February 2020 Guest Review
This month’s guest reviewer is Knoxville native Honey Kephart Smith. She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 1994 and practiced social work for a few years before taking leave to raise her five children, all of whom were under three years old. Now they are all teenagers so she has more time for reading and thrifting. Honey loves non-fiction and specifically science, history, true-crime, and biography/memoir. Thank you Honey for this review!
Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates : The Forgotten War That Changed American History
by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
Prior to reading this book, I had no idea where the line “to the shores of Tripoli” in the Marine Hymn came from. But now I know it is a reference to Barbary Wars. Yeah, I probably wasn’t paying attention in American History.
Just after establishing the United States, we found ourselves in conflict with several nations of the Ottoman Empire due to disagreements about trade routes. That’s a very basic explanation, but this book is a comprehensive overview of the key players, battles, and resulting treaties. Told in narrative form, this ain’t your grandpa’s history book! The story is fast-paced and interesting and gives an insiders view into the personalities and characters of the men. From the cowardly to the ultra-proud and from the treacherous to the honorable, the cast of characters is diverse. I listened on audio and the narration is excellent. I gave it a five-star review on Goodreads.
And now for the Recipe for Readers Pirates Recommendation:
Navy Grog
