Back Roads And Better Angels

“Enlightening and inspiring.” — Walter Isaacson “Barry probes the American soul, finding its biases, but also, nurtured by its complicated past, our better angels — with an opportunity to move forward.” — Ken Burns Bringing together two of America’s unifying loves — road trips and Abraham Lincoln — Frank Barry takes readers on a thought-provoking journey into the heart of our democracy and the soul of our country A year into his marriage and having never driven an RV, Frank and his wife Laurel set out from New York City in a Winnebago to drive the nation’s first transcontinental route, the Lincoln Highway, which zigzags through small towns and big cities from Times Square to San Francisco. Using the spirit of Abraham Lincoln to guide them across the land, they hope to see more clearly what holds the country together — and how we can keep it together, even amidst political divisions have grown increasingly rancorous, bitter, and exhausting. Along the way, Frank and Laurel meet Americans whose personal experiences help humanize the nation’s divisions, and they encounter historical figures and events whose legacies are still shaping our sense of national identity and the struggles over it. This unforgettable journey is full of what makes any great road trip memorable and enjoyable: music, conversation, and laughter. By the end, readers will have a clearer picture of how we have arrived at a period that carries echoes of the Civil War era, and — using Lincoln as a guide — where the path forward lies.

Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think this is the most violent age ever seen. Yet as bestselling author Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true.

In this political thriller by the author of The Secret Lovers, Paul Christopher’s cousins tinker with an election while a reporter chases a lead. Originally published in 1979, The Better Angels is set close to the end of the twentieth century in a drastically changed America. The CIA has been dissolved into the Foreign Intelligence Service. It is an election year. In Washington, D.C., an Englishman crashes a cocktail party at the home of TV anchorman Patrick Graham with a secret that could shake up an already deeply polarized nation. Soon, Graham is traveling the globe in search of the explosive truth . . . From the writer the New York Times Book Review called “the genuine article,” The Better Angels is a thrilling and relevant masterwork. Praise for The Better Angels “A thinking man’s thriller with a frightening finale.” —Newsweek

On the eve of Shiloh, one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War, a mysterious visitor appears at General William Tecumseh Sherman’s camp. Without family or home, with only a uniform and the name of Jesse, this prepossessing stranger is an intriguing mix of naiveté and wisdom, ignorant of the most basic conventions of warfare yet uncannily familiar with even the most intimate details of Sherman’s personal life and career. Jesse, in turn, has only one desire: to remain by Sherman’s side–for reasons only Jesse knows and isn’t revealing. Initially unwilling to become a father figure to this beguiling visitor, Sherman is finally unable to resist such devotion and tenacity. He takes Jesse under his wing, determined to train this enigmatic creature in the art of war–and provide the strength and wisdom needed to survive its horrors. Resourceful and courageous, Jesse soon earns the respect of Sherman’s men, especially the compassionate but plain-talking surgeon, Seth Cartwright, and Thomas Ransom, a noble and handsome young infantry officer. No matter their destiny neither man can divert Jesse’s mission. But what is the truth? What is Jesse’s purpose and why has this fascinating youth appeared at this most crucial time in Sherman’s life and in the life of the bitterly divided nation? In the end we are forced to ask: Who is under whose wing? The Better Angels of Our Nature brilliantly re-creates the drama and brutality of America’s Civil War. Set in the momentous fourteen-month period spanning Shiloh and Vicksburg–a time that turned the tide of war and determined the nation’s fate–this harrowing, lyrically written novel is filled with unforgettable characters and wondrous twists that will give readers pause to reconsider events familiar to us all. Meticulously researched and movingly written, this masterwork will remain with readers long after the last page is savored.

Charitable community living is a tall order, and this is just a short book about small moments in one life. But its 52 stories confirm a compelling truth; that for human hearts in search of connection there are no small nor insignificant moments. The Gift Of Belonging is the first of a “year of weeks” series of Wildbird Books, one experiment in a larger range of experimental steps being taken toward charitable community living, all by a growing flock of new and old friends in one small corner of the world. This book is about the grace that lifts and surrounds all those who know they belong. As such, this book is about each of us wherever we live, starting where we are with who we are, on our own back roads home to fully belonging. “Read your whole book before we ever touched the Dallas dirt. Laughed and cried and loved, loved, loved every page….loved.” ~ J. Semmes, Oxford, Mississippi “I’ve stopped reading with four stories to go; I don’t want the book to end.” ~ L. Harper, Sullivan’s Island, SC “I’ve re-read most of the year of weeks and loved the pieces even more—ranging from “damn good” to BRILLIANT. What a gift you have for writing. A true watering hole! Actually I found the photos as intriguing and beautiful as the written work—glad they’re given prominence. To Eric and Ollie! ~ Rev. Dr. Bert Keller, Charleston, SC

Every week, hundreds of thousands of Northern Californians tune in to Bay Area Backroads for the best ideas on day trips, weekend getaways, and other adventuresit's the highest-rated local TV program in the San Francisco Bay Area. This first book from host Doug McConnell features 50 of his best backroad explorations, primarily in the immediate San Francisco Bay Area, but also extending to the northern redwoods, east to the Sierra Nevada, and south to San Luis Obispo. Each destination features gorgeous color photographs by Stacy Geiken. Including both unique approaches to popular destinations and a wide variety of lesser-known sights, Bay Area Backroads provides adventurers and armchair travelers alike with a fun new way to see Northern California.

Betrayed by love and forever scarred by a war in Vietnam, Henry Allen has had enough of life in Michigan and sets out on a journey home to Alaska. Although hopeless and unconvinced that there is anything left to live for, Henry holds fast to a promise made to an old friend during the war and an overpowering desire to return home after 20 years. While the long and winding road takes him back in miles and memories, he must once again confront shadows in his past that for so long he has been able to avoid knowing that the darkest of them still awaits at his journey’s end.

Harriet Tubman, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Clara Barton, Julia Ward Howe, and Sarah Josepha Hale came from backgrounds that ranged from abject enslavement to New York City’s elite. Surmounting social and political obstacles, they emerged before and during the worst crisis in American history, the Civil War. Their actions became strands in a tapestry of courage, truth, and patriotism that influenced the lives of millions—and illuminated a new way forward for the nation. In this collective biography, Robert C. Plumb traces these five remarkable women’s awakenings to analyze how their experiences shaped their responses to the challenges, disappointments, and joys they encountered on their missions. Here is Tubman, fearless conductor on the Underground Railroad, alongside Stowe, the author who awakened the nation to the evils of slavery. Barton led an effort to provide medical supplies for field hospitals, and Union soldiers sang Howe’s “Battle Hymn of the Republic” on the march. And, amid national catastrophe, Hale’s campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday moved North and South toward reconciliation.