Today, even after all of my collegiate American History courses I learned that Abraham Lincoln was more than likely assassinated because his final public address, which called for black suffrage. After a war which split a nation in two, the emancipation of hundreds of thousands of slaves, and the signing of the of the 13th amendment a man, John Wilkes Booth, decides that black suffrage is going to far.
That made me think a lot about the human story and our ability to write our own story. I believe the impact we have in this world is determined by our belief in our ability to oversee that change. I think one of Obama's faults in office thus far was his almost visible loss of confidence. To me, it does not appear, that he believes in the idea that he can overcome the tremendous obstacles presented by both the American public and the American legislature. The same "swagger" (a word I don't especially care for) that made Obama so charismatic during his campaign for the Presidency has since deviated into a sort of ominous concern. He is obviously aware of the problems that await this country in the coming decades and wants to address the issues immediatey but I think he realized it is difficult to adjust the status quo. Inertia is a powerful force, or so they say. Bu
t, I digress.All of this is really, to a certain extent, about a recent contest that swept the cyber-world LiveoffGroupon. The idea of the contest plays to both my immense restlessness and avid sense of adventure. It forced me to think about the path my life has taken thus far, and the people that influenced that. Not only the people but each individual action, each decision. My eyes are so very thirsty for something new.
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes of all time. From the former Supreme Court Justice William Orville Douglas: “I learned that the richness of life is found in adventure…It develops self-reliance and independence. Life then teems with excitement. There is stagnation only in security.”
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by H.W. Brands. Franklin, much like Buffet, has become more of a legend than a human being but Brands illustrated the humanity in Franklin. His struggle to remain faithful to his wife, his inability to maintain very close friendships, and his quest to improve the life of the new America and her inhabitants. A biography that explains the life of a mythological creature much like Franklin and or his contemporary George Washington is understandable. Their lives were so much different than the lives of us, not only because of their extreme successes but also because of our inability to comprehend what life must have been like in their era. A writer trying to make a quick buck writing a biography on a figure that is merely a sparkle in public eye for fifteen minutes is deplorable. The reason there are biographies written for Sarah Palin, Paris Hilton, Jay Leno et al. is mind numbing.
by James Brown was the last memoir I read (with the exception of Jack Kerouac's 
which is breathtakingly brilliant). James Brown's life was marred with death, suicides, homelessness, addiction, and depravity. He had not lived a life of normalcy and had been surrounded by a cast of extremely interesting characters. The book was well written, sharp and honest. I have no problem with memoirs of astonishing human accomplishment being published: overcoming obstacles, beating cancer, etc. but I am so sick of fiction being sold as fact (e.g. the Tiny Little Pieces guy) and mundane being sold as magnificent.