The Pioneers: The Heroic Story Of The Settlers Who Brought The American Ideal West, McCullough - B

                                                The Treaty of Paris awarded the new nation all that Britain claimed east of the Mississippi. The territories north and west of the Ohio that would become the Northwest Territory had not a single road or settlement in 1787. New England war veterans to whom vague promises of land in Ohio had been made formed the Ohio Company to buy land from Congress and negotiate the terms governing the territory. Representing the company was the Rev. Manasseh Cutler. That summer, Congress passed the Northwest Ordinance, establishing the governance structure for the future  states in the territory, emphasizing the importance of freedom of religion and public education, and selling a million and a half acres of land for millions of dollars to the Ohio Company. Slavery and involuntary servitude were prohibited. Led by Rufus Putnam, forty-eight pioneers set out for the Ohio from Massachusetts in late 1787. In western Pennsylvania, they built a small flotilla and set off on the Youghiogheny River. In April, they arrived at the junction of the Ohio and the Muskingum, where they began clearing the land. Others joined them and soon Marietta was growing all around them. The initial peace with the local Indians faded as more and more settlers crowded the area. In early 1791, fourteen settlers were massacred 30 miles north of Marietta. Putnam requested help from President Washington, and General St. Clair was tasked with insuring the safety of the colony. He led a rag-tag group of miscreants into northern Ohio. St. Clair was so plagued by gout that he was carried on a litter and had no idea what to expect.  On the morning of Nov. 4, hundreds of Indians attacked St. Clair's camp and routed the Americans, who were soon in a panicked desperate retreat.  St. Clair's Defeat was comparable to Braddock's decades earlier and included 623 dead. A year later, a better trained, equipped and led army crushed the Indians in Ohio. As the new century approached, the settlements in the valley increased and Marietta became a ship building center. In 1803, Ohio was admitted to the union and by 1810, would have almost a quarter of a million population. After the War of 1812, the Ohio River became the American highway to the west. The commitment to education in the Ordinance was fulfilled by the creation of Ohio University,  the establishment of public schools throughout the state and the founding of Marietta College. By the middle of the century, the men and women who had founded the first settlement in the Territory were gone. They had fulfilled the charter's commitment to freedom of religion when an RC church and a Jewish synagogue opened in Marietta in the 1850's, and had left behind a state that then had 2 million citizens.

Careless Love, Robinson - B +

                                               This is the latest (25th) featuring DCI Banks at the Eastvale constabulary. The book is perfect by almost every measure. There is a solid plot, wonderful pacing and a bit less of the old Alan Banks attitude.  There are two seemingly unrelated murders in Eastvale and a 3rd one in Leeds that leads to a cross-jurisdictional task force looking into all three. The connection is a young woman who makes 'introductions'. Well done as always.

How To Hide An Empire: A History Of The Greater United States, Immerwahr - B -

                                               This is the story of the Greater US that lived, and lives, beyond the lower 48, which the author refers to as the 'logo map'.  The territories have never really received much attention in the history books and are often thought of as foreign. Yet, they were part of our country. The Greater US peaked in WWII, at which point the US backed away from acquiring colonies and territories. Our power has since been exercised through the post-war rules that we wrote, and the 800 + overseas bases we use to project military power.
                                                The Constitution gives  Congress the power to make the laws that govern the territories of the US and to admit new states to the Union. The first such law was the Northwest Ordinance in 1794. It outlined the governance of the territory and stipulated  how a state could join the Union. For the Louisiana Territory, Jefferson opted to have the new and vast distances governed by the military. By the middle of the 19th century, settlers were pouring west and it became evident that the US would be a continental entity. The Indians, decimated to probably 10% of their original pre-Columbian population, were easily pushed aside.  The first time the US expanded overseas was prompted by a shortage of fertilizer for crops. We annexed 92 Pacific and Caribbean islands for their guano deposits. When the frontier closed in 1890, seeking out colonies from others became the objective of many. The most obvious target was the Spanish Empire and the loudest drum-banger was Teddy Roosevelt. Soon, the Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rico were American territories and Cuba was under American military occupation. Hawaii was annexed. They were all now part of America, but were their citizens Americans? The Supreme Court concluded they were subjects, not citizens. When the Filipinos learned they were to be subject to US military occupation, they began their war for independence. It would take Washington fourteen years to suppress the Filipinos, and it did it with extremes of violence and racial animosity. Puerto Rico welcomed the Yanquis with open arms and high hopes. When their expectation of statehood never materialized, they sought statehood or independence. Neither would come. The defining principle of governing the far-flung empire was always race. The new Americans were not white, and would never be treated as if they were. Enthusiasm for empire faded, particularly as the Depression wore down the US and the world. In 1936, the Philippines were granted a limited form of commonwealth on the road to freedom. The World War deferred freedom for the Filipinos, but sent massive amounts of money and G.I.'s to Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico.
                                               By the end of the war, the US had over 2,000 overseas bases. There was discussion of America expanding, even admitting the Philippines and Japan as states. Instead, the US began to shed territories. The world's colonies were freed and the US led the way in the Philippines. The leash was loosened in the Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa. Hawaii and Alaska were slated for statehood, but both were considered non-white and in the US Senate, there was concern about "half-breeds". Truman was for statehood in 1948, but it would take over a decade for Congress to go along. Puerto Rico, overpopulated and very poor, seemed unable to decide whether it wished to be independent or a US state. Instead, it became a self-governing commonwealth that attracted significant mainland investment. It was apparent that colonization was no longer politically acceptable, and was no longer necessary to gain access to desired commodities. Rubber, for instance, the most important commodity needed to fight WWII could be made in a chemical lab. Advances in transportation and communication furthered the de-colonization trend. Today, the empire lives on in our extensive network of overseas bases.

The Lost Man, Harper - B +

                                                This astonishing novel is set in the Australian outback, which is probably the most compelling character in the book. To live there is to live in constant danger because the heat can and does kill quickly.  It is behind the death of Cameron Bright;  that is unless there was human intervention that made him walk away from his well-stocked Land Rover. The Brights had been running cattle out there for over forty years. Nathan, the oldest brother, was somewhat estranged and Bub, the youngest, was at best little or no help. Cameron's death threw the family into a crisis, and sorting out what happened brought Nathan back into the fold.

Educated: A Memoir, Westover - B

                                                There is no doubt about the courage and strength of will the author exhibited in her voyage from abject rural poverty in Idaho to BYU, to a Masters and a Doctorate at Cambridge and a fellowship at Harvard. The book has been universally praised. Nonetheless, it has not been an easy read  because of the horrible way her family treated her. It's difficult to imagine such verbal and physical abuse in what was purportedly a religious household. It's equally hard to understand how no one in America had standing to intervene in such a sordid tale. Tara did not even know her birthday when her mother got her a birth certificate at age nine. Her father was a deranged survivalist in southern Idaho, a Mormon extremist awaiting the end of days and the abomination the Illuminati would bring to the world. His children did not go to school or to doctors or dentists. He worked them in a scrapyard and nearly killed them in his safety be damned approach. Tara was operating a crane when she took the ACT's at 16. She was able to get into, and go to, BYU. She was overwhelmed by the noise, and was a complete babe-in-the-woods functioning in normal society. Nonetheless, she succeeded, graduated with honors and received a scholarship to Cambridge, England. In England, as in Provo, her life consisted of learning, growing and experiencing the world interspersed with trips home to revisit the surreal world of her family, where the violence and delusion continued. Her parents visited her at Harvard in an attempt to reconvert her to the righteous path. She was wiling to submit in order to earn back their love, but refused her father's  priesthood blessing.  She was shunned, returned to Cambridge and received her Doctorate. After a few attempts at reconciliation, she moved permanently away from her family and her history.

The Burglar, Perry - B

                                                Elle is a 24 year-old burglar in the pricier neighborhoods of LA. Her cover is that she is a runner and there is nothing out of place when she cases neighborhoods and houses as she is jogging by. One day she stumbles upon a naked menage-a-trois, each with a bullet in the head. She finds a camera and steals the recording. Unfortunately, the security company has cameras everywhere because the homeowner was a gallery owner and had many valuable paintings in his house. Soon, she is the prey. This fits the beach-read description to a tee. Great fun.

As Long As We Both Shall Live, Chaney - B

                                                Murder, mayhem and more murder, all from a woman's perspective. Marie can't stand Matt, who has often betrayed her, and eventually she does something about it. There's a fall from a cliff in a Colorado park, but is it Marie or Matt's new girlfriend, Riley? Who exactly planned it? Matt and Marie are a couple from hell and an absolute joy to read about. Great summer read - great whodunit.

The First Major: The Inside Story Of The 2016 Ryder Cup, Feinstein - B +

                                                Ryder Cup history changed in the late 20th century when the Europeans started to win and consistently pummelled the Americans. In 1977, Jack Nicklaus had suggested that continentals be added to the traditional British and Irish team because the competitive balance was out of whack. By the time the Euros charged back on Sunday after being down 10-6 at Medinah in 2012, it felt like America would never win again. The Americans had failed a captain they truly adored, Davis Love. Next, they would head to Scotland under a captain no one really knew. Everyone respected Tom Watson, but he was anywhere from 20-40 years older than his players and perceived as a bit old school. It didn't help that the senior member of the team, Phil Mickelson, had very strong opinions about the Cup, was certain that Watson was the wrong choice, and had not been quiet about it. The US lost convincingly and Mickelson took down Watson in the post-match press conference.  Phil had suggested that more player input was necessary and the PGA listened. They formed a task force, and the task force concluded that Davis Love should repeat as captain. The stage was set for Hazeltine.
                                              On Friday morning, on the back of the tee, was Arnie's bag from the 1975 Ryder Cup at Laurel Valley. The first group teed off at 7:35 a.m. By noon, the US was up 4-0. The Euros turned it around in the afternoon to make it 5-3 for the US. Ryder Cups are unique in the sport of golf because it is the only time a man who competes always on his own becomes part of a team. Working and playing together comes naturally to some and not so much to others. All of the players always describe it as the most difficult and stressful experiences of their careers. They literally shiver in the their shoes. Victory is inspiring; defeat totally demoralizing. The captains are under tremendous pressure because they have to prepare the team and make difficult decisions on Friday and Saturday. In each of the four sessions, only 8 of the teams 12 players actually play. Deciding who to pair with who, who to rest, who to switch and keeping everyone posted on his thinking is the hardest part of the captain's job. Winning puts you on a pedestal; losing places you in golf history's dustbin. Love and Darren Clarke were under the gun more than the players. The US was up 9 1/2-6 1/2 on Saturday night. They were half-a-point off Medinah, but felt ready to avenge their failure four years before.
                                               Sunday opened with each side's number ones McIlroy v. Reed. Each sunk birdie putts on number eight of over 25 feet and fist bumped to the roar of the crowd. Reed's birdie on 18 won one of the greatest Ryder Cup matches ever. Mickelson and Garcia halved a 19 birdie match. The final score was 17-11. That night, the Euros joined the Americans and drank into the wee hours. Recommended to all. Thanks again, Wendell.