Theme of the Week
Biography
Reader: Kitty Simmons
Author: Kathryn Hughes
Title: The Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton
Call Number: TX140.B4 H84 2006
Rating: 5
Mrs. Beeton is kind of the British version of a Betty Crocker--Martha Stewart mashup. Although she died in 1865 at the age of 29, Beeton’s Book of Household Management has immortalized her name through many generations.
As indicated by the title, this book is more than an individual biography. The text is rich with the history of life in Victorian England and also includes interesting coverage of the development of the London publishing scene. This is a full blown scholarly treatment with copious notes and bibliography at the end. It is not a "beach book" or an easy read and probably includes more details about Mrs. Beeton’s ancestry than the causal reader wants to know. However, the resulting work has a fascination that kept me going through it all.
Spoiler alert: Beeton’s Book of Household Management contains very little original material with nearly all the recipes and other ideas "borrowed" from other authors. Mrs. Beeton’s work was that of a journalist and editor and she had very little experience either as a cook or as a housewife when her landmark book was issued. Her fame was posthumous and largely the result of marketing efforts by the publisher who gained rights to the book after she and her publisher husband had died. She had a knack for smoothing out bits and pieces from many sources, writing with a style and tone that appealed to a large audience. Also, she was a lot more interested in fashion than in cooking.
Regardless of her literary accomplishments, Mrs. Beeton’s life is a fascinating one which sadly ends with her dying from childbirth. Her marriage was a blend of professional and domestic pursuits that resonates with the modern reader even though her own aspirations were clearly Victorian in scope. Eels and tongue don’t sound nearly as appetizing today as they must have been to Mrs. Beeton and her crowd.
Kitty J. Simmons, Library Director
Reader: Cindy Parkhurst
Author: Edmund Morris
Title: Theodore Rex
Call Number: E 757 M885 2001
Rating: 5
Summary: O.K., I have a problem. I am aware that I have an unusual fascination with Theodore Roosevelt. I know that it is odd that I this is the third biography I have read about him in a year. But hopefully, if you have read my reviews, you will understand why I am so fascinated by him. In this most recent book, which I believe is the best one of the three that I have read, the author looks at Roosevelt’s eight years in office.
In many ways, T.R. was a contradiction in terms. He was a man with boundless energy and vision. He was a first class gentleman, but also an active sportsman. He was extremely well read but loved to rough it in the woods. He was a work-a-holic but also a family man that carved out special time for his five children.
After taking over as President in 1901 after McKinley’s assassination, Roosevelt did amazing things! In the Presidential office, he used that boundless energy to tackle big business by strengthening the Antitrust laws designed to break up monopolies and bust the sweetheart deals between suppliers of raw materials and manufacturers that were detrimental to the ordinary consumer. He became famous for his tough stance in foreign relations. He strengthened the federal government’s role in preserving and conserving forests and helped designate national monuments and parks. He was a naturalist, an author and a gifted athlete. He negotiated with Colombia and Panama to obtain the rights to build the Panama Canal that linked east and west.
Roosevelt was a man with a dream for what the United States could become if only we had the will and heart to do what was right. His administration concentrated on human rights issues as well as foreign affairs and parks and roads. As President soon after the Civil War, Roosevelt worked hard to make sure Black Americans were fairly treated. He also worked to assure that laborers received a "square deal" from employers and that the food supply in the United States was not tainted.
Finally, I became much more aware of the cyclical nature of our history. Many of the crises of the early 20th century are very much like the crises we are experiencing in the early 21st century. The descriptions of the wild fluctuations in the financial markets and the difficulties with balancing the role of government in labor issues and in helping to alleviate racial tensions continue to ring true today. I only hope we can find a leader of Roosevelt’s caliber to help us address these issues!
Cindy Parkhurst
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