The situation room: the inside story of presidents in crisis DB121216

Authors: Stephanopoulos, George, Dickey, Lisa

Reading Time: 10 hours, 10 minutes

Read by: Peter Ganim, George Stephanopoulos, Elisabeth Rodgers

Subjects: U.S. History, Government and Politics

“George Stephanopoulos, former senior advisor to President Clinton and for more than 20 years host of This Week and Good Morning America, recounts never-before-told crises that decided the course of history, from the place 12 presidents made their highest-pressure decisions: the White House Situation Room. No room better defines American power and its role in the world than the White House Situation Room. And yet, none is more shrouded in secrecy and mystery. Created under President Kennedy, the Sit Room has been the epicenter of crisis management for presidents for more than six decades. Time and again, the decisions made within the Sit Room complex affect the lives of every person on this planet. Detailing close calls made and disasters narrowly averted, THE SITUATION ROOM will take readers through dramatic turning points in a dozen presidential administrations, including: –Incredible minute-by-minute transcripts from the Sit Room after both Presidents Kennedy and Reagan were shot –The shocking moment when Henry Kissinger raised the military alert level to DEFCON III while President Nixon was drunk in the White House residence –The extraordinary scene when President Carter asked for help from secret government psychics to rescue American hostages in Iran –A vivid retelling of the harrowing hours during the 9/11 attack –New details from Obama administration officials leading up to the raid on Osama Bin Laden –And a first-ever account of January 6th from the staff inside the Sit Room. THE SITUATION ROOM is the definitive, past-the-security-clearance look at the room where it happened, and the people–the famous and those you’ve never heard of–who have made history within its walls”– Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : Hachette Audio, 2024.

This book can be found at Bookshare at the following link:

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6017442?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZrZXl3b3JkPVRoZSUyQnNpdHVhdGlvbiUyQnJvb20

David Faucheux will be leading a historical fiction discussion as he does three times a year of Ella: a novel DB123445 by Diane Richards. Below is a book review submitted by David of this novel followed by its NLS annotation, Bookshare link, and Zoom invitation.

First the NLS annotation:

I have always found biographical novels of interest because they somehow — and in a way that nonfiction simply cannot – manage to bring characters to life and make us care. Sometimes, after taking one of these historic novels in, I look for a nonfiction biography to add depth or another perspective.

Reviewer’s Note: See the short bibliography at the conclusion of this review.

I found this novel about Ella Fitzgerald’s early life interesting if a bit upsetting. The novel opens on July 18, 1948, with her about to appear on The very new Ed Sullivan Show. But then we are taken back to January of 1932 when Ella is told by her mother that she will have to help out in the laundry where the mother works. Ella, needless to say, is not amused. She loves to dance and has been practicing with her neighbor; they live in Yonkers and Ella lives for dance contests especially because participants who do well can earn money prizes.

In any event, the mother unexpectedly dies at work, her white boyfriend becomes abusive to Ella who goes to live with her aunt in Harlem where she takes up with a criminal element and becomes a Numbers Runner in order to bring in much-needed income as the money is very good in the numbers racket. Her mentor is killed when the white mob decides that they want to muscle in on the lucrative numbers game. In typical mob fashion, people start dying as bullets start flying.

Because Ella has been missing so much school at the excellent institution where her aunt has enrolled her, she is picked up by the truant officer. With the help of several police officers who have accompanied the truant officer, Ella is taken to jail. She then is sent to an upstate reformatory where she is badly treated as are other “colored” girls who are told “to know your place.” They are not taught typical high school subjects such as English as are the white girls but rather made to work in the reformatory garden. They learn from other imprisoned girls about the sexual predations of several low-life white, male workers at the reformatory. Ella herself is locked up in solitary for over a week.

She manages to escape after a year when several of the girls, both white and African-American, are chosen to sing Christmas carols at the nearby town. With the help of several women hiding in the train yard, she hops a train to New York City and lives on the streets of Harlem where she dances with street kids for coins.

Due to a lucky break (she draws the shortest straw), She is chosen for a coveted spot to participate in an early Amateur Night at the famed Apollo where the audience is known for its ruthless critique; if they like you — they love you. Otherwise, they scream and boo and you are swept off the stage by a broom-wielding tap dancing someone called The Executioner.

Ella was supposed to dance but as she was put on first during Amateur Night, she would follow the conclusion of the professional show which consisted of two superb twin sister dancers clad in vivid yellow dresses spangled with sequins, even to their sparkly dance shoes. Ella manages to convince the emcee to let her sing which she does. The audience falls in love.

Then, suddenly, we are back with Ed Sullivan and she goes on and sings. How Ella gets from the stage at the Apollo in November of 1934 to Sullivan’s world in 1948 is anyone’s guess as the novel does not explain.

All in all, an excellent intro to Ella Fitzgerald with some interesting singing by narrator Alexandra Grey who herself has an interesting story to tell. Meet Alexandra Grey, the 2016 Breakout Star of … – ScreenCrush

For further interest:

And on BARD

She persisted: Ella Fitzgerald DB115988

Becoming Ella Fitzgerald: the jazz singer who transformed American song DB118643

Dangerous rhythms: jazz and the underworld DB109819

And I would encourage anyone interested in either Ella Fitzgerald or Marilyn Monroe to keep checking on BARD as I’m sure the novel Can’t We Be Friends by Denny Bryce and Eliza Knight that came out earlier this year should appear there at some point. A search indicated at this time the book is not in progress, but I think it will eventually make it. I reviewed it for Library Journal and enjoyed it. There are certainly enough books, fiction and nonfiction, about Marilyn. Enjoy

“When fifteen-year-old Ella Fitzgerald’s mother dies at the height of the Depression in 1932, the teenager goes to work for the mob to support herself and her family. When the law finally catches up, the “ungovernable” adolescent is incarcerated in the New York Training School for Girls in upstate New York–a wicked prison infamous for its harsh treatment of inmates, especially Black ones. Determined to be free, Ella escapes and makes her way back to Harlem, where she is forced to dance for pennies on the street. Looking for a break into show business, Ella draws straws to appear at the Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night on November 21, 1934. Rather than perform a dance routine directly after “The World Famous Edwards Sisters” number, the homeless Ella, wearing men’s galoshes a size too big, risks everything when she decides to sing Judy instead. Four years later, at barely twenty-one, Ella Fitzgerald has become the bestselling female vocalist in America.”– From publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

New York : HarperAudio, [2024]

https://www.bookshare.org/browse/book/6016879?returnPath=L3NlYXJjaD9tb2R1bGVOYW1lPXB1YmxpYyZsaWJyYXJ5VG9TZWFyY2g9Ym9va3NoYXJlJmF1dGhvckZpbHRlcj1EaWFuZSUyQlJpY2hhcmRzJmF1dGhvcj1EaWFuZSUyQlJpY2hhcmRzJnNvcnRPcmRlcj1SRUxFVkFOQ0U

We will be discussing the book Master slave husband wife: an epic journey from slavery to freedom DB112758 by Ilyon Woo.

“The remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled White man and William posing as “his” slave. In 1848, a year of international democratic revolt, a young, enslaved couple, Ellen and William Craft, achieved one of the boldest feats of self-emancipation in American history. Posing as master and slave, while sustained by their love as husband and wife, they made their escape together across more than 1,000 miles, riding out in the open on steamboats, carriages, and trains that took them from bondage in Georgia to the free states of the North. Along the way, they dodged slave traders, military officers, and even friends of their enslavers, who might have revealed their true identities. The tale of their adventure soon made them celebrities, and generated headlines around the country. Americans could not get enough of this charismatic young couple, who traveled another 1,000 miles criss-crossing New England, drawing thunderous applause as they spoke alongside some of the greatest abolitionist luminaries of the day—among them Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown. But even then, they were not out of danger. With the passage of an infamous new Fugitive Slave Act in 1850, all Americans became accountable for returning refugees like the Crafts to slavery. Then yet another adventure began, as slave hunters came up from Georgia, forcing the Crafts to flee once again—this time from the United States, their lives and thousands more on the line and the stakes never higher. With three epic journeys compressed into one monumental bid for freedom, Master Slave Husband Wife is an American love story—one that would challenge the nation’s core precepts of life, liberty, and justice for all—one that challenges us even now.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.

Jana Littrell has generously volunteered some of her new retirement time to leading and programming this group’s discussion, congratulations Jana ! Her first book is Walls: A History Of Civilization In Blood And Brick, DB 92383, by David Frye. Approximately 10 hours in reading time.

A historian discusses the role of man-made edifices and barriers throughout history. Explores the importance of walls in ancient civilizations, a thousand-mile-long wall in Asia, sieges of fortified cities, political conflicts centered upon walls, gated communities, and more. 2018.

On Tuesday, September 3, 2024, the group will discuss 1923: The Crisis of German Democracy in the Year of Hitler’s Putsch by Mark William Jones (DB116875 ). The book recounts the unsuccessful first attempt to overthrow Germany’s democracy. This was followed 10 years later by Hitler’s appointment as Prime Minister, the end of democratic government in Germany and the deaths of millions in World War Two. Can this happen again?

“In 1923, the Weimar Republic faced a series of crises, including foreign occupation of its industrial heartland, rampant inflation, radical violence, and finally Hitler’s infamous “beer hall putsch.” Fanning the flames of anti-government and anti-Semitic sentiment, the Nazis tried to violently seize power in Munich, only failing after they were abandoned by like-minded conservatives. In 1923, historian Mark William Jones draws on new research to offer a revealing portrait of German politics and society in this turbulent year. Tracing Hitler’s early rise, Jones reveals how political pragmatism and unprecedented international cooperation with the West brought Germany out of its crisis year. Although Germany would succumb to tyranny a decade later, the story of the republic’s survival in 1923 offers essential lessons to anyone concerned about the future of democracy today.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

On August 6 we will review THE GREAT DIVIDE: A NOVEL, db120159 by Cristina Henríquez. The program is produced by David Faucheux.

Historical Fiction

“It is said that the canal will be the greatest feat of engineering in history. But first, it must be built. For Francisco, a local fisherman who resents the foreign powers clamoring for a slice of his country, nothing is more upsetting than the decision of his son, Omar, to work as a digger in the excavation zone. But for Omar, whose upbringing was quiet and lonely, this job offers a chance to finally find connection. Ada Bunting is a bold sixteen-year-old from Barbados who arrives in Panama as a stowaway alongside thousands of other West Indians seeking work. Alone and with no resources, she is determined to find a job that will earn enough money for her ailing sister’s surgery. When she sees a young man, Omar, who has collapsed after a grueling shift, she is the only one who rushes to his aid. John Oswald has dedicated his life to scientific research and has journeyed to Panama in single-minded pursuit of one goal: eliminating malaria. But now, his wife, Marian, has fallen ill herself, and when he witnesses Ada’s bravery and compassion, he hires her on the spot as a caregiver. This fateful decision sets in motion a sweeping tale of ambition, loyalty, and sacrifice.”– OCLC. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Join us on July 2, 2024, first Tuesday, to review another blockbuster and best seller by Robert Woodward , Fear: Trump in the White House DB91876

Biography

Pulitzer prize-winning investigative journalist details the decision-making process for both foreign and domestic policy within the Trump administration. Draws on interviews with firsthand sources, meeting notes, diaries, files, and documents. Strong language. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2018.

NLS Annotation

Biography

“A riveting history of the epic orbital flight that put America back into the space race. If the United States couldn’t catch up to the Soviets in space, how could it compete with them on Earth? That was the question facing John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cold War–a perilous time when the Soviet Union built the wall in Berlin, tested nuclear bombs more destructive than any in history, and beat the United States to every major milestone in space. The race to the heavens seemed a race for survival–and America was losing. On February 20, 1962, when John Glenn blasted into orbit aboard Friendship 7, his mission was not only to circle the planet; it was to calm the fears of the free world and renew America’s sense of self-belief. Mercury Rising re-creates the tension and excitement of a flight that shifted the momentum of the space race and put the United States on the path to the moon. Drawing on new archival sources, personal interviews, and previously unpublished notes by Glenn himself, Mercury Rising reveals how the astronaut’s heroics lifted the nation’s hopes in what Kennedy called the “hour of maximum danger.”” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

On May 7th, JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY introduces best-selling author, poet and teacher, Clint Smith, who brings his Harvard sociology training on his visits (with recorder) to Civil War and Reconstruction Era Monuments from New Orleans to New York and Virginia to Texas in his book How the word is passed: a reckoning with the history of slavery across America DB103908.

As noted on Blinkist.com: “ Through immersive visits to historical sites, Smith examines how slavery is remembered and how it continues to shape the country today.”

The Journey through History Zoom meeting link follows. Be aware that all Accessible World Zoom meetings are set to automatically record and the Zoom Client

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/177809772?pwd=dSt5ZjBzK3hYL3doRE5NVy96M3JVUT09

Please join us on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 at 8:00 PM Eastern to discuss the following: HOW THE WORD PASSED: A RECKONING WITH THE HISTORY OF SLAVERY ACROSS AMERICA. DB103908

By her own design DB110548

Historical Fiction

“1953, New York City. Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe’s dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. It may take all day and all night for the next week to accomplish the task, but they will do it. 1918, Tampa. Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann’s talent and offers her an amazing opportunity–the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida’s society elite. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime. Based on the true story of one of the most famous designers of the twenties through the sixties who has since been unjustly forgotten, By Her Own Design is an unforgettable novel of determination despite countless obstacles and a triumph celebrated by the world.” — Provided by publisher. Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

Download By her own design DB110548

Here is the Bookshare link to this title: