In Honor Of the 4th, It's All About History In 'Chris' Picks' At Library

MADISON, CT — Here are this month’s five great recommendations from E. C. Scranton Memorial Library staff member Christopher Jennings Penders.

Click on a title to place a hold. To find previous Chris Picks just click on the “What to Read” link at the bottom of this page or type “Chris Picks” into the search bar on our home page.

In celebration of Independence Day, Penders gathered five American history books to honor the day, and the month.

• 1776 David McCullough along with Stephen Ambrose are my favorite American History writers. They do more than simply reveal facts, The make you care about the story they are telling. I think I have read just about everything McCullough has written. 1776 is a standout, though not my favorite. Path Between the Seas about the building of the Panama Canal ranks higher for me. Both amazing books into how much detail McCullough puts into each successive book he writes.
• Undaunted Courage Like McCullough, I have read many Stephen Ambrose books. Another one to read is Nothing Like it in the World. Undaunted Courage is about Lewis and Clark’s trip to map the west. Nothing Like it in the World details the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.
• American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill Harry Truman What I found completely fascinating about American Gunfight is the fact I had no clue this happened. A gunfight on the streets of Washington, DC? Crazy, right? Crazier ... who planned the assassination attempt?
• Isaac’s Storm Isaac’s Storm is the first book published by Erik Larson, and it continues to be my favorite. About the Hurricane in Galveston, Texas, the book held me in its grip.
• 46 Pages: Thomas Paine, Common Sense, and the Turning Point to American Independence I remember when Scott Liell wrote 46 Pages. He lived in Madison and spent many days here at the Scranton Library working on the book. Thomas Paine and his pamphlet called Common Sense was all of 46 pages, hence Liell’s title. I checked recently if Scott had written anything else and much to my shock discovered that he passed in 2016. But he left a legacy with this book.