Category Archives: Books

The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America

Posted on February 16, 2024 by billmanzi

The Great A&P and the Struggle for Small Business in America by Marc Levinson My rating: 4 of 5 stars A pretty good book about one of the first true retail behemoths in the United States, the Great Atlantic & … Continue reading →

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A Look at “Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins

Posted on January 14, 2024 by billmanzi

Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins My rating: 5 of 5 stars McKay Coppins has written a fascinating book that is a both a biography of Mitt Romney and a real important examination of the evolution of GOP politics over … Continue reading →

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Henry Kissinger Years of Upheaval

Posted on December 16, 2023 by billmanzi

Years of Upheaval by Henry Kissinger My rating: 4 of 5 stars The recent death of Henry Kissinger has brought all sorts of writing on his career, and in death the controversy and arguments over his impacts, his actions while … Continue reading →

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A Look at “President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier”

Posted on November 24, 2023 by billmanzi

President Garfield: From Radical to Unifier by C.W. Goodyear My rating: 4 of 5 stars C.W. Goodyear has given us an insightful look at James A. Garfield, the twentieth President of the United States. Garfield is a President that I … Continue reading →

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A Look at Nixon: The Education of a Politician 1913-1962

Posted on September 3, 2023 by billmanzi

Nixon Volume 1: The Education of a Politician, 1913–1962 by Stephen E. Ambrose My rating: 4 of 5 stars Stephen Ambrose has given us a three volume biography of Richard M. Nixon, the 37th President of the United States, and … Continue reading →

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A Look at “Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better”

Posted on July 29, 2023 by billmanzi

Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better by Jennifer Pahlka My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have been intrigued by recent writing (and podcasting) by Ezra Klein on the lack … Continue reading →

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A Look at “The Ghost at the Feast” by Robert Kagan

Posted on June 17, 2023 by billmanzi

The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941 by Robert Kagan My rating: 5 of 5 stars Author Robert Kagan has given us an extraordinary book that looks at U.S. foreign policy from 1898 to … Continue reading →

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A Look at “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers” by Paul Kennedy

Posted on June 3, 2023 by billmanzi

The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers: Economic Change and Military Conflict from 1500 to 2000 by Paul Kennedy My rating: 5 of 5 stars Paul Kennedy’s “The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers” is a monumental work … Continue reading →

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A Look at “Grant” by Ron Chernow

Posted on April 8, 2023 by billmanzi

Grant by Ron Chernow My rating: 5 of 5 stars “Grant” by Ron Chernow is a thoroughly researched and insightful biography of Ulysses S. Grant, one of the true giants of American history. The book does not shy away from … Continue reading →

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A Look at G-Man J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century

Posted on March 26, 2023 by billmanzi

G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century by Beverly Gage My rating: 5 of 5 stars J Edgar Hoover A new biography of J. Edgar Hoover has arrived, and in light of my rather sparse understanding … Continue reading →

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