Courtesy of the publishers, I had the
opportunity to read an advance copy of Valley
Forge: George Washington and the Crucible of Victory
by Newt Gringrich and William R. Forstchen. This is the follow-on
to their collaboration on their book To Try Men's Souls, and again Gringrich
and Forstchen put flesh on the ordinarily dry depictions of what went on
during the Revolutionary War after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The authors go beyond events and dive into the characters, emotions,
and physical hardships that comprised the day-to-day existence of those
fighting for their lives and the newly found freedom of America.
The novel (based on historical fact)
starts out at the Battle of Paoli on September 10, 1777. The American
troops were defeated by the British, but it went beyond that. Rather
than just claim victory and take prisoners, the bloodlust of the British
troops led to a massacre using rifles, pistols, and bayonets. For
those who escaped and fled, humiliation and anger fed their desire to regroup
and avenge that loss. But before that could happen, Washington's
troops had to regroup and spend the winter at Valley Forge, waiting for
the spring when battles could begin again in earnest.
The harsh conditions usually depicted
at Valley Forge don't begin to cover the reality. They arrived to
find no supplies, no material, and no support promised by Congress. Tens
of thousands of troops, literally clinging to life, had to endure freezing
temperatures with little shelter and virtually no food. Slowly, Washington
was able to start getting food from scavenging runs, as well as supplies
to build cabins, but not before thousands either deserted or died of various
diseases. And even if they survived the winter, there was no guarantee
that they'd have the skills to battle and defeat the British in their depleted
state. Washington gambled on the skills of Baron von Steuben to turn
the ragtag band of soldiers into a disciplined fighting force capable of
standing up to the Lobsterbacks regardless of the type of battle.
von Steuben had three months to accomplish
what takes Prussian soldiers three years to achieve, and it all came down
to the Battle of Monmouth on July 28, 1778. It was there that the
Revolutionary and British forces met on an open field, with temperatures
reaching over 100 degrees. For the first time, the American forces
were able to face and defeat the British using the tactics taught to them
by von Steuben. While Washington was hoping for a decisive win that
would end the war right there, it didn't happen. The British were
able to withdraw and get a significant number of troops over to New York,
which was their plan all along. But Monmouth was the turning point,
when it became clear that the tide had turned, and no longer would the
British be the superior force and have the support of the people of the
land.
Valley
Forge is one of those books that
stays with you for a long time, and makes you ponder what sacrifices have
been made to give us the freedom we enjoy today. I think you have
to be a little careful to not take this as absolute truth as to the motivations
and personalities of each major character. For instance, Washington
is portrayed as a troubled leader who is all-consumed with the agonies
and hardships his forces are enduring, losing sleep night after night over
his ability to provide for them. While that may well be a significant
part of his personality, I'm a bit cynical as to him being as perfect and
selfless as he's painted here. Given Gringrich's political leanings,
I can understand where patriotism might cause one to portray Washington
in a very favorable light. But even taking that into account, Valley
Forge still does an excellent job in adding the real blood, sweat, and
tears to events that were pivotal to the formation of our country. This
was a very good read, and well worth the time spent.
Book Review - 11/22/63: A Novel by Stephen King
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 8:41p Thomas Duff While I end up liking most of the books
that I read by Stephen King, he isn't an author that I salivate over when
something new comes out. I'm not sure why, as I like the genre and the
style of writing. Perhaps I'll chalk it up to having too many other things
to read. :) Anyway, 11/22/63:
A Novel caught my interest in
terms of what it might be like to go back and prevent an event in history
that changed the world. Once I started reading, I was pretty much hooked.
King put a slant on [read] Keywords:
110
The Companion
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 3:50p Thomas Duff The Companion
Never far way, the companion follows.
An unwelcome traveler, tracking my steps.
I know the shadow is there, but I never
know where.
I run fast, but not always fast enough.
I'm caught, and the shadow surrounds
me.
All is darkness, direction is lost.
I know light exists outside the shadow,
but how deep is the darkness?
Will I break out into light with the
next step,
or will the journey out of the dark
be long?
I'll keep moving, keep hoping that the
n [read] Keywords: traveler
71
Book Review - Curse of The Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917 by Laura M. Mac Donald
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 1:31p Thomas Duff I'm always amazed when I run across
a major event or disaster that I've never heard about before. That happened
last year when I was on a cruise that had a stop in Halifax. It was there
that I learned about the 1917 Halifax explosion that nearly leveled the
town. To get more information (and based on the recommendation of a friend),
I went to the library and picked up Curse
of The Narrows: The Halifax Disaster of 1917 by
Laura M. Mac Donald. It's not an easy read due to the overwhelmi [read] Keywords: mac
87
Book Review - How Do You Kill 11 Million People?: Why the Truth Matters More Than You Think by Andy Andrews
Sun, Feb 12th 2012 10:50a Thomas Duff How
Do You Kill 11 Million People
by Andy Andrews is one of those books that, on the surface, has a title
that seemingly begs to get people riled up. The mind quickly goes
to politics, ethics, religion, or a myriad of other issues that cause instant
controversy and division in today's society. But if you take a step back
and clear your mind, the message here is one that is true and transcends
labels that we place on people and groups. In short... how do you
kill 11 million people?
[read] Keywords:
384
Would you like to win a free copy of the IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide?
Mon, Feb 6th 2012 6:08a Thomas Duff Do you like to win a free copy of the
IBM Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide?
Well, all you need to do is visit IBM
Sametime 8.5.2 Administration Guide
and tell us the one feature that makes you want to own this book in the
comments section below. Make sure to enter your email address, so that
I can in touch with you. Two individuals who have mentioned the best reasons
will be provided with an e-copy each.
This drawing will run through February 19th, and we'll select two winner [read] Keywords: administration
ibm
lotus
sametime
email
Managing your message at a social conference by deleting comments... Really?
Mon, Jan 16th 2012 11:27a Thomas Duff So I'm out on PlanetLotus, looking over
the blogs for today's OGS and such, when I find this blog entry from Avabiz
and ReduceMail: Come
talk to ReduceMail Booth 320: IBM’s Showcase Customer Went to Outlook.
I find that a little odd that a vendor
at Lotusphere would be taking that particular angle as a blog entry to
promote their product. But looking at all their blog entries, I see
the same pattern. People are defecting from Notes, so come talk to
us about our mail prod [read] Keywords: ibm
lotusphere
notes
outlook
planetlotus
156
Book Review - 1,000 Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your Life by Linda Cohen
Mon, Jan 9th 2012 7:00a Thomas Duff One of my goals/resolutions for 2012
is to incorporate intentional acts of kindness as a regular part of my
daily life. About the same time I committed to that, I ran across this
title that became available at our library... 1,000
Mitzvahs: How Small Acts of Kindness Can Heal, Inspire, and Change Your
Life by Linda Cohen. What perfect
timing... This gave me some ideas and inspiration for things I could do
above and beyond the "say something nice to someone" efforts.
It also caused me t [read] Keywords:
170
Book Review - Stories From Jewish Portland by Polina Olsen
Sun, Jan 8th 2012 8:27a Thomas Duff Portland has a colorful past, with varied
influences from multiple ethnic groups and cultures shaping the city over
the years. One group I hadn't seen covered much from that angle is the
Jewish community. How did they make it to Portland? What role did they
play in the city? What struggles and triumphs did they have? Polina Olsen
helps to answer some of those questions in her book Stories
From Jewish Portland. Olsen writes
a column called "Looking Back" for the Jewish Review, and here
[read] Keywords: community
office
897
Book Review - Micro: A Novel by Michael Crichton and Richard Preston
Mon, Jan 2nd 2012 5:35a Thomas Duff It's been a while since I've picked
up a novel by Michael Crichton. When our library put Micro
by Crichton and Richard Preston
into circulation, I grabbed a copy in order to try and catch up a bit.
I was a bit surprised when I read the intro and found that Crichton had
died and Preston took over to finish the novel. I think I probably heard
or knew about his death at one point, but I certainly hadn't remembered.
So how does this Crichton/Preston novel fare? I'll be honest... to
try [read] Keywords:
