Day 5 of Book Week - Non-Fiction

Today's forecast for St. Peters: Mostly cloudy, high of 40 degrees, although this morning it was 50 degrees when I drove the kids to school.

I haven't read much non-fiction this year, but one book I am reading and thoroughly enjoying is THE AMERICAN PATRIOT'S ALMANC :Daily Readings on America, by New York Times Best-Selling author William J. Bennett and John T. E. Cribb, published by Thomas Nelson.

The almanac is a collection of facts and figures about Americana, spotlighting patriots who shaped our nation, from the formation of the United States of America to present day. It is a day-by-day account of historic events and contains verbatim texts of historic documents, such as the: Declaration of Independence, Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, Pledge of Allegiance, U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights--as well as sections on Flag Etiquette, Poems and Songs of American Patriotism, Prayers for the American people and a listing of Fifty All-American Movies.

This is a wonderful resource for anyone interested in Americana or history. It is a quick read and easy reference.

While I think the book is wonderful, I just have two minor nits to pick. They are very minor, but in a book with so many facts and figures and such a vast amount of historical information, I think they bear mention.

The first is an omission. The May 31 entry on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier includes a statement "that the remains of the Vietnam unknown were identified by DNA in 1998, so they were removed, and that bomb is now empty." What is omitted is the name of the Air Force pilot who was buried in the tomb, later identified, disinterred, and reburied. His name is 1st Lieutenant Michael J. Blassie. I admit to being biased about this bit of American history because I knew Mike Blassie. Mike took me to my senior prom, but I still believe because of the historic significance his name and rank should've been included.

The second nit is a mistake on the July 8 entry about the Liberty Bell. While the date at the top of the page is July 8, the beginning of the entry states that "Tradition says that on June 8, 1776, the Liberty Bell rang from the tower . . ." What's confusing is the date heading is July 8 and the text states the event occurred on June 8. Because of this historic significance, I think this should've been fact checked so the page heading matches the text.

Okay, don't throw any shoes at me; I admit, they are minor quibbles. But I really do like this book and think anyone who loves American trivia or enjoys reading about people and events that shaped our nation will treasure this book. In fact, my husband Walt, an immigrant who cherishes his adopted nation, will be getting a copy of THE AMERICAN PATRIOT'S ALMANAC: Daily Readings on America as one of his Christmas presents.

If you have any favorite non-fiction books you want to recommend, please let me know.

That's all for this week. I will try to post a few days next week, but most likely it will be hit or miss because of Christmas.

Hope you have a great weekend, and take time to write.

Donna