PUBLICAFFAIRS, 2021, 496 PAGES
Alcohol has played a role in American history from the Whiskey Rebellion to Prohibition and since. This book tells the role alcohol played with America’s first 44 chief executives. It follows their drinking habits, the various other relationships our presidents had with alcohol (Washington was a major whiskey distiller), and the role alcohol (and temperance) played in American politics. It’s an interesting tale told in an amusing manner.
REGNERY HISTORY, 2014, 300 PAGES
Memoirs
Classics
‘Ring Lardner’
By Ring Lardner
Baseball’s Bard and Humorist
‘God Bless You and Good Night’
By Hannah Hall
A Bedtime Touch-andFeel Book
This is a snuggly book designed to send the little ones into a peaceful sleep. They’ll love stroking Steve Whitlow’s illustrations as they watch the animals prepare for bed and say their prayers. It makes a great gift for new moms and is meant for kids 1 to 3 years old.
THOMAS NELSON, 2018, 18 PAGES
‘The Noise of Typewriters’
By Lance Morrow
The Golden Age of Journalism
Morrow, a longtime essayist for Time, remembers his days
“‘Shut up,’ he explained” is from Lardner’s story “The Young Immigrants.” If that line strikes you as funny, then you’ll likely enjoy other stories by this Jazz Age sports writer and short story master. Included here are classics like “Champion,” “Alibi Ike,” and “You Know Me Al,” the first-person narrative baseball tales spun by the egotistical and semi-literate Jack Keefe. Lardner’s eye for the absurd and the pompous and his keen ear for American vernacular in the early 20th century still bring his work alive today.
PENGUIN CLASSICS, 1997, 410 PAGES
‘Fox in Socks’
By Dr. Seuss
Tongue Twisting Glee
With read-aloud silliness that will have your tongue tied in knots to the delight of your giggling audience, “Fox in Socks” makes language exploration hilarious and fun. Even reluctant readers will want to give it a go. Not for bedtime.
RANDOM HOUSE, 1965, 62 PAGES