Do ya have to?

Diane is currently reading this book, Giants: The Parallel Lives of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln by John Stauffer.

While she finds it very interesting and informative, there are several things that are entirely unnecessary. Among them:

The author makes it clear that he believes Lincoln had homosexual relationships with a friend of his. His only evidence is that Lincoln had a close friend that, for a time, shared a bed. While this might sound strange in our time when we all have our own bedrooms, it was very common for people to do this at that time. Oh, wait, he has other evidence. He says that other people had homosexual relationships during that era. So, of course Lincoln had to have had them.

Do we really need to hear about that?

Another item that disturbed my wife - Douglas married a woman who was a free woman but had worked as a domestic for several years prior to their marriage. His wife didn't have a job outside of the home and was responsible for looking after the children and taking care of their house. The author, John Stauffer, said that they may have called this love, but it was clearly a lopsided relationship.

For all you women who have ever stayed home and taken care of the house or children, you are a kept woman. Free yourself from the shackles of tyranny. If you haven't yet, go get a full time job and be glad you don't have to stay at home.

Clearly, history is often interpreted through the lens of our own opinions and agendas.

Here are a few books that I am reading through now that I am enjoying. And yes, I do read several books at a time. I don't know why.