Martyr Made Book Club
Vote in the comments!
After the New Year, I’ll be starting up the Martyr Made Book Club! I’m announcing early to give everyone time to pick up the book.
I will do a weekly podcast in which I will read important sections of the week’s chapter(s), as well as more frequent written posts about the material we cover. These, and book discussions, will be for paid Substack subscribers only.
But first, we have to choose a book. I have narrowed it down to four suggestions, and I’ll let you guys vote. If you’re outvoted, don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll get to all of them eventually. For this first round, I decided to stick with history. Here are the choices:
Always With Honor by General Pyotr Wrangel - This memoir of the savage Bolshevik Revolution is one of the great books to come out of the Russian Civil War. Exciting, full of pathos, deep historical insight.
A Disease in the Public Mind by Thomas Fleming - Historian Thomas Fleming traces the development of the American Civil War from the time of the Revolution to the outbreak of hostilities. He explores the rivalry between Virginia & New England, the 19th century historical changes that made the industrial & cotton economies irreconcilable, and the pig-headed blindness and arrogance of extremists on both sides of the Mason-Dixon in the years leading up to America’s bloodiest conflict.
The Natural History of Destruction by WG Sebald - This German author had just marked his first birthday when Victory in Europe Day announced the final destruction of the Nazi regime. Sebald grew up among ruined cities and broken people, and this lyrical book represents his attempt to understand how civilians who had been through so much could put their lives - and their minds - back together.
Inhuman Bondage: The Rise & Fall of Slavery in the New World, by David Brion Davis - One of America’s great historians excavates the deep history underlying the introduction and development of slavery in the New World. The same author received the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for his equally excellent book, The Problem of Slavery in Western Culture. In addition to being a brilliant and original historian, Davis is a great writer, and his books, though dense with information, are a joy to read.
I’ll count the votes on Wednesday, December 1.
Always with Honor is my vote.
The potential of a book club was one of the major reasons I became a subscriber. The phrase you don't know what you don't know has always haunted me as someone who enjoys all aspects of history. How are you supposed to remedy this when you don't even know where to start? I'm really excited to begin this with everybody and I'm looking forward to the always interesting and thought provoking discussions in the comments.