Non-fiction

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1. I just realized this entry was a better fit under Biographies. On well! I just finished reading __The Last Lion: the Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy__ written by a team of writers from the Boston Globe who covered Ted's career -- and the careers and lives of his family members - over the span of many years. It is a very revealing, intimate biography of a man who had great expectations and responsibilities thrust upon him from an early age and who fell short of those expectations in spectacular fashion in the Chappaquiddack incident and his subsequent years of drinking and philandering after Bobby's death. It is also about a tenatious, hard-working, gregarious man who found his true calling as one of the most productive senators in the history of the United States. Respected because of his efforts to win support for important legislation on both sides of the isle, Ted Kennedy authored roughly 2,500 major bills during his 46 years of service in the senate, of which over 300 became law. In whole areas of policy -- civil rights, immigration, heatl care and education -- he dominated the Congress for almost half a century. __Last Lion__ is a well-written, perceptive, engaging read that reveals Ted's relationships with his family, his fellow senators, various presidents and constiituents over the years. I really enjoyred reading i__Last Lion__ and I highly recommend it. Enjoy! (Thank you Deb F. Please remember to sign your name. Charlotte)

2. I am about a third of the way through a book entitled __Salt: A World History__ by Mark Kurlansky. It was given to my husband, Peter, as a gift when he was recovering from total knee surgery earlier this year. Not his cup 'o tea, but certainly mine. It relates access to salt, salt production and salt monopolies to the rise of important empires and city states. For example, the Celts, the Romans, and the Han were made wealthy by controling the salt trade. The Great Wall of China, in fact, was built with salf profits. The discovery of the cod fish and the ability to preserve it with salt inspired several expeditions to the the Americas. The book also includes weird recipes used for preserving everything from Greek olives to human remains;) That's about as far as I've read; will update this as I read more.Fun and fascinating! (Review by Deb F.) Here's the update! The book continues through history and across continents, noting the importance of salted cod to both the British and to Americans. In fact, the history of the Americas is one of constant warfare over salt. This was the case before Europeans arrived and continued to be true until well after the Civil War. It's a fascinating read I recommend, AND a friend of mine recently read __Cod__ by the same author, which she thoroughly enjoyed. (Deb Fenn)

3. Aug. 16: I'm now reading __The Greatest Generation__ by Tom Brokaw. It is a collection of WWII stories told through the experiences of veterans. It is interesting to me especially in the ways their war experiences influenced the rest of their lives. My dad is also a WWII vet, and I can recognize many of the attitudes and personality traits that these veterans describe. The military training and then the war itself really influenced these men their entire lives. This book explains some of my childhood experiences. Charlotte