Things Noted Here & There
Richard White,"Changing the Metaphor," Nation, 14 October, reviews Jackson Lears's Rebirth of a Nation: The Making of Modern America,1877-1920.
Thaddeus Russell,"Why Liberals Kill," Daily Beast, 17 October, argues that if Obama escalates America's commitment to the war in Afghanistan, he merely follows the examples of the American left's presidential heroes.
In"The Case of the Inappropriate Alarm Clock," Part 1 and Part 2, Zoom, 18 October, Errol Morris, the winner of the Cliopatria Award in 2007 for Best Series of Posts, launches a new, seven part series.
Jennifer Balderama,"Style and Alchemy," NYT, 14 October, reviews Mark Garvey's Stylized: A Slightly Obsessive History of Strunk & White's"The Elements of Style".
Timothy Garton Ash,"1989!" NYRB, 5 November, draws on nine recent works of history in English, French, and German to argue that 1989 was a crucial year for Europe's role in world history.
David Bromwich,"The Confessions of Bill," NYRB, 5 November, reviews Taylor Branch's The Clinton Tapes: Wrestling History with the President.