Theodore Roosevelt and the Assassin: Madness, Vengeance, and the Campaign of 1912 by Gerard Helferich

Age Level: Adult

Format: Book

In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt had his eyes set on a third presidential term. As the candidate on the Progressive Party or Bull-Moose Party ticket, Roosevelt planned to tour the entire country, making speeches and promoting the ideals and values of the Progressive Party. John Schrank, a New Yorker from Bavaria, felt no one should seek a third term as President. Schrank decided he must assassinate Roosevelt to teach Americans that no third term seeker should be allowed in the United States. Helferich follows these two individuals as their paths converge in September and October 1912, leading to the assassination attempt on October 14, 1912, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  

I knew very little about this assassination attempt prior to reading this book. Overall, I found the book to be informative, well-written and truly fascinating. Helferich has crafted a well-flowing nonfiction narrative that grabbed my interest and should grab the interest of anyone interested in presidential histories, political histories, and/or United States histories. Each chapter reflects another day or another week on the campaign trail and follows the movements of Roosevelt and Schrank in this time frame; this construction makes readers feel like they are part of the journey. Photographs scattered throughout the book add to the narrative, allowing readers to see people and places as they are discussed in the narrative. A list of sources and a bibliography appear at the end of the book.

Incidentally, anyone who enjoyed Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard and would like to read a similar title should check out this book.

Reviewed by Jessica

Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman and Paul Clark Newell Jr.

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

Heiress Huguette Clark passed away in 2011 at age 104, leaving millions of dollars in real estate, art collections and money to staff, friends and caregivers, including her nurse and doctor. In her last will, Clark cut out her relatives, leaving the descendants of her father W.A. Clark's first marriage with nothing. Astonished by her will, nineteen of her relatives contested it; news outlets have reported on this over the past couple of years. At the time of this biography's publication, a settlement had not been reached, though the status of that has changed within the past couple of weeks, with the relatives overturning the last will. However, during this battle between Huguette's lawyers and caregivers and family members, much of Huguette's life came to light for the first time in decades. Dedman and Clark Newell Jr tell Huguette's story in this biography, using letters, phone conversations, family and friend reminiscences and other documents to construct Huguette's life.

Upon the death of her older sister, father and mother, Huguette locked herself away in her Fifth Avenue apartment for a few decades, refusing to leave her home and to see anyone. She held conversations through doors and spoke on the phone with others - she initiated the phone conversation. She did not visit her family's retreat in Santa Barbara, California, nor did she set foot in a chateau she purchased in Connecticut, letting both remain vacant. She spent the last twenty years of her life in a hospital, receiving care and support from nurses and doctors. In turn for their care, Huguette showered them with gifts. She gave gifts to old friends and their families. She purchased art pieces and dolls with her fortune. In all, she spent millions and millions on collections and on others.

This is truly a remarkable story. I was completely mesmerized by Huguette's story. Prior to reading this book, I had not heard of W.A. Clark or Huguette Clark; needless to say, I had not recognized the Clark name as one connected with copper mining in the western United States. Dedman and Clark Newell Jr present Huguette's life in a flowing storyline (incidentally, Clark Newell Jr. is related to Huguette but was not one of the nineteen contesting the will). Huguette's generosity stretched across the world, though she did not always want credit, desiring her privacy and anonymity more than anything else. The images scattered throughout the biography add to the narrative, providing a visual picture of people, places and objects discussed in the biography. The extensive list of documents in the bibliography show the amount of research Dedman and Clark Newell Jr. undertook to tell Huguette's side of the story.

Those who enjoy reading biographies, who like to learn more about the Gilded Age or the wealthy at the turn of the 20th century, or simply like to read about the rich and famous, should check out this biography.

Reviewed by Jessica

The Poisoned House: A Ghost Story by Michael Ford

Ford, Michael.  Chicago, IL: Albert Whitman & Company, 2011.  $8.99.  ISBN: 978-0-8075-6590-2.  Horror/Historical Fiction.  Age/Grade Level: Teen 9+ (high school and+)  Format: Book

This book was a bit disappointing.  It seemed like a good choice, but it was very slow in getting to the action.  It tells the story of Abigail (Abi) Tamper, who truly existed in 1850’s London (and changed her name to Abigail Merchant) and this story is loosely based on her life, but it is made more of a story and told through Abi’s perspective in this book.  Her mother is killed, and she begins to be haunted by her mother’s ghost.  Abi has never known of her father, but has always served as a maid in Lord Greave’s household, Greave Hall.  Sam, or Master Greave, son of Lord Greave returns back from the war, loses his leg and Abi nurses Sam back to health.  (True part of Abi’s real story.)  Then the book takes a twist with Abi and Sam both being fathered by Lord Greave, which makes the story interesting, but was never actually proven historically.  Shortly after Abi’s mother’s death, Lord Greave falls progressively into madness and he does through most of the story, until he is killed.  It is later found out that Sam accidently poisoned Abi’s mother, while trying to kill Lord Greave, his father, and eventually Sam smothers Lord Greave in his sleep, all because Sam found it abhorrent that his mother fell in love with Abi’s mother (Sam’s own nursemaid) and to add insult to injury for Sam, Lord Greave leaves Greave Hall to Abi merely days after Abi’s mother’s death. (Abi’s inheritance was real, and it was suspected Sam killed his father.)  It was highly predictable, how the story would go, once it was revealed that the murderer of Abi’s mother was not the horrible Mrs. Cotton, housekeeper and sister to Lord Greave, so I found that disappointing.  However, I did like how as a sort of epilogue, they give Abi’s real life obituary from the London Times newspaper, and explain how everything truly went.  I would not recommend this book to a reluctant reader, but definitely to someone who has the patience to read through chapters before the story picks up.  It was an alright story, though I’d rather read something more factual about this Abi Tamper and her life.

Reviewed by Sarah

Fever by Mary Beth Keane

Age Level: Adult

Format: Book

American history enthusiasts and/or medical history readers may know about the case of Typhoid Mary. Mary Mallon, a woman who emigrated from Ireland and was a cook in New York City at the turn of the 20^th century, was identified as a healthy carrier for typhoid. The Department of Health felt Mary transferred the disease through her cooking and isolated her on North Brother Island. She later left the Island, after promising not to cook for anyone again, only to return to isolation five years later for breaking her promise. While many others in the country were identified as healthy carriers, Mary was the only one assigned to isolation for the rest of her life. 

In this fictional account of Mary Mallon’s life, Keane brings Mary’s point of view to light. Keane portrays Mary as a woman who does not understand the charges against her and cannot begin to fathom how someone as healthy as she is can cause so much sickness and death. Mary blames Dr. George Soper, the man responsible for connecting Mary to the typhoid breakouts, for the destruction of her life. 

I enjoy reading fictionalized accounts of historical events; if written well, these accounts help present a different perspective of the historical event and make me want to read more about the event. Fever fits this description perfectly. Keane does a fascinating job creating a sympathetic look at Mary Mallon. Prior to reading Fever, I knew some of the basic facts about Typhoid Mary and the case against her. I now want to read more about the case. Keane spent a number of years researching the case, and her character development of Mary, as well as the other vibrant characters that jump off the page, show this effort. Any fan of history should read this book.

Reviewed by Jessica

The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro

Age Level: Adult
Format: Book

In 1990, two men broke into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, and stole thirteen art pieces. The thieves were never caught, and the paintings were never recovered.

Nearly twenty-five years later, struggling young artist Claire Roth agrees to paint a forgery of a Degas painting in exchange for a one-woman show at a local prestigious art gallery. This is an opportunity for her to regain status in the art world, a world that has named her "The Great Pretender," thanks to an ill-conceived idea of hers three years prior to the novel's opening. When she sees the Degas painting, it pains her to realize that this is one of the thirteen stolen from the Gardner Museum. With her career on the line, she continues to work on the forgery, only to discover that this stolen painting may have some secrets of its own. Told in the first person by Claire, with flashbacks to three years prior and letter excerpts from Isabella Stewart Gardner to her niece Amelia, Shapiro's narrative is based on the real unsolved Gardner Museum art heist.

This novel is perfect for art enthusiasts and for history lovers. Shapiro weaves the facts and the fictional storyline very well, creating a very interesting and hard-to-put-down novel. Shapiro shares her extensive research with readers by describing the techniques forgers use to make authentic-looking paintings. As for Claire, Shapiro creates a character who has made regrettable choices in the past, knows the dangers of her current path, but yet sees this as the only way to rectifying her reputation. Claire also refuses to back down on the search for the truth, even if her investigation leads to danger. Overall, The Art Forger is a fast-paced read that may just make the reader look twice at a painting the next time he or she visits an art museum.

Reviewed by Jessica