Remembering Memorial Day
Books recount historic lives, events
As Memorial Day approaches, l think of my grandmother. She, and maybe yours, too, called it Decoration Day.
In our family, the cookout seemed secondary to going to the cemetery. And we didn’t even have any family who died in active military service.
My grandmother saw the opportunity to decorate the graves of those we loved – if for no other reason than to honor their memory.
I think of my grandmother because of the lesson that stuck: Take time from whatever you’re doing to remember those who went before you, without whom you wouldn’t have the opportunities you have today.
On Memorial Day, in addition to decorating graves of fallen soldiers and others, it’s also a good time to reflect on why certain men and women sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom.
There are countless books on this subject. Here are a few personal favorites from my bookshelf:
“American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964,” by William Manchester. Manchester shows the famous general in full valor, yet with all his foibles in clear view: Brave yet vain. Brilliant yet paranoid. The book follows MacArthur through World War I, World War II and his firing for publicly disagreeing with President Truman’s Korean War policy.
“No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II,” by Doris Kearns Goodwin. This book showcases not only the meticulous research of historian Kearns, but also her sensitivity to both FDR and Eleanor as human beings with needs and feelings like the rest of us.
There are memorable accounts of Winston Churchill’s stays at the White House, down to a description of his night clothes.
“Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era,” by James M. McPherson. This comprehensive, 882-page, one-volume account of the Civil War is straightforward and easy to follow.
An excerpt: “John Brown had never shared the commitment of most abolitionists to nonviolence. Not for him was the Christ-like martyrdom of Uncle Tom. Brown’s God was the Jehovah who drowned Pharoah’s mercenaries in the Red Sea.”
“The First Salute: A View of the American Revolution,” by Barbara W. Tuchman. At 300 pages, this book discusses key events of the American Revolution and how the conflict played into world affairs.
As for a book on my shelf yet to be read: “A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II,” by Gerhard L. Weinberg. It’s 920 pages, and covers all the theaters of the war, as well as the roles of diplomacy, espionage and intelligence.