August Book Club Choice - Biography Of Jefferson Davis

For a couple of days in August, The Lincoln Family Home may appear to have a decidedly Confederate bent.  On Monday, August 11, Hildene’s History Book Club will meet to discuss Jefferson Davis, American:  A Biography by William J. Cooper, Jr.  The book was specifically chosen so that the group’s reading and discussion would coincide with the author’s visit to Hildene just two days before on August 9.  Book club members learned that Cooper, a Boyd Professor of History at Louisiana State University, would be traveling to Vermont from his Baton Rouge home to appear as a guest speaker at the Lincoln Lecture Series on Saturday, August 9.   They then seized the opportunity to pair their reading of his work with the possibility of meeting the author.  Cooper’s lecture topic is “Governing the Confederacy” with a focus on Jefferson Davis and the role of states’ rights in the course of Confederate history.  He will be speaking about the very topic being explored in their August book choice, Jefferson Davis, American.

For this work, Cooper used research based on records left by Davis family members and associates to write a thorough account of this complex man who was president of the Confederacy. In a review of Jefferson Davis, American, Publisher’s Weekly says, “In the already cluttered field of Civil War history, Cooper’s is the definitive biography; readers will be particularly pleased to discover the compelling power of his narrative.”

Hildene’s History Book Club meets on the second Monday of each month from 3:30 to 5:00. Check in at the Welcome Center.  The group encourages readers to join in when they can.  Attendance each month is not a prerequisite.  Club members have selected the titles for the upcoming months through November.  They are:  September, James Madison and the Struggle for the Bill of Rights, by Richard Labunski; October, Lightning Man: The Accursed Life of Samuel F.B. Morse, by Kenneth Silverman; November, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, by Tim Weiner. To sign up or to learn more about the club, contact Brian Knight at 802.367.1225.  Book club selections for upcoming months can be found online at www.hildene.org

Location:
The Lincoln Family Home
PO Box 377
Manchester, Vermont 05254
Ph: 802-367-7961