Week of December 10, 2012

America's Proud Individualism Helped Pull the Trigger
Ira Chernus's MythicAmerica

And it's not just guns -- our approach to mental health care remains saddeningly in the nineteenth century.

HNN Hot Topics: Gun Control

The deadly elementary school shooting in Connecticut will restart a debate on gun control. Here's what historians have to say.

And the Best History Book of 2012 Is...

We asked our readers what, in their opinion, is the best history book of 2012. Over fifty books were nominated. Five books made the shortlist. One book won.

The Historical Dimension of the Spy Thriller
Simon Tolkien

Why World War II remains the pre-eminent setting for historical fiction ... and espionage.

HNN Hot Topics: "Lincoln" the Movie

Pictured at left: Abraham Lincoln. The real one. But Daniel Day-Lewis is pretty convincing.

Reviewlets
Jim Loewen

Reviewing the parts of books I've read so far.

What Killed the Talking Filibuster?
Kris Wood

Massive abuse of senatorial holds is (partly) to blame.

How Historically Accurate is "Lincoln"?
Kelsey McKernie

Very.

How to Solve the "Fiscal Cliff" Problem Responsibly
Scot Faulkner

Implement Tom Coburn's "Back in Black" recommendations.

Will Puerto Rico Become the 51st State?
Marc-William Palen

Not likely, as long as the Republicans still control the House.

Why Don't Americans Like the United Nations?
Gil Troy

Because of asinine resolutions like 1975's "Zionism = racism," which Daniel Patrick Moynihan argued so forcefully against.

What Was Healthcare Like in the 1800s?
Elaine G. Breslaw

In America, it was marked by an astounding resistance to science and professionalism.

Will the Real Abraham Lincoln Please Stand Up?
Alan Singer

It's astonishing how much students don't know about Lincoln and emancipation.

The Argument for Public Support of the Liberal Arts
Howard P. Segal

The 1862 Morrill Act honored the liberal arts as well as technical education.

Another Christmas Season, Another Production of A Christmas Carol
Bruce Chadwick
At least the McCarter Theatre's staging in Princeton, N.J. has the commendable benefit of being actually good.

Review of Edward Wilson’s The Midnight Swimmer
Lawrence S. Wittner

A spy novel which makes a worthy companion to the best of John le Carré.