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Posted in #History

Trail of Tears

A Captivating Guide to the Forced Removals of Cherokee, Muscogee Creek, Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw Nations (Indigenous People)

Explore the Cruel History of the Trail of Tears
Free History BONUS Inside! One of the darkest and cruelest chapters in the history of the United States occurred when the nation’s young government decided to remove the native peoples from their lands in the name of profit. Having helped settlers for hundreds of years, five Native American tribes found it increasingly more difficult to relate to and trust the country that had once acted as their allies. The native peoples had fought alongside the Americans to gain freedom from England, the nation that the colonists deemed oppressive and unfair. The native peoples acted as benefactors and teachers, helping the colonists to gain an advantage against an army that was far superior to the small forces that the colonists could muster. The new country owed a lot of its existence to the native peoples, yet the settlers, who were of European descent, did not see it that way.

The following topics will be covered in this book:

  • The Early Relationship
  • The Growth of Manifest Destiny
  • The Discovery of Gold and the Indian Removal Act
  • Peaceful Protests and a Push for Recognition
  • The People Versus the President
  • The Militia Force Removal
  • The Trail of Tears
  • Stories of Pain, Loss, and Love
  • Making a New Home
  • And a Great Deal More You Don’t Want to Miss Out On!

#History, , #WorldHistory, #AmReading,

Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree

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Red Sox Rule

Terry Francona and Boston’s Rise to Dominance 

The story of the changing face of baseball and the inner workings of its finest organization

After a hundred “cursed” years, the Boston Red Sox rose gloriously to baseball domination. Under the leadership of manager Terry Francona, an extraordinary team of wildly disparate personalities—from the inscrutable Manny Ramirez to the affable David “Big Papi” Ortiz—pulled off two improbable post-season comebacks to make it to the World Series twice in three years . . . and ultimately emerged victorious. In Red Sox Rule, Michael Holley, bestselling author of Patriot Reign, provides a fascinating, insightful, and surprising inside look at how it all happened.

With the exclusive cooperation of Terry Francona and stories from the clubhouse and the conference room, Holley reveals the private sessions and the dugout and front-office strategies that have made the Red Sox a budding dynasty, overtaking their archrivals, the powerful New York Yankees, as the American League’s elite team.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Enlightening. . . . An X-and-O guy’s dream . . . the best thing I’ve read on football in recent years. . . . Superb.” – Peter King, Sports Illustrated on Patriot Reign
“… a look inside the Fenway Park bunker…extremely insighful into how being a manager of a major league team has evolved, and how Francona has become the embodiment of that evolution.” – Providence Journal
“Illuminating… enjoyable reading.” – Boston Globe
“An inside look at how Francona manages gfames and his ballclub… Fascinating.” – Kennebec Journal (Maine)
“Engaging…Holley puts Francona s managing style in perspective through accounts of his hard-luck playing career, descriptions of cantankerous managers of the past, and analysis of how the game has evolved over the years. – Providence Journal-Bulletin

From the Back Cover

Michael Holley, bestselling author of Patriot Reign, provides an inside look at how it all happened. With the exclusive cooperation of Terry Francona and stories from the clubhouse and the conference room, Holley reveals the private sessions and the dugout and front-office strategies that have made the Boston Red Sox a budding dynasty.

When Grady Little’s job prospects were dimming during game seven of the Red Sox–Yankees playoffs in 2003, Oakland A’s bench coach Terry Francona was puttering around his house, unaware of his fate. General manager Theo Epstein and owner John Henry sat in their Fenway box, praying that Little would pull Pedro Martinez. And fans throughout New England howled when Martinez remained in the game and the Sox lost the series. They wanted Little’s head, and they got it.

In Epstein and Henry’s search for a manager, they wanted someone from the new school, someone who could manage wealthy and/or sensitive players and rely not only on gut and instinct but also on the cold science of statistics. Francona, the son of a professional baseball player and a major leaguer himself until devastating knee injuries ended his career prematurely, was a dark horse candidate. After all, he’d been a mediocre manager while with the Phillies. But he had a great head for the game, and as the manager for the minor league Birmingham Barons, he had managed none other than Michael Jordan without a glitch.

After Francona’s job interview with Epstein, which included a written test and a game simulation, the Red Sox felt they’d found their man. And now, after two championships in four seasons, they have their proof.

With a team of disparate personalities, from the inscrutable Manny Ramirez to the affable David Ortiz, Francona and the Red Sox have overtaken their hated archnemesis, the New York Yankees, as the American League’s elite team.

Insightful, fascinating, and surprising, Red Sox Rule is the story of the changing face of baseball and the inner workings of its finest organization.

About the Author

MICHAEL HOLLEY is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Patriot ReignNever Give Up (with Tedy Bruschi), and Red Sox Rule. He was a Boston Globe sportswriter for ten years, and he is the cohost of The Big Show on Boston sports radio station WEEI. Holley lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife and two sons.

#History, , #WorldHistory,

Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
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Posted in Cozy Mysteries

Hammocks, Handguns, & Hearsay

(A Camper & Criminals Cozy Mystery Series Book 31)

Campground cozy mystery with murder and gossip

Happy Trails Campground should be all hammocks, campfires, and quiet nights under the stars—but gossip travels fast when trouble rolls into town on four wheels.

When famous bounty hunter Colt Lincoln is found dead inside the Smelly Dog Groomer, clutching a sponge curler that belongs to Dottie Swaggert, suspicion immediately lands on the Laundry Club Ladies. Mae West knows her friend couldn’t be responsible, even if Colt had been stirring up trouble since parking his fifth-wheel camper at Happy Trails.

As Mae and the Laundry Club Ladies dig deeper, they uncover Colt’s connection to a notorious motorcycle gang—and the timing couldn’t be worse. A motorcycle convention is in town, filling the campground with strangers, secrets, and potential suspects. To protect their own, the ladies go undercover to find out whether the killer is hiding in plain sight among the bikers.

Meanwhile, Mae’s mama is pressing her to finalize wedding plans with her fiancé Hank, adding personal pressure to an already volatile situation. With rumors spreading, tensions rising, and danger creeping closer, Mae must sort truth from hearsay before another life is lost.

With Southern charm, sharp instincts, and plenty of campground know-how, Mae races to catch the killer before this case rides off into the night.

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Posted in #History

The General and Mrs. Washington

The Untold Story of a Marriage and a Revolution

Here is the story of the fateful marriage of the richest woman in Virginia and the man who could have been king. In telling their story, Chadwick explains not only their remarkable devotion to each other, but why the wealthiest couple in Virginia became revolutionaries who risked the loss of their vast estates and their very lives.

“One of George Washington’s secret weapons in his rise to power and immortality was the extraordinary woman he married. The story of the half-century-long married love affair of George and Martha Washington is truly inspiring.” —Willard Sterne Randall, author of George Washington, A Life

“Chadwick puts a more human face on Washington by creating a very detailed portrait of how he and the outgoing Martha lived: their food, their slaves and servants, their health, their furniture, their daily life together.”—USA Today

Editorial Reviews

Review

Deft portrait of the Washington team, building a life together and, eventually, a new nation. — Kirkus, June 15, 2006

From the Back Cover

“Chadwick puts a more human face on Washington by creating a very detailed portrait of how he and the outgoing Martha lived: their food, their slaves and servants, their health, their furniture, their daily life together.”
-USA Today

A doting stepfather, an enraptured husband, George Washington formed with his wife, Martha, a remarkable union that gave birth to the Union as we know it today. The General & Mrs. Washington is the story of the wealthiest couple in Virginia, who risked their vast estates, their love and their lives to lead the revolution that gave birth to America.

“A love story between two iconic Americans: George and Martha Washington. This book reminds us that their partnership helped make us who we are today.”
-Terry Golway, author of Washington’s General and Let Every Nation Know

“Enhances our understanding of the nation’s ‘first couple’ . . . A fine work of social history, providing keen insights into how people lived, worked and amused themselves.”
-John Ferling, author of Setting the World Ablaze and A Leap in the Dark

“Chadwick’s brisk narrative comes as close as we are likely to get to an understanding of the Washington union.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“Chadwick takes his readers through the story of a 40-year marriage, from the courtship of the heroic frontier colonel and the young widow, through the sudden death of George Washington and the last, painfully sad, years of Martha Washington’s life.”
-Mary V. Thompson, research specialist, Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens

“Bruce Chadwick vividly brings to life a time of turmoil and hope in a book that should endure as a fine example of historical journalism.”
-Willard Sterne Randall, author of George Washington: A Life

#History, , #WorldHistory,

Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree

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Native American History

A Captivating Guide to the Long History of Native Americans Including Stories of the Wounded Knee Massacre, Native American Tribes, Hiawatha and More (Indigenous People) 

If you want to explore the shocking history of the Native Americans then keep reading…

Free History BONUS Inside!

“History is written by the victors,” said the victor Winston Churchill. But does that compromise the truth of what really happened?

Propaganda has always played a crucial role in turning tides and swaying opinion, and in few places is that more pronounced than in the wholesale slaughter of the native peoples in both North and South America.

When some of the people of European descent could not get what they wanted from the Native Americans, they would demonize or dehumanize them so that the American people would clamor for government intervention. This is, for example, evident by analyzing Andrew Jackson’s speech to Congress on Indian removal where he would refer to the Native Americans as savages.

In this new captivating history book, you will discover the shocking and controversial history of the Native Americans.

Native American History: A Captivating Guide to the Long History of Native Americans Including Stories of the Wounded Knee Massacre, Native American Tribes, Hiawatha and More includes topics such as

  • Startlin Theories of the Arrival of the First Native Americans
  • The Current Understanding of Similar and Rival Tribes Based on Region
  • Arctic and Subarctic Tribes and Nations
  • Northeastern and Southeastern Peoples
  • Plains and Plateau Peoples
  • California and Northwest Coast
  • Hiawatha, Deganawida, and the Foundation for Democracies Today
  • Roanoke – The Lost Settlement
  • The Truth about Pocahontas
  • The Real First Thanksgiving – The Myth Versus Reality
  • The Native American Role in the War for Independence
  • Sacagawea – The Woman Behind the Legend
  • The Seminole Wars
  • Sitting Bull – Fighting Despite All Odds
  • Wounded Knee
  • The Unbreakable Code of the Code Talkers
  • And a Great Deal More You Don’t Want to Miss Out On!

#History, , #WorldHistory,

Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree
Book Reviews by the Reluctant Retiree

Looking for My Next Great Read!

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