The History Book Club discussion

Hi. I am a professor (not of history!) in New Jersey. I've been loving the threads here for nearly a year (I have commented only once or twice). I am interested in many areas of history, particularly "big history" the inevitably impossible attempts to explain broad historical trends over the course of centuries or millenia.

I thought I had introduced myself earlier. But here goes. Hi, everyone. I'm Belinda. I love history about the Native Americans and British History. I was born in California but moved to New Mexico when I was 5. I have a lot of Native American friends.

Hello. I'm Jim Stephens. I study western civilization. I'm still in exploration mode when it comes to Goodreads. This group looked interesting, so I joined. Nice to find so many learned people in one place. Thank you for having me.

Hi all,

Glad to be joining, and I look forward to the interesting discussions....

Hello Everyone; My name is David Myers, I am a 60 year old man who lives in small town Oregon (Ontario), USA. I have always been interested in things that earn me no money-- I belong to 2 groups: this one and "classic Literature", so I'm sure that you see what I mean. In spite of my deficient education I have always loved to learn and am an avid reader. Someone said (maybe Gandhi)"live each day as if it were my last, but learn each day as if I'll live forever". I am pleased to be a member of this group, and look forward to your insights.

Hello everyone, I'm Ty. I'm from Utah and have been a reader of all kinds of books since I was a small child. In grade school I got hooked on books about the Wild West and have been reading all kinds of history ever since. My most recent history read was Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh, and America's Fight Over World War II, 1939-1941. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and it altered my perception of both Lindbergh and Roosevelt. I hope to get some good recommendations from the group. Thanks!

Hi. I've been a member of this club for a while, but mostly a lurker until the Middle East challenge. I had early admissions to college to study pre-med, then studied engineering but ended up with an MFA in painting, my true passion. My work and interest now broaden to computer arts, photography and graphic design. Likewise, my reading selection is as diverse as my interests. Unfortunately, history is my weakest point since I usually prefer to imagine the possibilities of the creative arts, science and mathematics, instead of looking at the past. I now realize that it's important to look at the past in order to understand the future. I'm finding myself drawn to the strategies of politics, warfare, and economic manipulation in studying history, and seeing how they are all interconnected.

Hello. i! is the tag I use here. I'm from the United States and I am currently a student studying math, chemistry, and English with a concentration in writing, as well as philosophy. I enjoy music, art, and movies/film as well. Nearly anything, as everything is related and the more you learn the more enjoyment you get out of it all.

I have been meaning to read more history and political philosophy; I joined this group to find good throughways in areas I'm interested in. Some of those areas are: the North African theater of WWII, the American Civil War, the history of medicine, the history of industrialization and technology, the history of the Catholic church, Spanish/Iberian and Basque history, the ways in which art reflects the concerns of the day (this trends towards lit crit, but), and the extremes of the political spectrum. Currently I'm swinging a bat around in the dark reading Marx and Foucault, but I hope that reading them will give me some form of foundation and practice in analyzing historical events and analysis, and tags to begin investigating which areas of history might interest me most.

I'm looking forward to reading works by Kant, Hegel, Spengler, and Gibbon this year, as well as The Power Broker, which seems to be getting some sitewide attention lately, Shirer's Rise and Fall, and some books about the drafting of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. I read some non/fictional works about American chattel slavery and Haitian history this year that were very enlightening. I travelled to Ethiopia several years ago and have been interested in efforts to ameliorate conflict-zones which are mired in historical economic and political abuse ever since, although Ethiopia itself has been historically remarkably robust.

All that being said, I wasn't raised in a particularly intellectual family. No art, lit, or history buffs to influence me, so I feel like I'm playing catch up big time.

Hi I'm Francie and I thought I had introduced myself back in March. I'm a court reporter from Georgia. I grew up as a proud military brat and have always loved history due to my dad's influence (he served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam). I've joined the Middle East Challenge and look forward to learning from this great group.

Welcome to the group everyone! First, I am thrilled that so many of you responded. What was sent was what we call a "broadcast" message - we do not send these often.

We send these for book offers and information that needs to be sent to the general group. When you get a broadcast message, if it pertains to you, then it will give you helpful and timely information about a free book offer, how to apply, and/or other time sensitive information.

Recently we have had a deluge of new members - so much so that we as volunteers could not reach out to each and every one of you personally as much as we would like to in the past when the group was smaller.

And we also felt that we had not even had the opportunity to say hello and find out your interests. And that is why you got this message.

You will find that you are in good company here and if you look around you'll see we have threads on current events, politics, economic history as well as many other historical topics. The special spotlighted and discussion topics are listed first and then the other subject areas are listed alphabetically.

As you get started please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link after all of the text of your post at the bottom of the post. Placement at the bottom of the post calls the reader's attention to the book and/or author and increases the readability of your post. This is how books you mention should look:

by Anthony Shadid

More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a moment to read our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

and the orientation to get you started:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Thanks and glad you joined us. I will start reading each and every one of your introductory posts and answer each one of them personally.

Bentley

Hello, I am Ryan and I live in Canada. I mostly like to read historical fiction, usually Roman times and middle ages Europe but sometimes deviate from that.

i! wrote: "Hello. i! is the tag I use here. I'm from the United States and I am currently a student studying math, chemistry, and English with a concentration in writing, as well as philosophy. I enjoy music,..."

i!, your diversity of interests is similar to mine. The more I know, the more I enjoy seeing how everything is connected. I didn't grow up in an intellectual or artistic household. I was the first to get a college degree, since college also was never discussed at home. Everything I've learned and accomplished, I can proudly say was self-motivated and with no help from my family. You'll do fine with catching up. Knowledge builds up with lightning speed when the foundation becomes thicker.

Welcome Ryan.......we are glad you joined us

As you get started please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link after all of the text of your post at the bottom of the post. Placement at the bottom of the post calls the reader's attention to the book and/or author and increases the readability of your post. This is how books you mention should look:

by Anthony Shadid


More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2......

Take a moment to read our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5......

and the orientation to get you started:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1......

Please join in the book discussion/recommendations and if you have any questions, just ask any of the moderators.

Hi, my name is Lisa & I am from Michigan. I am a Business Analyst by trade but I love all things History! I seem to gravitate to the American early 1900's and the WWII era. I like UK history too (Kings & Queens & such!). I enjoy historical fiction as well as non-fiction.

Recently my knowledge of history has served me well in the weekly trivia game I have joined with a group of friends. :-)

Thanks for allowing me to join the group!

hello,

my name is Kim. I am from Alabama USA. I usually a lurker but wanted to peak my head out and said Hi : ) I love history especially about Egypt

Hello everyone, my name is Tim Fodge from Oakwook, OH, USA and my connection to history began very young in life with visits to the public library. I always went for history and biographies. I majored in history as part of a Pre Law degree from Michigan State and taught for two years before leaving to work in the private sector. I have continued to read History, primarily Civil War and prior, but lots of the rest as well. Hope that helps! Thanks to all!

Well, I have always been a big history buff. I took several classes in college including American History, German History and Russian History. The reading material looked interesting so I joined.

Hi all,

I'm Jeremy. I'm from Utah in the US. I've not read and studied much since college, which wasn't too long ago, granted, but I've recently been consumed with a desire to read more than I ever have before, and to meet the best books! I really enjoy learning about history and I love hearing real people's stories. So that's why I joined this group to get some good ideas for some books to read and to get a chance to discus them! :-)

Hello,

My name is Teressa.

One of the things that intrigued me about this group is that the members are from all over the world. I've never traveled much beyond the US in person, but have found that online communities offer an amazing way to get to know others and learn about their cultures and ideas (and probably more intimately than traveling as one of a tourist herd wending through carefully selected "local experiences" would afford).

Although I love history in general, my favorite topics are history of technology/science, first person memoirs, and history of everyday things. I also enjoy well-done alternative histories.

These are a couple of my favorites:


Ancient Inventions (Peter James doesn't have a picture of himself)


Unsuitable for Ladies: An Anthology of Women Travellers (Jane Robinson doesn't have a picture of herself)

Salt: A World History

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife

I'm looking forward to meeting folks and participating!

Hi my name is Aimee, and I am 33. I am from Ontario, Canada. My mother instilled my love of history in me. Since I was 13 I started working on my family genealogy with her. I even did genealogical courses from the University of Toronto. I am very interested in England, Ireland and Scotland histories. Right now I am currently reading "Royal Mistress" by Anne Easter Smith. Looking forward to the discussions.

Hi Everyone, I have been a member of this group for awhile but forgot to introduce myself. I live in a small town in the mountains of Georgia. I have been a corporate accountant, a criminal lawyer, and now work with my husband in rural medicine. I love history -- mostly finance and sociology (why do people make the choices that they do).

Hi, My name is Rhea. I am very interested in history. I like to read books from all countries and times. Whether they are prose, poetry, philosophy, fiction or non-fiction, I have a very strong curiosity of understanding our history and human nature.
Lately, I have been listening to audio books on history in the car. I want to start listening to more books about world history and the history of other countries as I seem to have read a lot about the history of the United States. Any recommendations will be great. I don't come here much but I recently looked around to see the groups. I might come back to participate in discussions but I come and go due to my busy schedule.
Thanks and drop me a line anytime.

Hi there,
My name's Leslie Clement and I've been a member of the HBC for 27 years. I remember the very first book I purchased: "Grant & Lee: The Virginia Campaigns, 1864-1865."

I'm an avid American Civil War history buff and I've purchased many books from HBC over the years which address specific battles, and even specific days of the "War Between the States."

My interest in history goes perfectly with my previous profession as an Historical Archaeoloist. I specialized in 17-19th Century rural Virginia, and I was even the Artifact Conservator of the Jamestown Island archaeology collection from 1985-1986.

While on Jamestown Island, I always felt a special connection. Upon my return to California, my mom gave me a small, bound book, detailing her family's geneology. My mom's maiden name was "Allen", and her mom's maiden name was "Savage." It turns out that my ancestor, Thomas Savage, had been brought to the Colony in 1608 and played a key role in negotiations between the English colonists and Chief Powhatan.

I've not been back to Jamestown since then, but it is one of my dreams to return, and hopefully experience more of the connection I have always felt.

Hello everyone :)
I'm Jess and I love reading about history, especially Australian history & Tudor England. It's a pleasure to join this group and meet like-minded people :)
Jess

Hi
I am Randy Miller. I am a farmer from Pennsylvania who, if it weren't for my love of agriculture, would have studied history. My interest in history started with Bernard Cornwell and his archer series. After that I have become obsessed with reading historical fiction. I will dive into almost any topic, era, culture and period of time except, strangely enough, anything to do with American history. I mainly enjoy European history during the time of Napoleon with a focus on British history. My favorite books are the Aubrey/Maturin series, which I consider to be some of the best writing there is. I look forward to being a part of this group and to widen my scope of history and writing.

Hi everyone. My name is Mark and I have been reading history for many years. I enjoy practically all historic time periods with a special interest in military and religious history. I like Beevor's work. Just finished reding Sajer's Forgotton Soldier and before that it was McCoulough's The Johnstown Flood. Grew up in anthacite coal country in PA and live in MD.

Hi all, Athens here. I enjoy and use history as an aid to understanding philosophy and to give my own life connection.

My two main interest areas are Classical Greece and the ancient world (including Greek Archaic period) and secondly the German / Soviet war of 1941 to 1945.

I put effort into passing on what I learn to my kids in the context of what they are facing in their lives right now, with the intention of showing them that the thoughts and actions of people across time are both helpful learning elements and in some cases great examples of virtue.

It is an honor and pleasure to have this forum to learn from such excellent people.

Hello Everyone,
My name is Kit and I'm a 58 year old native of Metropolitan Atlanta. From a young age I've enjoyed reading history. I have a special interest in Military and Political history. I recently took a World History course offered for free in the Coursera online educational web site. I look forward to discussing what other people have been reading and broadening my history interests.

Thanks,
Kit

Hello everyone,
I considered a pretty typical 40-something American kid. In school, history was always amount by favorite subject; however like many American kids, I had no idea what I wanted to do when I grew up. Ten years later, I found myself settle into a small manufacturing company, and twenty years later I took my first business trip overseas.

In Turkey, I found myself a little overwhelmed with the place. In school, the Greeks and the Romans (Byzantines) were just units of study, and the Ottomans were merely a footnote. I had no clue, and it was sort of an awakening for me.

That was in 1998, and since then I have made follow-up trips to Australia, Morocco, and Indonesia. And for each trip, I make it a point to try to read up on each place I visit. I also make it a point to ask my national counterparts what person in their own country’s history to read more about.

Currently I am mainly focused on that historic and cultural fault line between East and West (Asia and Europe), but I strongly believe that all history is connected. As I a recent book I read (and I’m paraphrasing), “It may have been the West that transformed the World, but it was Asia that coerced them to do it.” I’m not too sure of the accuracy, but it is worth some thought.
Glad to be here,
Mark

I think I have already introduced myself. Just in case I Have not, I will do it again.
My Name is Steve Jenkins.
I am an avid reader, who has enjoyed learning about history since High School. I enjoy reading about all kinds of history. I also enjoy reading presidential biographies. I look forward to participating in some of these discussions.

@Ryan - message 90

Hello Ryan, I hope you saw my general hello with helpful links. If not I have added it to your message below.

It sounds like you have wonderful memories of your grandparents which stimulated your interest in history.

What a thrilling first hand oral history.

We do hope you will join in on the Roosevelt's Centurions discussion beginning May 28th. The author will be with us and it should be a topic that is in your interest area.

Here is the link to the folder:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Here is a link to the World War II folder:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

And some other military history threads:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Here is how we do the citation for the book I mentioned:

by Joseph E. Persico

We are delighted to have you join the group.

Here is the other note that I sent earlier to everyone who had responded with some helpful urls:

===================================

Welcome to the group everyone! First, I am thrilled that so many of you responded. What was sent was what we call a "broadcast" message - we do not send these often.

We send these for book offers and information that needs to be sent to the general group. When you get a broadcast message, if it pertains to you, then it will give you helpful and timely information about a free book offer, how to apply, and/or other time sensitive information.

Recently we have had a deluge of new members - so much so that we as volunteers could not reach out to each and every one of you personally as much as we would like to in the past when the group was smaller.

And we also felt that we had not even had the opportunity to say hello and find out your interests. And that is why you got this message.

You will find that you are in good company here and if you look around you'll see we have threads on current events, politics, economic history as well as many other historical topics. The special spotlighted and discussion topics are listed first and then the other subject areas are listed alphabetically.

As you get started please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link after all of the text of your post at the bottom of the post. Placement at the bottom of the post calls the reader's attention to the book and/or author and increases the readability of your post. This is how books you mention should look:

by Anthony Shadid

More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a moment to read our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

and the orientation to get you started:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Thanks and glad you joined us. I will start reading each and every one of your introductory posts and answer each one of them personally.

Bentley

I'm Jan from Southern California. I worked for 25 years at a university, during which I got my degree in Comparative Cultures with a minor in Anthropology, and raised 2 kids as a single parent. I am currently on medical leave which gives me all the time I'd like to indulge my reading habits. I've been an avid reader as long as I can remember, but now I can go wherever the whim takes me. For instance, a Science Fiction series set in Thuringia in 1632 led me to the 30 years' war and Gustavus Adolfus. A reread of Shakespeare has led to my current kick of reading the biographies of the characters in the history plays. Since I am interested in the people behind the events, I am drawn to biographies, but I'm not exclusive! A well written book can always suggest another line to follow. The more we know about history, the more we know about who we are.

Aloha wrote: "i! wrote: "Hello. i! is the tag I use here. I'm from the United States and I am currently a student studying math, chemistry, and English with a concentration in writing, as well as philosophy. I e..."

Aloha, your academic trajectory is remarkably similar to mine. I entered college doing mech e, but realized quickly that I didn't have a head for engineering. Pre-med with a chem emphasis was a compromise of sorts, which is where I am now, although I've always been drawn towards the arts, particularly creative writing. I've found that nothing is as intellectually satisfying as quantitative science or math, but nothing is as emotionally satisfying as a good poem, painting, or song. It's a tough position to be in, given the way the formal education system is set up here and most places, but it's led to a strong autodidactic tendency and all kinds of interesting personal connections. And the people you end up gravitating towards, working and hanging out with are always very interesting!

Hello Everyone! My name is Lonnie and I have lived in California all my life. I enjoy reading history with my primary interests being American history and politics.

Hello, all. My name is JoAnne, and I live in Las Vegas, NV. I began a love of history when I read Gone With the Wind at age 9. I grew up in a home where we traveled and visited historical places across the U.S. I was also lucky enough to marry a man who grew up near Gettysburg, PA, which fuels my interest in the Civil War. I also read biographies and art histories, with a smattering of British history.

Greetings everyone! My name is Lewis, and I am happiest with a biography or history book in my hands...or browsing for one at a local bookstore. Am very much looking forward to reading Roosevelt's Centurions...appears to be a fascinating story. Hope those of you reading it will greatly enjoy it as well.
Lewis C.

Hello all! My name is Fotis Kollias and I'm working as a journalist in Athens, Greece.

Hello everyone
My name is Tom Kilpatrick, and I am training to be a Montessori teacher in Atlanta, GA. My primary areas of interest is ancient history, especially Indo-European and near Eastern history, but I also like European and early Chinese history. I am glad to be a part of this group.

Hi guys!
My name is Denise and I love reading. History is a newer genre for me and I am loving it!

Hi, Everyone!

My name is Nita, and I love history. I also like good, high-quality literature. It is wonderful when they coincide. I fractured my hip, which is why I have not been active until now. But now I am looking forward to being a faithful participant in this group.

I think I introduced myself a long time ago, but just in case...

Hi, I'm Doug and I'm an alco...no, wrong group. Ha! I'm Doug. I was an infantryman in the Army, a correctional officer, high school history teacher, taught juvenile delinquents, a Master at Arms in the Naval Reserves, and now I teach in a federal prison. I have a degree in history. I live in the country with my wife and have three kids and four grandkids.

I love all aspects of history. I go through phases of studying different periods or topics for a while, but I actually love it all. It's our story. I've loved history my entire life.

I'm not sure how people could dislike it.

I also enjoy music, sports, writing, songwriting, outdoor activities, travel, making primitive wooden bows, and a lot of other things.

Hello, my name is Joyce--I live in the United States. I'm a teacher both in middle school and college. I love to read and travel. My expertise is in Holocaust Studies. I also love anything regarding presidential history.

Hello group, My name is Mike Rabasco and I am a huge civil war and world war 2 fan.

happy wrote: "I have commented a few time on various threads, so I should probably say Hello

My interest in history goes way back - I probably get it from my mother who alway had a history book of somekind layi..."

@happy - message 91

Hello happy, I hope you saw my general hello with helpful links. If not I have added it to your message below.

Your Mom was a strong influence on you - to be sure.

We do hope you will join in on the Roosevelt's Centurions discussion beginning May 28th. The author will be with us and it should be a topic that is in your interest area.

Here is the link to the folder:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Here is a link to the World War II folder:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

And some other military history threads:

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_...

Here is how we do the citation for the book I mentioned:

by Joseph E. Persico

We are delighted to have you join the group and if we can be on any personal help to you - please let one of the assisting moderators know.

Here is the other note that I sent earlier to everyone who had responded with some helpful urls:

===================================

Welcome to the group everyone! First, I am thrilled that so many of you responded. What was sent was what we call a "broadcast" message - we do not send these often.

We send these for book offers and information that needs to be sent to the general group. When you get a broadcast message, if it pertains to you, then it will give you helpful and timely information about a free book offer, how to apply, and/or other time sensitive information.

Recently we have had a deluge of new members - so much so that we as volunteers could not reach out to each and every one of you personally as much as we would like to in the past when the group was smaller.

And we also felt that we had not even had the opportunity to say hello and find out your interests. And that is why you got this message.

You will find that you are in good company here and if you look around you'll see we have threads on current events, politics, economic history as well as many other historical topics. The special spotlighted and discussion topics are listed first and then the other subject areas are listed alphabetically.

As you get started please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the "add book/author" feature when you comment. It makes things so much easier for people to see your book recommendations, because they can see the cover and the links to the author. And it helps the goodreads software connect books with groups that talk about them. When citing a book and/or author, please put the book cover, author's photo and author's link after all of the text of your post at the bottom of the post. Placement at the bottom of the post calls the reader's attention to the book and/or author and increases the readability of your post. This is how books you mention should look:

by Anthony Shadid

More information:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/2...

Take a moment to read our guidelines:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/5...

and the orientation to get you started:
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1...

Thanks and glad you joined us. I will start reading each and every one of your introductory posts and answer each one of them personally.

Bentley

Hello, I enjoy studying history. Some of my favorite authors are David McCollough, Jeff Shaara, and Stephen Ambrose. I'm always looking for my next read and a friend recommended I join goodreads and this group. I look forward to hearing what this group has to recommend.

Thanks,

Trent

Hello all, my name is Lee, a New Englander (go Red Sox!). Being in my mid 30's,I've been developing a taste for history over the last few years. Recently I decided to start a chronological survey of American history. Have read 1491, 1493, and American Colonies to start, all fascinating reads. Now time for some American Revolution books. I also like mysteries/thrillers , modern lit, and occasionally some Sci Fi, Fantasy, horror, and classic lit. Peace!

Hello everyone,
My name is Minaho and I'm from Japan. As I read literature and historical fictions, I am interested in history, especially the 17-20th centuries. I enjoy reading the books which gives their historical and social context. I am happy to participate in the group!

My name is Andrew. I'm an accountant but love reading history books. I jump around a lot with history but prefer American history and presidential biographies.

Reading history lets me continue to learn and expand my knowledge base for day to day conversations. I'm currently reading The Big Rich and learning about the Texas oil boom, which has interested me with a recent move to Texas.

Hi

I am Rahul from Bangalore, India. Primarily interested in Napoleonic and Roman History. ALthough not reading a history book these days, my next to read book is "The Lost River: On the trail of Sarasvati" by Michel Danino

Bentley wrote: "This is a thread where you can introduce yourself to the group. This is one of our rules and guidelines.

Please introduce yourself here so we can welcome you. Tell us a little bit about yoursel..."

Hi, I'm Ray, a retired engineer living in the San Diego, California area. After 40 years or so of reading little more than technical information, I'm now catching up on more general reading. I prefer non-fiction, mostly current events and history, and perhaps as an aftermath of 9/11, have developed a specific interest in the history of the Mid-East.