Note: This is a raw riff. It’s barely edited and I’m sure grammatical and spelling errors exist. These pieces are part of my bookclub, featuring an experimental aspect. The first bit is available to everyone, then, as you’ll see, the rest is for paying members. I’m hoping to get these out weekly, but a family situation back in Boston has made that tricky.

Paid members, there is no video. That may be on hold since my phone can blow up off the hook at any time like it did the last two days.

Go down the rabbit hole.

If you pick up a work of fiction and the author connects, then buy another one of his works and read it next. In fact, buy a bunch of them and read them in a row if you’d like.

If you’re curious about a topic, say the Roman Empire, order a few books and read them. Read them in a row, but if you find yourself a bit burned out, perhaps you read a massive doorstop of a book, take a break with an easy book or two, then jump back in. Or come back to it after maybe a few books.

I’m not sure if there is already a cool name for this concept of curating books on a topic and reading them, or riding the wave of an author, fiction or nonfiction, for a few books. But it’s simple: go with an author or go with a topic for a while.

I’ll focus on looking a topic for this riff and at some point will discuss reading one author for a while.

Right now I’m reading A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to America’s Age of Entitlement, by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, for my book club. It’s the second work I’m reading for this topic. The first was The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III by Andrew Roberts. Mortimer Adler said that the Great Books of the Western Canon have a way of talking with each other. I’d add that other great books have a way of talking to each other. Sometimes the style changes, like how the fashions change with music. At other times, it’s ideas fleshed out and then other ideas conceptualize it further or counter it for various reasons. Regardless, one can see a discussion or an influence. And if you curate books for a topic, a conversation between each book often surfaces.

Walking it down to a less abstract level, another good reason to read a few books on a topic is that it helps you remember things better. Dates, names, battles, all that fun stuff that maybe overwhelmed you while reading the first book begins to look more familiar in the second book.

I’ve currently read the introduction and am now a few pages into chapter 4 of A Patriot’s History. Already I’m seeing it converse with The Last King of America and I’m getting more familiar with a few names, dates, and goings-on.

Andrew Roberts throws an exhaustive amount of events at you, and expands on them, but it’s naturally tricky to remember it all. As I go through A Patriot’s History I recognize events, names, and so forth. I’m gaining familiarity with America’s beginnings. Now the goal isn’t remembering everything you read, but getting familiarity on a topic is satisfying. Satisfying on a simple end of, “Hey! I recognize this.” And on the other deeper end, “Oh I remember this now, and this is why or around when it happened.” It’s fun when you feel you start to have a handle on a topic. It offers some enjoyment and it makes the topic a little easier to navigate.

On the more abstract end, I’ve spotted a place where Roberts counters a claim regarding King George III and the king’s intelligence. And, while reading The Last King I kept remarking about Britain and the king not grasping the American spirit. In A Patriot’s History the authors explicitly lay out the driver of that spirit: American Exceptionalism. Furthermore, the authors name four components of American Exceptionalism:

1. Christian Tradition

2. Common Law

3. Property Rights

4. Capitalism

Britain and King George misunderstood the Americans and what had developed in the colonies for about a hundred years. Seeing each book address certain sides adds understanding and depth.

That abstract end, where maybe it’s more philosophical or making a connection, shows stronger familiarity on topic. It shows getting nuance and perspective. Will it make you an expert on it, no. But getting that nuance, that depth, means when you come across the topic elsewhere, say a book or podcast or documentary or movie, you can converse with it better and you can cultivate convictions on it. Or perhaps one view you held, new evidence comes to light or an argument, and your position changes. Regardless, it has some depth. And maybe best of all, when you hear or read a true expert on it, you can better understand and navigate what he says or writes.

Let’s take a look at the Introduction up to chapter 4 of A Patriot’s History.

The last month or so I’ve been daily on the phone with a family situation that surfaced in Boston (where I’m from). It’s a wild and tricky situation that’s required full attention. On top of that I went on two big family trips, one to spend time with my wife’s family in Omaha (where we may be moving to at some point) and with my family in Maine. And between those trips, I’ve spent time in Boston dealing with this situation.

It disrupted the bookclub riffs. Those are the new pieces since the chat is a little tough to get going. It looks like for chat to work on Substack you need thousands of paid members and it takes on a life of its own. I’m nowhere near that. The bookclub riffs are me writing a riff from what I’m reading, it’s unedited, I send it out to paid members and converse with them from there. I also am trying something new where I might riff something general on reading or another topic to all subscribers, and then bookclub riffs and notes are behind a paywall. The crazy situation also disrupted an article I’m cooking up on masculinity which was inspired by my reading of The Iliad around a year ago.

Each day something new surfaces with this situation. I’m going to do my best to sneak in writing and get things published. The video riffs accompanying bookclub pieces I hope will continue, but my phone rings off the hook most days. The light at the end of this tunnel is yet to be seen.

The chat is always open to paid members and you can scroll and find the American thread if you want to join in.

Onwards to the Bookclub.

America Bookclub

I’ve finished the first book in the series of books curated for this topic. That book The Last King: The Misunderstood Reign of George III by Andrew Roberts. It was exhaustive, detailed, and wonderful. Andrew Roberts is a force.

The biggest takeaways from that book:

• George III was in no shape or form tyrannical or anything near it

• George III, British Parliament, and Britons all misunderstood America and Americans

• The American spirit is real, tangible, alive, and still misunderstood abroad

• George III faced an uphill battle with his legacy due to slander beginning when he was born and slander continuing to this day — he was in fact an admirable King

• George III and Britons were confused as to why America wanted to split and its ambivalence towards Americans and not wishing to punish them through force or even use force gave the Americans a massive advantage in the Revolutionary War

• The stresses of being a world leader are unimaginable

• His mental illness and how it surfaced were sad and at times abhorrent considering his era’s methods to deal with mental illness

• He did his best to live an upstanding and moral life

• He loved his country (he loved America and Americans) and worked hard to do what was best

• His idealism and stubbornness at times proved terrible, like with America, and at times astute, like his dealings with Napoleon

• Roberts’s 28-point walkthrough of the Declaration of Independence is fantastic; Thomas Jefferson used fabulist rhetoric to instill more want of total independence and to ride with American spirit

The biggest American themed takeaway is the American spirit. To me, it looks like once the heavy yoke of puritanism was lifted, American dynamism thrived. But, puritanism is still imbued into the American fabric. Its latest iterations are found with the Progressive Left or most of the modern Left in reality, and on the very online fringe Right. Another fascinating place to see it is with the Manosphere, with their pseudo-theoretical straitjackets.

With that, I’ve just begun the next book: A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to America’s Age of Entitlement - 15th Edition by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. Along with it, I’m reading its companion volume: The Patriot’s History Reader: Essential Documents for Every American by Larry Schweikart, Dave Dougherty, and Michael Allen.

This is a behemoth of a book. Though I know of one taker who already began reading it. No one joined me in reading of The Last King, but I did have a few flies on the wall.

For Those New or Needing A Recap of How the Bookclub Works (If Not New Skip To The Next Section)

It’s simple.

I pick a book or a topic. You can read along or can be a fly on the wall. You can comment, ask questions, and join on livestreams if I host them.

The current topic is America.

I curated the following books for this topic (and maybe will add in some others, we’ll see):

• The Last King of America, Andrew Roberts

• A Patriot’s History of the United States, Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen

• A History of the American People, Paul Johnson

• Democracy in America Alexis de Tocqueville (and will prime it by reading Pierre Manent’s Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy)

• Ethnic America, Thomas Sowell

These are big books. And the reader will need to be motivated. I’m not reading all the books in a row. I want to avoid reading burnout. So I’ll read one, see how I feel towards the end, and then likely indulge in a few easy reads before picking up the next big book. Also, given the length of the books, it’s quite possible I start another bookclub topic that I will jump into as a break from America. I’ll keep you posted on that.

To join along, whether reading or wishing to be a fly on the wall, you must be a paid member.

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A Patriot’s History: Why This Book And When To Start

You can start reading it now.

I’m reading the 15th edition. Various editions exist, and the one I have has updated past positions once held or since sharpened due to new resources made available to the authors.

Why this book?

I was a history major in college, and I’m still a history nerd. I tend to lean towards history when I read. I loved it as a little kid and I still love it now. After historical field trips, I would bug, nag, and beg my parents to take me to where school took us and to go there as soon as possible. My cousins in Virginia groaned when I visited because they knew I would ask to go to Mt. Vernon, and other sites, and my aunt and uncle were more than happy to oblige.

In college I had to pick European or American history as my lane. I had taken too many history classes, and I was about neck and neck with American and European. Given the choice fresh after a trip from Ireland, I chose European. When I started my thesis, I regretted my choice. Nothing against European history, but in my heart of hearts I wanted to do American history. My thesis was terrible by the way, a total snooze fest.

A second reason, in college I read Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. I also read it post-college. My conviction having read it twice, historically it’s abysmal; agenda-wise Zinn gets his point across. Zinn pushed the modernist Marxist historical lens and outright sought to dismantle American values and ideals via his ideological lens. From what I gather, Patriot’s History began as a counter to him, and after reading the introduction, has expanded into a more robust history.

The coolest class I took in college was about historical lenses and perceptions. You had to be a top student to get into it. Which I’m proud I got in, arguably my best academic achievement. It was for students looking for careers in history or were likely headed to good law schools. Those careers not necessarily meaning professors, but careers in museums, for companies that do those historical plaques you see at various historical sites, and historical production studios.

It was a fascinating class, and one that stuck with me. Perhaps the most useful academic class in my life. I learned to pick up ideology or lenses right away.

Well, in that class, we looked at Zinn. He was a rockstar of the 1960s New Left educational movement which sought, explicitly, to dismantle traditional educational norms. The New Left wanted its philosophical underpinnings — relativism, postmodernism, Marxism, Critical theory (what fueled the most famous Critical Race Theory) — to be the educational foundation for the West. It sought to exploit the sins of each Western country and define that country through those sins, fomenting an Oppressor and Victim narrative, and that the only way to escape Western evils was a deconstruction of its history and create a Progressive agenda. Historians like Zinn, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Richard J. Evans, and countless others are of this ilk. Some explicitly so, others less so on the nose.

Even in college, with a super Left-leaning professor, we studied this lens. We studied the other side of the lens, though, if I recall, less so. And we looked into how to spot the lens, the philosophies influencing it, and why.

In short, I’ve read Zinn. I’ve long had Patriot’s History on my list. I want to see the other side here, the side of my side. I’m curious how it’s presented, and more so, I’m curious for the history of America told by authors who aren’t out to dismantle America.

It’s a big book and reading its companion reader alongside it will also take time.

If you want to read along, don’t worry about your speed or catching up to me. Read at your pace, whatever that is, slow, medium, or fast. I’m available to those who take part, even if it is after I start. If you just want some wisdom on American history, or to see how I work through a book like this, want to ask questions, yet have no intention of reading the book, no worries. Feel free to join and ask questions.

I’ve started the book. It will take time.

With my family situation, I might not be able to contribute weekly as I had planned with the last book. But I will work to get content up and out. I want to be up front and not set false expectations.

You can join below.

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Note: I apologize for the long delay. An unfortunate situation has occurred to my family. It has required trips to Boston, and most of my day spent on the phone dealing with it when I’m not in Boston.

Note note: These pieces are quick riffs and off the top of my head. They will likely have grammatical and spelling errors as I write this and then publish. And the video, as always, is a riff.

Note note note: I’ve finished the Last King. This article is a time capsule before the family situation erupted in Boston. I started it, situation erupted, and it went left unfinished. I’ve decided to finish it, no video will accompany it. As of this writing, I’m beginning A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen. I’ll make a formal announcement soon. And below I’m trying something new, all subscribers will see something and paid subscribers their bookclub notes.

Names.

Dates.

Battles.

Policies.

Towns.

Cities.

Events.

The Last King of America hurls all of the above at you and more. Many readers are under the notion that they comprehended and got the lessons from a history only if they remember the Jeopardy gameshow facts. That you best know the book if you can not only recite the dates and events, you can then divulge the particulars of those dates and events.

Readers with that mindset, the mindset of needing to remember the names and dates of events, go into a work like The Last King and soon find themselves guilty, anxious, and frustrated. They see some names, then a few pages later some new names, but wonder if those names were mentioned before. Then, an event happens, and maybe 100 pages later that event is mentioned again, and what happened with that event again exactly?

Reading a history via the perfect recall and perfect comprehension mindset is well-intentioned but misguided.

On one end, this mindset comes from the Self-Development world plus the “prep for the test” mix of reading, which the self-development world pushes despite self-developments claims of school teaching them nothing. On the other, it comes from a notion that good readers read a book and turn into an expert on the topic. That they could go on a podcast, or often, speak to someone at a social event, and impress people with their profound knowledge on a subject.

If you want to be an expert on a topic reading one book, even a big one, will not cut it. To have a good level of knowledge you need to immerse in that topic. You need to read a ton of different books on the topic, whether it’s a bunch in a row similar to this American book club, or spread out over time. To be an expert on it, you need to be trained on it, such as Victor Davis Hanson or Barry Strauss or Andrew Roberts. Those top notch experts have devoted their lives to their craft.

Keep in mind, those historians you admire on a topic, or perhaps a fan of a topic who riffs on a podcast with depth, they have spent enormous time with a topic. They didn’t just read one or two books, and suddenly they turn into Will Hunting with polymath knowledge on the topic.

Another overlooked aspect, you will remember some books better than others. A glib saying goes that if you don’t understand what you’re reading or you walk away not an expert, that’s on the author. Sure, that can be the case in many instances of academic writing of the tone-deaf intellegentsia or jargon LinkedIn writing. But on the whole, some books and some authors will offer you a challenge. Thomas Sowell’s Conflict of Visions is written simply, it uses simple Anglo words, but the philosophical topics are a challenge. The Last King by Andrew Roberts is written with incredible style. He’s not as Hemingway-esque as Sowell, but he uses repetition in two ways, to keep you abreast and to then show the historical consequences playing out. Readable, but it takes cognitive capacity to grasp what’s going on. Other times, you will read a work, really enjoy it, and then months later forget it. That’s natural. That’s nothing on you. In some way it did not resonate deeply with you. For instance, I read James Madison by Jay Cost around three years ago, and I can’t remember a thing from it. Is that on my not reading it well? Or is it on the author, Jay Cost? Sometimes, perhaps more often than we’d like to admit, we forget some books. The answer is distinct to each reader. I remember other histories I read around that time far better than I do James Madison. But I’m not worried I didn’t remember it, it’s the nature of reading. Some books will stick with you for a lifetime, others you’ll forget after a few weeks.

What should you focus on?

First, the enjoyment. If you’re trying to read as a means to some end, you’ll wear yourself out, especially with a book like The Last King. You don’t need to walk away from a book like it to impress anyone or recite stats. You can just enjoy it and move on. That’s the most important part.

Second, when curiosity strikes, go with it. Spend time with a passage. Look up some things if you want. See where your thoughts go.

If you want to engage more…

Third, ask questions. Any question. It doesn’t have to be intelligent, just ask question. This starts the process of engaging with a book.

Fourth, see if you recognize themes or a position the author is taking. Note them in some marginalia, and see if those positions are expanded upon, repeated, or added to.

Fifth, if you have some previous wisdom on the topic, or remember something on it whether in passing or in depth, and you see it pop up, note those sections mentally or in marginalia. See how the author handles that information. You might have a myth busted, a previous conception validated, or something else.

Note, these pieces are a raw riff. They’re unedited and will likely have grammar errors.

Andrew Robert’s continues impressing. He’s engaging, scholarly, rigorous, and an exemplar of how to handle first hand sources. To the latter, as I’ve mentioned, I was a history major in college. My proudest academic achievement in college was getting into a class, which you needed the grades for, that began training you how to be a historian versus studying history. Much of it was learning how to dissect viewpoints, how to take first hand sources, aka, sources from the period, and extract history from it. Spot hyperbole, factions, political sides, the cultural fashions and notions of the time, and how to extract history from it. We also learned how to present a museum or how to tell the viewpoint of the museum and its goal of the curation. In addition, we learned how to dissect second hand, third hand, and other sources. Like, is it a Progressive revisionism, or is it more from a Conservative standpoint? The New Left of the 1960s radically changed how history was presented.

Roberts is a conservative historian, but he keeps partisan stances out. He, like most conservative historians in reality, are rigorous on evidence, and evidence from various angles. He isn’t pushing a narrative. But, he’s able to inject into the passages where we see history rhyming today, or gain perspective. Like how George III concern over moral rot and a lowering of a decorum, thinking it might end England. This sentiment of moral rot we see today. Or the conspiratorial nature of certain theories of what’s truly happening, it happened in America then, and that nature is widespread on X today. Robert’s ability to do this without getting partisan or without breaking a 4th wall, is remarkable.

Ok, I’m thinking of doing a livestream discussing America. It will be history focused. If that interests you, reply here or in the chat, if we get a few, I’m game.

Onwards.

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The Cavalier Treatment of America

My marginalia repeatedly remarks of the cavalier treatment of America. Roberts clearly shows that King George is not nor was not tyrannical in any degree. The argument and evidence will continue to show up in pages I’m sure, but it’s clear King George III was not tyrannical in any degree or manner. Yet George and countless others in Parliament viewed America cavalierly. Another way of putting it, George and others in his political circle and those in Parliament, were stuck in an echo chamber of local British politics and viewed America in a kind of conceptual abstract. That it was mere chess pieces to move.

The cavalier treatment however wasn’t in disdain, most in Britain had mutual respect for the colonies, but it wasn’t treated as pressing. Also, the small handful who did see the potential of America, like William Pitt, didn’t …

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The title of the book encapsulates the thesis: The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III.

“Misunderstood” is, after one pages or so in, is an understatement. Queen Elizabeth granted Roberts access to 200,000, yes, two-hundred thousand, pages, never before released on King George. The collection includes nearly everything written by George III going back to when he was a boy, and letters of those in his circle. They are now public domain, but they were kept under lock and key since the 1700s.

George III was misunderstood, rather, slandered, before he was even born. His grandfather, King George II hated George’s father, Frederick. And hate is an understatement. The progeny, despite George III being the blood of George II, received disdain for being a product of Frederick. This contributed …

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I finished James Dickey’s Deliverance this weekend and debated whether to read one more book or begin The Last King of America by Andrew Roberts. Since the last two announcements of this book club, most readers seem interested in A History of the American People by Paul Johnson or A Patriot’s History of the United States by Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen (along with its companion reader). That’s no surprise. Paul Johnson’s book is iconic, and while Andrew Roberts is no less so, his most popular (and sexier) works are his biographies of Churchill and Napoleon. Given that I would be the lone reader of The Last King of America, I decided to get started. A few people have raised their hands to be flies on the wall.

Yet I wanted to see if anyone else is on the fence, so here’s the breakdown.

Book Club Basics

The Book Club is a new feature on my site. It’s available only to paying members.

I pick themes, topics, and authors. The last one was Machiavelli. I post videos that break down what I’m reading or how to tackle sections. I host livestreams where you can chat with me and other members. The chat also has a dedicated America thread. After getting feedback from members, I will also write some quick article riffs. The chat is great, but it doesn’t notify members, and with the number of members I have right now, it hasn’t yet come to life, with people checking in frequently.

You do not need to be reading any of the books. You can be a fly on the wall, ask questions, and engage however you like. This is for a few simple reasons. First, it would be silly to tell paying members they can’t ask questions when they see all the content they paid for. Second, and perhaps the biggest reason, I believe the book club will promote better reading. You’ll see how I or others dissect a book, whether easy or difficult. A goal of my site is to encourage better reading.

Naturally, I hope a few people will read along. For this “‘Merica” topic, I curated some big books. The first, The Last King of America by Andrew Roberts, is a behemoth.

The others:

• A History of the American People, Paul Johnson

• A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to America’s Age of Entitlement + The Patriot’s History Companion Reader: Essential Documents for Every American, Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen

• Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville (I’ll also read Pierre Manent’s book on Tocqueville, Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy, as a primer)

And I’m almost certainly going to include:

• Ethnic America, Thomas Sowell

A few other books might be added as well.

All of the books listed above, except the Sowell volume I’m almost certain to include, are big books.

With the book club, while I hope you read along, you can set your own pace and reading schedule. We all have our own schedules and reading rhythms. The topic is open-ended for now. You can pick up The Last King of America in six months, and I’ll still be happy to discuss it if you raise your hand.

Again, you can be a fly on the wall or read along. The more activity from you on the site, the more activity from me.

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The Pace of America Book Club

Given the length of these books, I will likely not read them back to back. Experience tells me that would cause reading burnout. I want to stay fresh with each book. I will read one, finish it, then likely pick a few easier books to read in between. Some may even be Book Club picks on a different topic. Then I will jump back into the America theme. The time between books will be a feel thing for me. My guess is one to three weeks.

The Last King of America

Since it looks like I’m the lone reader for now, I will still post plenty of videos and some article riffs on this book. If people ask questions or get involved, I’m happy to do some livestreams.

A chat thread has been dedicated to America. It will cover all things America and the curated books. Since the Substack chat hasn’t yet come to life for me, I will also write some riffing articles to discuss the book.

I’m close to 70 pages into The Last King of America, and it’s excellent so far. Andrew Roberts makes even exhaustive detail exciting. He does so by showing the consequences of events and explaining why some seemingly random British tax or royal marriage mattered. He’s a special talent.

If you’d like to join in, become a paid member.

I’m looking forward to this topic. I love America. I’m a history dork, and I can’t wait to read these books. I hope some of you will join along or, if you’re curious but not planning to read, will be flies on the wall to learn a bit about the greatest country on earth.

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As mentioned in a previous article, the first book to read is The Last King of America by Andrew Roberts.

It’s a beast of a book. A whopping 675 pages in my hardbound edition. The knocks against the book pertain to its exhaustive detail. Andrew Roberts is a modern iconic historian by reputable accounts. I’ve read a number of his articles and have listened to him on interviews yet have not read one of his books. His biographies of Napoleon and Churchill are famous. The King George biography received wide praise and acclaim, yet George is not as sexy as Churchill and Napoleon, hence the less “fame” of this biography, if you could call it that.

This book will take time. After the last message, it was a bit crickets. Yet I know of one heavy hitter joining in on this topic. Keep in mind, you do not need to be reading any of the books to be a part of this book club. As long as you are a paying member, you can partake.

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The certain-to-read books of this curation are big books and will require patience to read:

• A History of the American People, Paul Johnson — 976 pages & smaller font

• A Patriot’s History of the United States: From Columbus’s Great Discovery to the Age of Entitlement + its companion volume The Patriot’s History Reader: Essential Documents for Every American, Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen — 867 pages + 427 pages for the companion reader

• Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville — 822 pages. Also, as a primer, I’m going to read Pierre Manent’s Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy; people can join me if they wish on that.

I’m not here to scare you off. Breaks will exist between these books. I will not read one after the other. Given the size and depth of each, that, I surmise, would cause reading burnout. I will take breaks. How long a break lasts will be determined by how I’m feeling. It might be a week, it might be two weeks. I want to be fresh and ready for each book. I know that will get the best out of me for you.

My philosophy: I want you to read and enjoy them at your pace and in your own time. You do not need to read along. Though, I hope you do. And I want and hope to engage with you.

The Last King

An impulse arose, a strong one, to write a section to stoke curiosity to read The Last King. I announced this topic and the feedback was quiet. Like I said, I know of one heavy hitter joining. But that’s it. I’m still navigating and tinkering with the shape of the book club.

But I’m not going to try to bring out ye olde copywriting chops to sell you on reading this book.

A topic like this, with books like this, requires not just a motivated reader but a reader who would enjoy this topic, a reader with curiosity on this topic, and a reader who likes the challenge of a big book.

King George will not be an easy book. It’s a big book. It’s a book written by a historian of substance and depth. Yet it will not be beach-read history such as The History of Salt. It’s a doorstop book. Roberts is regarded as a great and compelling writer by many. In other words, he’s largely readable to smart people. Yet it’s a big book with a lot of detail. As any big book like this, it wil require someone deeply motivated to read it, and the idea of “getting through all of it” isn’t a worry to them.

Some of you will be interested but will not have the time to read it or simply might be too intimidated to pick it up. If that is you, you can still join in, watch the videos, ask questions in the chat, comment on the articles or riffs on the book, and join or offer up questions for the livestreams.

I’m excited to read this book. I have been for some time. Given the response to the last article, and it still being the nascent stages of my book club, it might just be me talking to the heavy hitter who said he was in and to a few flies on the wall. We’ll see what sticks. And it might be good practice since I’m thinking of adding in quick riffs or quick videos exclusive to members to discuss what I’m reading, book club topic or not.

In sum, this book is a serious one. It’s a big one. The takers will be few. But if you are a taker, whether reading or a fly on the wall, I plan to start next week.

I’m reading Deliverance by James Dickey currently. You may know it by the iconic movie. The book, so far, is superb. I can’t put it down. I will finish it in the next few days. I might read another fast-paced and short fiction before I begin The Last King.

If you are with me, first, you must be a member. Second, let me know if you’re reading this book or planning to. You can do that by commenting below. If you want to be a fly on the wall for this book and the topic, simply like the post.

I will write another announcement the closer I get to starting The Last King.

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Why America

Why not America?

A secret reason might be personal.

I was a history major in college. I love history. I’m a history nerd, As long time subscribers can probably tell, I read a fair amount of history. Back in college, I got in a bit of hot water for taking too many history classes. I had to scramble to find a minor, had missed some core classes I was supposed to take, which all made for a scrambled last quarter of college. But in that mess, I had to pick either American History or European History as my focus. I had equal credits and needed to choose one over the other. I’m of Irish descent, and had recently gotten back from Ireland when the history department told me this. Reflexively, I picked European. I wanted to write on Ireland, feeling it unrepresented in my studies. I picked, for a thesis paper, Ireland’s Troubles Represented In American Media Compared To English Media. A yawn fest. A bore fest. I was passionate in my history classes. I excelled at the exams and thought them fun. Yes, a bit weird, I know. I even liked writing papers. But I hated my thesis. I dragged through it. I knew a week going into it I should have switched. Yet I forged on, wrote a bore fest, and wished I picked American history.

It’s not that I dislike European history, I love it in fact. But my long love affair with history began via field trips as a kid to historical sites. For my birthday, I’d ask if we could do a Freedom Trail tour, yet again. My cousins in Virginia groaned when I visited because I’d want to go to Mt. Vernon, again. Without too much of a ramble, I’ve always loved American history. Each time my wife and I drive from Denver to Omaha, I wonder about that abandoned barn on the side of I-80. At rest areas, if a historical marker exists, I read it, and wonder.

Another reason, I want to do America as a background for future topics I have on the horizon:

• World War II (more overview, I have other topics around this as well like the Third Reich, Hitler, Stalin, etc.)

• The Vietnam War, particularly Mark Moyar’s works on it

• The Civil War, particularly Shelby Foote’s, The Civil War

• American Presidents

Maybe it’s a bit of an unscratched itch, but I’d like to dig into America. The American experiment is unlike any other in world history. America has become the dominant world power in a short period of time. The American Spirit is distinct, while Western, it is distinct in what it represents. I want to look into it, and I believe it's worthwhile. And for the 250th anniversary of the greatest country on earth, why not?

A Caveat Before Getting Into It

Other topics, themes, and authors will be discussed. Here’s what I mean. I’m not picking this topic and going to read all of it until finished.

Why?

I have some big books curated. I know I will need some easier reads in between to keep fresh. I also know that you of those who wish to join reading along with any of the bigger books will need some heads up and some time to plan to read any of these books. I want to afford both of us the space and time needed.

Also, I have a few other themes, authors, and topics burning in my reading pocket that I know I want to dive into. I will likely dip into those here or there. Especially after tackling a big book or two. For instance, I’ve recently returned to my spiritual home, my Catholic Faith. I’m intrigued to dig into a few authors, like G.K. Chesterton, or Raymond Ibrahim’s trilogy on the Crusades.

The topic of America will be ongoing, may have some breaks, but we can view it as a kind of semester. We dig in, take a vacation, then return back.

The Map of Curated Books

I only have a few books set in stone, I’m still curating the others, and am pondering and wondering what fiction to include, if I include it.

Here are the certain to be included:

• Democracy in America, Alexis de Tocqueville (I will read Pierre Manent’s book, Tocqueville and the Nature of Democracy as a primer).

• A History of the American People, Paul Johnson

• A Patriot’s History of the United States, Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen, And I’ll read it’s companion The Patriot’s History Reader alongside it which includes the essential American documents detailed.

Democracy in America and A History of the American people are the most famous. Each is written by a non-American, which also drives the pick for the first work chosen for this topic. And each of those is a thick book. Each will take time.

Good Chance of Inclusion:

• Ethnic America, Thomas Sowell

• Dismantling America, Thomas Sowell

• The Good Country: A History of the American Midwest, Jon K. Lauck

• National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, Michael Auslin

The Great American Novel

I’m eyeing fiction for this topic as well. We’ve all heard of the Great American novel. But it’s tough to pick here, because Melville’s Moby Dick is certainly great, but it’s big, and may take months, and is worthwhile of his own deep dive. But here are a few I’m eyeing:

• Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain

• The Scarlet Letters, Nathanial Hawthorne

• The Bostonians, Henry James

We shall see here. The Great American Novel in itself could be its own topic.

The First Book…

The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, Andrew Roberts

Paul Johnson, Alexander de Tocqueville, and Andrew Roberts are all non-Americans. This is at one end coincidence and the other end specific. Coincidence because each is a heavyweight in its own way and I’ve long wanted to read them. Specific at the other because I want a bird’s-eye view of America. And sometimes the best bird’s-eye view comes from outsiders.

The Last King of America could be an odd place to start. But a recent 250th American anniversary themed article by Roberts graced the pages of The Claremont Review of Books. In it, he writes a compelling apologist article about George III. Roberts dissects the slander and myths Thomas Jefferson and others fabricated about King George. I had not really ever come across that angle. It made me insatiably curious. Recently, on a Victor Davis Hanson In His Own Words podcast, Hanson remarked how Roberts dissected the claims in Declaration of Independence regarding the King, and how great this book is. That naturally perked my interest more.

That unscratched itch since college of picking European History over American History, the topic of King George, are a kind of bridge. I know enough to be dangerous of our country’s founding, but sadly little on King George III. And he is the last King of America. Also, I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never read an Andrew Roberts book. He’s a modern master. I’ve read a few of his articles and each has been superb. I’ve heard him on interviews and podcasts, and each time, he resonates.

It’s long overdue to read him.

This is a big book. I want to get going on it fairly soon, but want to give you a heads up. I’d like to get going on it by mid June. I have a family vacation coming up in June, and I hope to either start it right after or right before. That gives about 3 or 4 weeks of heads up.

If you are interested in reading along with me with this book comment below this article. Note you must be a paid member to join in on the discussion.

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A possible reading order, likely to change:

1. The Last King, Andrew Roberts

   1. A small break

2. National Treasure

3. A History of the American People

   1. A break

4. Ethnic America

5. A Patriot’s History

   1. A break

6. Democracy in America

That is subject to change and almost certainly will change.

How The Bookclub Works

The bookclub here is still in its early phases. I’m learning more each time I try it.

First, you do not have to be reading any of the books, it’s preferred, but it’s open to all paying members.

Any member can ask questions in the chat, which will feature a dedicated thread. And any member can join in on the livestreams.

Those reading along, the chat, comments, and videos, so far, get the most engagement. You can offer analysis, musings, questions, and observations. I work to do a weekly check-in for readers. Whether someone is struggling or has observations, I like to stoke those conversations. The more activity from the members the more activity from me.

You do not have to start when I start. All bookclub topics, for now, are always open. For instance, if you wish to read The Prince next month, which was the last topic, you can go ahead and ask me questions, offer musings, and I will engage with it.

I also understand that some books, like all picked for this topic, are big. Go at your own pace. No need to rush, no need to feel like you need to crank. Reading works best when you go through it at your pace. If you decide to start Last King tomorrow, have at it, let me know, and I will start the dedicated thread for it.

The goal is conversation, getting you inspired to engage with the work.

I will also do videos. I’m working toward a weekly video, it may not always be possible with travel or my daughter. The videos recap, add some thoughts, and so forth. I may include some article riffs. Those will be more unedited and raw. They will depend on the writing schedule and writing projects which I will share below.

I will do livestreams, I’d like to do more of these since the last one was a blast, and I believe people got a lot out of it, so I hope. I know I did, I enjoyed it, and when I found out I can bring people onto the video chat, it became a whole lot more fun.

With a topic like America, and it being mainly history, the questions are going to be more of an overview, like, “What is America?” And with this historical focus, what shaped it? What makes it unique?

With the book A Patriot’s History it’s more or less a counter, a correction in my opinion, to Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. I read Zinn’s work. I read it twice. I studied it in college. Then read it once a few years after college. Each time it was no different, fabulist, full of holes, annoyingly full of Zinn’s heavy-handed agenda, and outright wrong in many instances. I’ve yet to read Patriot’s History but many thinker’s I respect admire it, and it is known as a robust counter to Zinn’s sophomoric yet famous work.

And Patriot’s might be the most intense read of this topic.

This topic may take over a year with given breaks and some jumps into other topics. And that’s ok, it has big books, it will naturally take time And we may need time post reading to chew over what we learned.

I will announce again as I get closer. But if you’re interested in either reading along or being a fly on the wall, comment below.

Again, it’s for paid members only.

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Article Style Update

As I’ve waded into the one man review books lane, I’ve sat on something for a bit. I have a few cultural riffs, a few essays, some percolating, some written, and one ready to publish.

Lately, I’ve been reading, then doing a Recommends. I’m playing with my own style of these versus a more traditional review of books style found in Claremont Review of Books or New York Review of Books.

Yet, I’m lacking in an area, but have been stewing over it. That is, the essays, the cultural pieces, the musings, and so on that makes a review of books stand out. I want to write them, but as soon as I finish a book, I begin a Recommends piece, and it gets long.

I need to give time to flesh out and publish the more essay type pieces. With that, I’m going to keep the Recommends, but will not do a piece for every book I read. I will do them for some books absolutely, but not all. I need to throw my hat in the ring for some pieces that will challenge me and possibly resonate or ruffle feathers. So, I will do a recap of books read, a quick blip, instead of a longer recommends. For instance, I will publish an article today or tomorrow that is a piece I’ve been shaping lately. Then I’m going to dig into a piece I wrote awhile ago (which might need a total rewrite, seeing how I wrote it when I was struggling with my sleep before I got a CPAP — it’s rambly, repetitive, and choppy) about The Iliad and masculinity. I cranked few a few books lately, and while I have those other articles in the works, I will do a brief recap of those books since they are worthy of reading.

Like standard review of book publications, I need to and am burning to get into those essays or opinion pieces. They need my focus. Some will outright be inspired by what I’m reading or what I have just read. I also want to do a few pieces on better reading. And to focus on on all that along with the essays and opinion pieces, the Recommends will likely be for exceptional books, or what I’m in the mood for. They will still come, but it got too much to do it with every book, and my site is in want of new colors.

For any of you still reading it, the chat is still open. All bookclub topics are always open. If you want to go back into a previous topic, author, or book, have at it. With any of the books featured in my Recommends you can ask me directly here. Maybe I should start a chat thread on those…

Also this bookclub is still early in its stages. I’m learning from you. I really enjoyed the livestream. I’d like to do a Machiavelli post mortem livestream. I do not have a date set yet, but if it interests you please like or reply to this message, and I’ll find a time.

I’ve been thinking on Machiavelli since finishing it. My first assessment of The Discourses: after Book I it gets redundant and repetitive. But, for the sake of posterity and for the clarity of understanding his theories, it’s good Discourses gets redundant. The redundancy, the repetitive rambles of his theories, his exegesis of Livy, all adds clarity and em…

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The Discourses, in my opinion, past book one gets redundant. I can’t not say it. Yet, while Machiavelli is redundant and contradicts himself, he is consistent. He injects his political theory in all chapters, and hammers his points. The more I read it, the more I get the gist of modern politics.

But I’ve noticed something else as well.

The “do something” cry of constituents, which is often a cry from the Left side of the spectrum, is inherently Machiavellian. An event happens, and then the “do something” wants to overhaul the current system and instill a new government system with new laws, new morals, and severe punishment for those opposing.

A similar impulse exists on the Right. Some call it the New Right, but I find the New Right label sometimes vague and sometimes way too online but more often than …

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I did a check-in on the chat and didn’t hear anything. The chat does not send a mass message like an article, and the message probably went into the empty airwaves.

With that, I’m curious where readers of The Discourses are at, what are you noticing, questions, analyses, insights, and observations.

Possibly this week, here or on video, likely on here after I finish editing an article, I’ll drop a kind of bullet point list of observations. A key feature of Machiavelli I’ve noticed is how repetitive he is with his themes. He has a consistency of putting his theory into every chapter. Discourses certainly expands his political theory laid out in The Prince, yet consistent themes are hammered over and over.

Given how political the work is, a question I’ve been wrangling with, is how Machiavellian became to be a comm…

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But if you’re joining me in The Discourses I’ve started it.

A note to those of you still reading The Prince or wanting to read it, I will still cover it. Likely I’m going to make a video on one of the chapters this week, I believe chapter 15. And The Discourses expands the concepts introduced in The Prince, so much of what’s discussed from The Discourses will apply.

The Discourses is a sizable book. It will take some time to go through. Do not worry about reading speed or falling behind. Chew what bites you can, enjoy what bites you can, and any analysis, observations, understandings, struggles, or questions, feel free to mention in the chat or in the comments.

Also, last week’s livestream was stellar. You can watch th…

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Livestream

This week, Friday, April 3rd, I’m going to do a Livestream right here on Substack.

If you can join me live, I would love to have you on. It looks like I can now host live via my desktop, I hope it’s a smooth experience. Come on, ask some questions, share some observations, or anything Machiavelli you got go right ahead.

If you can or cannot make it — questions or observations you’d like answered or addressed, go ahead and share those either by commenting here below or sharing it in the chat thread.

Schedule

Right now, I’m on Chapter 15. I’m changing my reading schedule a bit this week to get an hour on certain mornings. So I might make easy work of the rest of The Prince. If you’re planning to join me on the Discourses, let’s plan Monday, April 6th as the start. But I will still be…

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With Machiavelli, it was the modern experience — he speaks of hs lunga esperienza delle cose moderne in his Dedicatory Letter to The Prince (written in 1513) — that found its own expression. In Machiavelli modernity found an interpretation of itself that determined the orientation of the European mind, and hence European political history, from that moment on.

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As I said in the video, he and Pierre Manent arrive at the same conclusions, and often through the same pathways, despite Manent and Grafton holding different worldviews. To me, with vetted thinkers like this, that same conclusion offers weight to both, and means we should take what they say with gravity and it’s a worthwhile compass to help us grasp, understand, and enjoy The Prince.

Here are some passages I believe relevant to the introduction, and passages that will help us tackle this iconic work.

From: Natural Law and Human Rights: Toward a Recovery of Human Reason, Pierre Manent

These are curated from the introduction by Daniel J. Mahoney:

It wads the classics and the Christians who defended “reflective choice” and “free will,” the preconditions of all meaningful action. By contrast, Machiavelli, writing at the dawn of modernity, substituted a theoretical perspective on action that eclipsed the agent’s poin…

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Some of you are joining me for The Prince, some for The Discourses and some for both. Again, no need to be reading along to engage in the topic of Machiavelli. This is open to all paying members. If you have questions, you can ask in the comments, you can ask in the dedicated chat thread, or you can ask on the livestream videos.

I’m starting The Prince today. As I discussed in the video I sent the other day, I will engage with the introduction, and will do a video on it. Those of you reading The Prince, please do offer your analysis and walkaway from the introduction. An introduction to a work like this sets a tone. Good introductions, and hopefully this one is good, give signposts, questions and ideas to look for, and some under…

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The bookclub is about to begin.

For anyone new, my official bookclub is launching. The first topic: Machiavelli. It’s open to all paying members and it’s required to read either of the works.

This week I’m preparing.

I just went through Ritchie Robertson’s The Enlightenment. Robertson is an Enlightenment scholar, and while no specific chapter is devoted to Machiavelli, I looked through to see the Machiavelli influence on some Enlightenment thinkers, and found some good tidbits. Mainly, some good tidbits relating to Edward Gibbon and the Roman Empire. He also reminded me of the claim that The Prince was satire. A unique claim, nothing too much of a rabbit hole, but certainly a little bit of conspiracy tinged food for thought.

I also ordered Anti-Machiavel by King Frederick of Prussia. Frederick wrote why Machiavelli was wrong based on his experience. Which is interesting since Frederick, from the little I know of him, was what some consider a Machiavellian leader, since he was a Realpolitik player. Yet, as Pierre Manent shows, one can assert, whether it’s power or dominance or will, in a manner that is not Machiavellian, even if it’s an aggressive assertion. More food for thought.

This week I will likely also dig into the Manent books I ordered, not fully, but just to get some topics and mark some chapters of The Prince to take note of.

Start Date

Again, it’s not required to read to join in. You can ask questions, engage, and watch some of the videos.

But for those of you reading, let’s peg Monday, March 23rd as the start date.

No law says you must start on that day. You can begin sooner, you can begin after, you can begin well after if you’d like. But we’ll mark that day as the day to begin.

This week I plan to record a video on handling introductions and translator notes of a book of this sort through the new Substack Studio feature. Classic books, among others, almost always have an introduction written by either a scholar on the topic or a notable figure. Introductions matter. They can set the tone, provide clarity, give context, and guide or misguide. As to the latter, man is a political animal, and a person’s worldview does seep into works or lenses. Sometimes it’s not as explicit, and some authors and writers are great at leaving most of it out, but it will come out in some manner. That can set a tone so it’s important for our own critical thinking to provide context to the context being provided to you.

Plus, a big plus, modern publishing industries, especially a big player like Penguin, in my experience (being somewhat a Penguin Classics maximalist myself) attempt to hijack thinkers, authors, stories into the Left umbrella. And some of this hijackins is to the point of comedy, like Amartya Sen’s introduction to Adam Smith’s Theory of Moral Sentiments, where Sen makes a case that Smith was actually arguing for modern monetary theory and Socialism styled economic theory. That absurdity is so absurd it’s comedic.

Also another reason I do this, the best class I took in college was for history majors, and you had to have high grades to get in, I got in and am still proud as it was selective. Much of the class discussed the various styles of historical writing, how to theme a museum, how to present those plaques you see at a historical marker, and how to spot the worldviews or leanings and why it mattered. It didn’t make me a savant of knowing worldviews, but I recognized the importance to understand the lens of a writer or historian to get a handle on how they’re presenting it, whether it has an agenda, whether it’s counterfactual, so on and so forth. It was an invaluable class.

Enough rambling, I’ll save it for the video. And I’ll do a video on the introduction for The Prince once I get into it.

Again the edition I’m reading: The Prince ISBN: 978-0-140-44915-0

This bookclub is open to all paying members. I recognize some of the peeps joining, and know personally of another, in other words, a great handful have raised theirs hands to join in. Each will bring a lot to the table and it should make for good discussion.

Monday, March 23rd we begin.

Expect a video on the introduction to arrive in the next few days, possibly tomorrow. The video is exclusive to paid members.

If you’d like to join along for the ride and are not a paid member, upgrade your membership.

If you’re joining along, are a paid member, are reading either or both, or are not reading but planning to engage somewhat, go ahead into the chat, let me know you’re in and in what capacity, do that HERE.

I figure around a week until I read the first page of The Prince by Machiavelli. I’m coming up on the end of Natural Law and Human Rights by Pierre Manent. When finished, I plan to spend a few days with 1 John for my neighborhood’s men’s Bible study group. But I figure around a week until I officially dive into The Prince. 

What is beginning if you’re brand new?

My official book club is about to launch.

A few have raised their hand.

I recognize and know personally some of heavy hitters joining, which is going to make it a lot of fun.

Amazon delivered a pile of Pierre Manent books curated to help understand Machiavelli. I stumbled onto Manent recently via Daniel J. Mahoney, and knew I had to read his books, and serendipity struck, Manent’s works feature a substantive analysis of Machiavelli. Manent’s analysis of Machiavelli will benefit this book club immensely. I’m still looking through my bookshelf to see what else I can find to help unpack one of the most iconic, famous, and infamous figures of the modern West.

According to Jacques Barzun, the time period of Machiavelli and Luther birthed the modern West as we know it today. To get particular, Erasmus and Luther are the two who Barzun posits as birthing the modern West, and more so Luther. That it was Luther Barzun wrangles with, as Erasmus was the far greater mind, far greater writer, but it was what Luther offered to people that made him popular. I agree with Barzun, Erasmus is a far more potent, compelling, and far more intellectually powerful than Luther.

Pierre Manent, however, posits that Luther and Machiavelli combined birthed the modern West, along with a significant addition via Thomas Hobbes later. Manent recognizes the good in both Luther and Machiavelli, but he aptly details the consequences of their ideas. Manent particularly points out Machiavelli more so than Luther, and how Thomas Hobbes took Machiavelli’s ideas and made them more appetizing.

Machiavellians exist on both sides politically and inside of various worldviews. Machiavelli’s ideas imbue more than politics, they’re ingrained in art, personalities, business, dating, and we even find him abused and bastardized in a cynical manner in business and self-development.

Machiavelli matters. Robert Greene’s 48 Laws of Power is the Temu Machiavelli; Greene is a self-help author, a fun one; Machiavelli is the real deal. He’s had significant influence, impact, and continues to have significant influence and impact as his ideas have become almost second nature for some. He didn’t alter human nature, but he did, as Manent says in a trippy, eye-opening manner, contribute to the horizontal plane, a modern phenomena, of how humans make decisions. In short, the vertical plane is our intuition, inherited common sense, and the basic drives and motives from our agency. This is human nature, we share this in common with all humans. The basic human motives are: the pleasant, the useful, and the noble (or just). Our disposition, education (of all sorts not just school), and patterns dictate how our motives manifest. The motives expands into institutions and so on. The horizontal plane, however, is the more theoretical framework from where we, in a sense, obey to make a choice. A simple one, choosing actions and building an identity around opposing Donald Trump at all costs. The horizontal plane is the complex human added theories more unnatural to human nature, but people act from it, the vertical is included, but the horizontal is the person who buys “gender neutral” clothes for their baby. Trippy stuff, but Machiavelli is firmly on the horizontal plane in a distinct way.

This is why it’s important to read him and understand him. Gurus make Machiavelli into a life hack. That you can read him to 10x your passive income, seduce women, and have immense power, but instead of reading him, just buy this e-course. Pearl-clutching academics make Machiavelli into a monster (albeit many of them live in a Machiavelli influenced bubble, ironically).

Where is the truth?

Is it all bad?

Is it all good?

Personally, I’m curious to read Machiavelli since he arose out of the ashes of the Roman Empire’s western fall. That makes me curious as to what his perspective is, why he arose and was such a force, and what was the ghosts of that empire like.

I’m not a Machiavelli expert. But I will be learning it alongside you, and getting observations and wisdoms from some big hitter thinkers like Pierre Manent.

You don’t need to be reading either of the works to join along. You can think of it as a kind of MasterClass if you’re not reading along. This book club is open to ALL paying members. But I do hope to get a handful of brave souls to join in reading either or both of these iconic works.

The book club will feature access to the exclusive videos, chats, and you can ask questions.

If you haven’t signed up yet do so now.

We’re soon about to start.

If you are reading either of the works go ahead and say hi and tell us which of the books you plan to read in the chat thread Machiavelli seen HERE. If you plan to be an observer and not read, feel free to say hello in the chat if you wish — all paying members are welcome. Say hi HERE.