History Book Club

Previous Books

September 9, 2008: The Spanish Inquisition.

We will discuss the Spanish Inquisition, its political atmosphere and effects on Spain and Europe. In 1492 Ferdinand and Isabella sponsored Columbus & also decided to rid Spain of Muslims and Jews. Suggested reading:

The Spanish Inquisition, a History, by Joseph Perez and Janet Lloyd

The Origins of the Inquisition in 15th Century Spain, by Benzion Netanyahu.

Secret Files of the Inquisition PBS DVD

The Inquisition History Channel DVD

For October, we will discuss the spread of the Inquistion to Peru and the Americas.

Dogs of God: Columbus, the Inquistion and the defeat of the Moors by James Reston Jr.

The Spanish Inquisition by John Edwards

August 12, 2008: North Korean leaders Kim Ill Sung and Kim Jong Il. Suggested reading:
Kim Il Sung: The North Korean Leader, by Dae-Sook Suh. 443 pages. Scholarly, thorough look at how Kim Il Sung took over Korea, and passed it on to his son.
Great Leader, Dear Leader: Demystifying North Korea Under the Kim Clan, by Bertil Lintner. 274 pages. How the Kims manage to control and finance the country.
Comrades and Strangers: Behind the Closed Doors of North Korea, by Michael Harrold. 432 pages. Life in North Korea described by an English translator who lived there for seven years.
Rouge Regime: Kim Jong Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea, by Jasper Becker. 328 pages. The Orwellian control and nuclear threat of Kim Jong Il.

July 8, 2008: The Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918. Suggested reading:
The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History by John M. Barry. 546 pages. Public health, epidemic disease, and political expediency in 1918.
Flu: the Story of the Great Influenza Pandemic by Gina Kolata. 352 pages. The quest to find out what caused the epidemic, and could it happen again.
America's Forgotten Pandemic: The Influenza of 1918 by Alfred W. Crosby. 352 pages. How could America forget the deadliest epidemic in history?

June 10, 2008: Saddam Hussein, discussion led by Lola Beatlebrox. Suggested reading:
Brighter than the Baghdad Sun: Saddam Hussein's threat to the United States by Shyam Bhatia, Daniel McGrory.
Saddam Hussein: a Political Biography by Efraim Karsh and Inari Rautsi. Published after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait--one of the earlier books about Saddam.
The Reckoning: Iraq and the Legacy of Saddam Hussein by Sandra Mackey.
Saddam: King of Terror by Con Coughlin. Drawn from intelligence reports and interviews with defectors.
Between two worlds: escape from tyranny--growing up in the shadow of Saddam by Salbi Zainab and Laurie Becklund. A woman's story of Saddam's Iraq.

May 13: Margaret Thatcher, discussion led by Ben Field. Suggested reading:
• One of Us: A Biography of Margaret Thatcher, by Hugo Young.
• The Downing Street Years, by Margaret Thatcher.
• The Path to Power, by Margaret Thatcher.
• Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher: A Political Marriage, by Nicholas Wapshott.
• Iron Lady, by Hugo Young.
• Statecraft: Strategies for a Changing World, by Margaret Thatcher.

April 8, 2008: Desert Queen: the Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell--Adventurer, Advisor to Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia, by Janet Wallach.

March 11, 2008: Central Europe: Enemies, Neighbors, Friends, by Lonnie R. Johnson. Discussion leader, Strike Fongeallaz.

February 12, 2008: Lords of the Rim, by Sterling Seagrave. Discussion leader, Ben Field.

December 11, 2007: Hosteen Klah, Navaho Medicine Man and Sand Painter, by Franc Newcomb.

November 13, 2007: Blood and Thunder, an Epic of the American West, by Hampton Sides (Kit Carson & the decimation of the Navajo).

October 9, 2007: Ancient Encounters: Kennewick Man and the First Americans, by James C. Chatters.

September 11, 2007: United Nations: Blue-print for World Control, by Myron Fagan, Craig Dunn and Tom Wood. (Dr. Craig Dunn will be our discussion leader)

August 14, 2007: Conservatives without Conscience, by John Dean

July 10, 2007: Believing History: Latter-Day Saint Essays, by Richard Bushman and others.

June 12, 2007: Forgotten Kingdom: the Mormon Theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896, by David L. Bigler.

May 8, 2007: 1421: The Year China Discovered America, Gavin Menzies

April 10, 2007: When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433, Louise Levathes

March 13, 2007: 1776, David McCullough

February 13, 2007: American Theocracy: The Peril and Politics of Radical Religion, Oil, and Borrowed Money in the 21st Century, Kevin Phillips

January 9, 2007: Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America, Stephen G. Bloom.

December 12, 2006: The Saints and the Union: Utah Territory During the Civil War, E. B. Long

Forgotten kingdom: the Mormon theocracy in the American West, 1847-1896, David L. Bigler.

November 14, 2006: 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, by Charles C. Mann.

October 10, 2006: The Knights Templar, by Sean Martin.

September 12, 2006: Cathedral, Forge, and Waterwheel: Technology and Invention in the Middle Ages., by Frances & Joseph Gies.

August 8, 2006: Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths, by Bruce Feiler.

July 11, 2006: Night, by Elie Wiesel.

June 13, 2006: