Black and White History Month

Recently, I went to the local library to pick up a voter registration form.  I’ve been here in Lancaster for over two years.  It’s time to stop putting it off.  I don’t know too much about the local politicians, but I want to make sure I’m eligible to vote for the next President this November.  It looks like it’s going to be a wild and crazy election year.

While in the library, I browsed the old-fashioned way.  I actually walked up and down the rows and looked at the titles that were available.  I didn’t get too old-fashioned.  I didn’t look at any actual books.  I looked at the Audio books on CD’s.  I’m a big fan of the Janet Evanovich audio books about her inept bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum.  Lorelei King does a great job of voicing all the crazy characters.  I chose, however, a 19 CD set called “Don’t Know Much About History,” by Kenneth C. Davis.  Maybe you’ve heard of it.   A decade or two ago it spent 35 consecutive weeks on the N.Y. Times Bestseller List.  I figured I might learn something.

I got way more than I bargained for.  It took two weeks to listen to all 19 CD’s, and I finished the last one on President’s Day.  I can honestly say that I learned more about American history and the Presidents in those two weeks than I did in all my years in regular school.  Full disclosure, though, it wasn’t too hard to do that.  I wasn’t a very good student back then, and I learned practically nothing in school.

I won’t go into the details about the book, as I’m sure that you, the reader, would be bored stiff with any attempt I would make to retell the stories.  It’s like when somebody goes to see a stand-up comedian and later tries to duplicate the show for their friends.  It doesn’t work.  The main point I want to make is that voting is more interesting when we know a little bit about the people Americans have voted for in the past, and why.   The other point I want to make is that when the wind chill, ice, and snow make going outdoors miserable, it’s a great time to sit inside and just curl up with a good book, even if it is educational.

Stay warm.  Spring is coming.

Peace & Love, and all of the above,

Earl