The U.S. Civil War, sports, parenting, and New Orleans were the four categories covered in my September reading list. The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War, Drive: The Story of My Life, The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed, and Pontchartrain Beach: A Family Affair were the four books I read in September. For all of the books I have read this year, check out my reading lists [HERE].
Starting with my least favorite book in my September reading list was Pontchartrain Beach: A Family Affair. Parts of the book were good but this book is an example of one I should have put down. My favorite book on the list was The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by one of my favorite authors Erik Larson. The way Larson brings stories to life through the characters he uses reminds me of Michael Lewis. Now, let’s jump into the September reading list.
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson is incredible! Demon of Unrest gets to the core of the months between Abraham Lincoln’s November 1860 election and the “Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter,” a federal fort in Charleston. Demon of Unrest tells this story through the lens primarily of four characters – “Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them; and Abraham Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.” Pair this book with podcast episodes I enjoyed including Demon of Unrest: Why the Civil War Matters Today (with Erik Larson), “The Demon of Unrest” by Erik Larson, and Erik Larson “The Demon of Unrest”
Drive: The Story of My Life
Drive: The Story of My Life by Larry Bird “reveals a side of himself-and of basketball-you’ve never seen before.” The book details his decision to transfer to Indiana State from Bobby Knight’s Indiana Hoosiers, the pain he felt from his father’s suicide, Bird’s failed first marriage, his basketball discipline to be great, why the Celtics are the Celtics, and the intense rivalry with the Magic Johnson and the Lakers in the ’80s. Pair this book with podcasts The ’86 Celtics Interviews (Ep. 11): Larry Bird and The Larry Bird Interview. I also enjoyed watching Larry Bird’s highlights.
The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed
The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed by Jessica Lahey is “a groundbreaking manifesto” focusing on the “critical school years when parents must learn to allow their children to experience the disappointment and frustration that occur from life’s inevitable problems so that they can grow up to be successful, resilient, and self-reliant adults.” I am certainly guilty of the modern parenting trap of overprotecting my child. What this book taught me is that my behavior is not giving my child the opportunity to experience failure and solve his own problems. The book argues that “overparenting has the potential to ruin a child’s confidence and undermine their education.” Lahey “lays out a blueprint with targeted advice for handling homework, report cards, social dynamics, and sports.” Pair this book with Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd Jessica Lahey, Jessica Lahey on Parenting, Desirable Difficulties, The Gift of Failure, Self-Efficacy, and The Addiction Innoculation, and Ryan and Jessica Lahey Talk Parenting, the Process of Writing, and How to Fail Gracefully.
Pontchartrain Beach: A Family Affair
Pontchartrain Beach: A Family Affair by Bryan Batt is the story of the “Pontchartrain Beach amusement park founded by his grandfather Harry Batt Sr.” The book is a collection of “reminiscences from celebrities, former employees, and frequent park-goers.” Batt creates a snapshot of this amusement park through “candid moments with musical stars, tales of beauty pageants, and photographic traces of the exciting rides and attractions that drew families from throughout the region.”
