Books in Brief
Faces of the Civil War: An Album of Union Soldiers and Their Stories by Ronald S. Coddington (Johns Hopkins University Press, 251 pp., $29.95). After the 1862 Battle of Malvern Hill, Captain Motier Lafayette Norton contracted typhoid fever, which left him so debilitated that he resigned from the Eighteenth New York Infantry. But inspired by his “great love for liberty and our country,” Norton joined the newly formed Invalid Corps and performed quartermaster duties in military hospitals. When the Civil War ended, Norton, still plagued, was urged to file for a disability pension but “felt delicate about asking aid from the government.”
Recommended Stories
Norton is just one of the ordinary soldiers featured in Faces of the Civil War, a collection of photographs and short biographies. A visual journalist, Coddington collects cartes de visite, small prints invented by a French photographer in 1854. To these, Coddington adds colorful excerpts from letters, newspapers, and official documents.
The result is an engaging and human portrait of the Civil War: from the oldest soldier (a sixty-four-year-old chaplain, thought too old until he was seen praying amid a hail of bullets beside a dying soldier) to the youngest (a sixteen-year-old rendered “sunstroke insensible for hours”). The most heroic may be the watchmaker who extinguished a tent fire with his bare hands, burning himself so badly that he could neither feed nor dress himself.
These biographies provide insight into the grandparents of those considered today to be the “greatest generation,” suggesting the patriotism motivating World War II soldiers was more than just a temporary belief. It was something painstakingly handed down from one generation to the next.
–Diane Scharper
Enlightened Democracy: The Case for the Electoral College by Tara Ross (World Ahead, 250 pp., $25.95). Dissecting the recently failed Colorado proposal to distribute its electors proportionally and other schemes for inching toward more directly democratic presidential elections, Ross traces the Electoral College from its roots in a compromise between large and small states–all to argue that it has been a force of consensus in American politics and has served the United States well.
“Any discussion on these matters will be fraught with partisanship,” she admits. But “at least where the event is a mere hypothetical, there can likely be a relatively unbiased committee discussion.” One of the first books from a new publisher, Enlightened Democracy covers ground seldom trod. Many presidents, including Lincoln and Clinton, served with scarcely a whimper about not winning a majority of the popular vote. But in a time when Americans increasingly doubt the Electoral College, this accessible book will be a buttress for the Founders’ insight.
–Beth Henary
Lend Me Your Ears: Updated and Expanded Edition by William Safire (W.W. Norton, 1,157 pp., $39.95). More than 200 speeches are selected and introduced by the New York Times columnist and former speechwriter in this updated edition. The speeches–from Ronald Reagan, Mario Cuomo, Edward Kennedy, Winston Churchill, Mark Twain, Billy Graham, Clarence Darrow, and many more–are a delight to read aloud and share with others who love language, history, and rhetoric.
Safire offers his own counsel throughout. He bemoans the dwindling attention span of audiences. He urges speechwriters to use rhythm and repetition effectively, and to ask rhetorical questions in a way that attracts listeners’ attention. He suggests using personal anecdotes to open a speech but warns against getting too personal. He dislikes flowery language. He preaches organization and believes in revising drafts until they are smooth and coherent. Still, anyone who has actually attempted to write a speech may feel that Safire hasn’t shared the full story. Reading a piece of writing is easy; speaking that writing is hard.
–Elaine Margolin
