Alexander Kennedy

strong>Morsels of lesser known history

You will enjoy learning details about the interplay of the personalities of our presidents Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. I was shocked to learn about Great Britain’s aloof attitude and lawless treatment of our merchant ships before the war of 1812. Britain’s Impressment of sailors was despicable, and probably only tolerated because it compared to what the Barbary Pirates were doing in the Mediterranean - another interesting little known tidbit of history contained here. Dolly’s importance was elevated for me in this documentation - not just deserving of a picture on a cake box. Dolly developed the foundation of how domestic and foreign emissaries should be entertained in a gracious and civilized capital setting at Washington DC. Dolley established the role of First Lady, acting for Jefferson two terms, and then followed up with two more terms for her husband, a total of 16 years that set a high bar for protocol. James and Dolley were the opposites that were truly attracted to and in full love and support of each other. On the gossipy side, Dolly’s son Payne is beyond a shocking disappointment, her brother John is a hopeless alcoholic disaster, and her (second) husband James’ family was mega rich. She once spent $2,000 just for the shipping costs for one season’s worth of clothing. Wow, in early 1800’s!! The historic chapter describing slavery reveals and fails to explain the common conflict between what slave owners of the day would say about slavery and then what they would actually do - including BOTH of the Madison’s. Historic accuracy of this storytelling was acceptable and well documented in the index - the foundation of such being set by the opening scene with Dolly staying until the last minute at the ‘White House’ burning by the British. The saving of Washington’s portrait - with the mention of the slave Jennings helping (often never mentioned although his first hand account provides much believable detail, and is at least alluded to here in spite of Dolley being the one who is given credit/as his supervisor/and owner’s wife). On the down side, the storytelling was sometimes repetitive or going up and down an orderly timeline as part of a strategy to stick to topics over continuity. A 5th star would be worthy if the historic tales had been bridged with a fluent storyline instead of jumping back and forth and including similar facts multiple times as a variety of resources are reviewed for each topic. For me this was a slower read to jump start further research down a few rabbit holes - more for a non-fiction history buff than a literary historic fiction consumer. Well worth the read for me; truly enjoyable and memorable.… (más)

strong>Morsels of lesser known history

You will enjoy learning details about the interplay of the personalities of our presidents Adams, Jefferson, and Madison. I was shocked to learn about Great Britain’s aloof attitude and lawless treatment of our merchant ships before the war of 1812. Britain’s Impressment of sailors was despicable, and probably only tolerated because it compared to what the Barbary Pirates were doing in the Mediterranean - another interesting little known tidbit of history contained here. Dolly’s importance was elevated for me in this documentation - not just deserving of a picture on a cake box. Dolly developed the foundation of how domestic and foreign emissaries should be entertained in a gracious and civilized capital setting at Washington DC. Dolley established the role of First Lady, acting for Jefferson two terms, and then followed up with two more terms for her husband, a total of 16 years that set a high bar for protocol. James and Dolley were the opposites that were truly attracted to and in full love and support of each other. On the gossipy side, Dolly’s son Payne is beyond a shocking disappointment, her brother John is a hopeless alcoholic disaster, and her (second) husband James’ family was mega rich. She once spent $2,000 just for the shipping costs for one season’s worth of clothing. Wow, in early 1800’s!! The historic chapter describing slavery reveals and fails to explain the common conflict between what slave owners of the day would say about slavery and then what they would actually do - including BOTH of the Madison’s. Historic accuracy of this storytelling was acceptable and well documented in the index - the foundation of such being set by the opening scene with Dolly staying until the last minute at the ‘White House’ burning by the British. The saving of Washington’s portrait - with the mention of the slave Jennings helping (often never mentioned although his first hand account provides much believable detail, and is at least alluded to here in spite of Dolley being the one who is given credit/as his supervisor/and owner’s wife). On the down side, the storytelling was sometimes repetitive or going up and down an orderly timeline as part of a strategy to stick to topics over continuity. A 5th star would be worthy if the historic tales had been bridged with a fluent storyline instead of jumping back and forth and including similar facts multiple times as a variety of resources are reviewed for each topic. For me this was a slower read to jump start further research down a few rabbit holes - more for a non-fiction history buff than a literary historic fiction consumer. Well worth the read for me; truly enjoyable and memorable.… (más)

This is an outstanding book detailing the history, cultivation, and use (both as bonsai and landscape material) of the Satsuki Azalea. Contains an excellent visual glossary of Satsuki flowers, botanic nomenclature, and varieties; also has chapters devoted to training Satsuki bonsai from nursery stock or field grown material as well as 'The Satsuki Yearbook' detailing the azalea's growth cycle over twelve months and what bonsai tasks should be taken during each month. Highlights include the author's trips to Kanuma (Satsuki Mecca) growing nurseries and several national Japanese Satsuki Festivals and Competitions. Mr. Kennedy is a superb writer, succinct and eminently 'readable'. He provides a unique account of the role of Satsuki in Japanese society and makes a strong guidebook for those who wish to grow Satsuki Azalea bonsai.… (más)