The On The Bookshelf Podcast

John Ferling's latest look at America's Revolution for 250th anniversary

WINNING INDEPENDENCE: The Decisive Years of the Revolutionary War, 1778-1781 (Bloomsbury; hardcover) the epic history of an under-explored period in the Revolutionary War from accomplished historian John Ferling. A master of the time period, Ferling’s narrative history illuminates the latter years of the conflict— the period between the surrender of a huge British army at Saratoga (October 1777) and the decisive Allied victory at Yorktown (October 1781)—when all seemed lost for the American cause of independence.

Much of the book considers the rival commanders, George Washington and Sir Henry Clinton – the choices that each faced and the decisions – good and bad – that each made. Washington emerged from the war with iconic status. Clinton was judged by contemporaries and a great many historians as a failure. But at the outset of 1781, Clinton was the more optimistic of the two. He thought the American rebellion was near collapse; Washington said that he had almost ceased to believe that victory was possible.

In 1778, the American victory at Saratoga had netted the U.S a powerful ally in France. Many, including General George Washington, presumed France’s entrance into the war meant independence was just around the corner. Meanwhile, having lost an entire army at Saratoga, Great Britain pivoted to a “southern strategy.” The army would henceforth seek to regain its southern colonies, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, a highly profitable segment of its pre-war American empire. Deep into 1780 Britain’s new approach seemed headed for success as the U.S. economy collapsed and morale on the home front waned. By early 1781, Washington, and others, feared that France would drop out of the war if the Allies failed to score a decisive victory that year.

WINNING INDEPENDENCE is the dramatic story of how and why Great Britain—so close to regaining several southern colonies and rendering the postwar United States a fatally weak nation ultimately failed to win the war. The book explores the choices and decisions made by Clinton and Washington, and others, that ultimately led the French and American allies to clinch the pivotal victory at Yorktown that at long last secured American independence.

Highly praised for his “Masterful” writing of “History written with the gravitation pull of a good novel,” (Dan Rather) Ferling brings to life the account of how American forces, on the brink of defeat, were able to turn the tide and win the war. Ferling says, “this is a book about choices made and not made, roads and risks taken or not, plans good and bad that were made and sometimes attempted, sometimes never ventured. It is about grievous mistakes, incredible heroism, and spectacular gambles. It is about the gruesome horrors of war. It is about shrinking from daring and acting with incredible audacity. It is about victory and defeat—and the thin line that often separated one from the other.”

JOHN FERLING is professor emeritus of history at the University of West Georgia. He is the author of many books on the American Revolution, including The Ascent of George Washington; Almost a Miracle; A Leap in the Dark; Whirlwind, a finalist for the 2015 Kirkus Book Prize; and, most recently, Apostles of Revolution: Jefferson, Paine, Monroe, and the Struggle Against the Old Order in America and Europe. He and his wife, Carol, live near Atlanta.

 

Michael Walsh on the Dozen World-Changing Battles of History plus 9/11

 

 

ABOUT A RAGE TO CONQUER

 

Michael Walsh's new book A Rage to Conquer is a journey through twelve of the most important battles in Western history. As Walsh sees it, war is an important facet of every culture - and, for better or worse, our world is unthinkable without it. War has been an essential part of the human condition throughout history, the principal agent of societal change, waged by men on behalf of, and in pursuit of, their gods, women, riches, power, and the sheer joy of combat.

 

In A Rage to Conquer, Walsh brings history to life as he considers a group of courageous commanders and the battles they waged that became crucial to the course of Western history. He looks first at Carl Von Clausewitz, the seminal thinker in the Western canon dealing with war. He then moves on to Achilles at Ilium, Alexander at Gaugamela, Caesar at Alesia, Constantine at the Milvian Bridge, Aetius at the Catalaunian Plains, Bohemond at Dorylaeum and Antioch, Napoleon at Austerlitz, Pershing at St.-Mihiel, Nimitz at Midway and Patton at the Bulge with a final consideration of how the Battle of 9/11 was ultimately lost by the U.S. and what that portends for the future.

The author of more than fifteen novels and non-fiction books, MICHAEL WALSH was the classical music critic for Time Magazine and received the 2004 American Book Awards prize for fiction for his gangster novel, And All the Saints in 2004. His popular columns for National Review written under the pseudonym David Kahane were developed into the book Rules for Radical Conservatives. His books The Devil's Pleasure Palace and The Fiery Angel, examine the enemies, heroes, triumphs and struggles of Western Civilization from the ancient past to the present time. He divides his time between Connecticut and Ireland.

 

Dr. Walter Strickland II brings indepth look at Black Christians in USA

Swing Low, volume 1: A History of Black Christianity in the United States by Walter R. Strickland II   The dynamic witness of the Black church in the United States is an essential part of Christian history that must be heard and dependably retold. In this groundbreaking two-volume work, Walter R. Strickland II does just that through a theological-intellectual history highlighting the ways theology has formed and motivated Black Christianity across the centuries.    In volume 1, a narrative history, Strickland tells the story of these themes from the 1600s to the present. He explores the crucial ecclesiastical, social, and theological developments, including the rise of Black evangelicalism as well as broader contributions to politics and culture.

Swing Low, volume 2: An Anthology of Black Christianity in the United States In this volume 2, an anthology of readings drawn from primary sources, Strickland and a team of editors uncover the breadth of these historical documents from throughout the centuries of Black history so that we can listen to Black Christianity in its own words.   From a 1776 sermon by pastor Lemuel Haynes to podcasts and interviews with people like Christina Edmondson and Lecrae, these selections illustrate the diversity, creativity, and resilience of the Black church throughout American history. The anthology features familiar names such as Phillis Wheatley, Gardner C. Taylor, and Martin Luther King Jr., as well as authors and leaders who are largely unknown, revealing insights from the church, academy, and beyond.

Renowned author Steve Berry with Cotton Malone #19-The Medici Return

Cotton Malone is on the hunt for a forgotten 16th century Pledge of Christ—a sworn promise made by Pope Julius II that evidences a monetary debt owed by the Vatican, still valid after five centuries—now worth in the trillions of dollars.  But collecting that debt centers around what happened to the famed Medici of Florence—a family that history says died out, without heirs, centuries ago. 
Who will become the next prime minister of Italy, and who will be the next pope? Finding answers proves difficult until Cotton realizes that everything hinges on when, and if, the Medici return.

 In Cotton’s latest suspenseful adventure, Steve dives into the Vatican, forgotten papal documents and 16^th century Italy, so he explains to me how he researches. The search for the forgotten 16^th century document takes Cotton on a chase of sorts through central Germany and into Siena and Florence, Italy, which the author visited. His books are known for their perfect blending of historical intrigue and suspense.

 Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of nineteen Cotton Malone novels, five stand-alone thrillers, two Luke Daniels adventures, and several works of short fiction. He has over twenty-six million books in print, translated into forty-one languages. With his wife, Elizabeth, he is the founder of History Matters, an organization dedicated to historical preservation. He serves as an emeritus member of the Smithsonian Libraries Advisory Board and was a founding member of International Thriller Writers, formerly serving as its co-president.https://

Celebrate the DJ with Bill Bewster & Frank Broughton's definite history

Twenty-five years since it first appeared, LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE: The History of the Disc Jockey (Grove Press; $22 paperback) remains the definitive history on the musical outlaw figure who not only revolutionized the music industry but also laid the foundation for modern music as we know it today: the disc jockey. Lively front row history with a riot of firsthand voices, it is an exhilarating dive into the DJ-led evolution that set the beat for clubland and ushered in new, exciting strands of dance music, with firsthand accounts of the births of disco, hip-hop, house, techno, and EDM. Newly calling attention to the women DJs who disrupted the status quo and made a place for themselves in a traditionally all-male guild, this seminal classic is fully refreshed with even more stories, two entirely new chapters ("Jazz-funk - Expansions" and "Woman - Fight the Power"), and a foreword by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem. LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE is a riveting and entertaining account of musical history and some of the most legendary parties of the century.

BILL BREWSTER is a former editor of Mixmag USA. His writing has appeared in The Face, The Guardian, Red Bull Music Academy, and he still regularly writes for Mixmag.

FRANK BROUGHTON is a freelance creative director and has written for i-D, The Face, Mixmag, DJ, Hip-Hop Connection, Details, NME, Rolling Stone, and many other publications.