10 Books, Movies & Documentaries for Presidents' Day

Of course we love Presidents' Day at Mentor Public Library. A president lived right down the street from us! (And his son was the architect of our first branch.)

And we think one of the best ways we can celebrate Presidents' Day is by staying open and making sure people can get books and documentaries about their favorite (or least favorite) president.

We're also participating in Yours Truly's annual Presidents' Day dinner with the historical reenactors from We Made History.

And, as always, we have some seasonally appropriate reading suggestions:

1. The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau: Psychiatry & Law in the Gilded Age by Charles Rosenberg

We partner with James A. Garfield National Historic Site for a monthly book club dedicated to our hometown president. We meet at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month at our Main Branch. On March 12, we'll be discussing The Trial of the Assassin Guiteau. If you like American history, you'll enjoy our book club.

2. Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln's Legacy by David O. Stewart

The worst presidents make for some of the best biographies, and Andrew Johnson was objectively one of the worst. (Seriously, he was James Buchanan bad.) His inauguration began inauspiciously after he imbibed too much *cough* medicinal *cough* liquor. And his presidency devolved from there until he became the first president ever impeached.

3. In the Days of McKinley by Margaret Leech

This Pulitzer Prize-winning biography might be better remembered than its subject, President William McKinley. (The Ohio presidents are numerous but, unfortunately, also an oft-forgotten bunch.) Leech provides an exhaustive history of McKinley, as well as the life and times he inhabited. For some stories in this biography, McKinley is on the periphery or even absent; but this book is wonderful for those interested in both the president and his era.

4. John Adams by David McCullough

I can't imagine the research that must have gone into this biography. McCullough unearthed fascinating details that help tell the story of this brilliant and contentious founding father. (The miniseries is pretty splendid too.)

5. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin

There are hundreds of biographies and documentaries about Abraham Lincoln (and at least one film about him hunting vampires;) but this one best demonstrates Lincoln's counter-intuitive brilliance. The story focuses on Lincoln's cabinet, which consisted of disparate and often conflicting opinions. (Lincoln named three of his presidential rivals to his cabinet.) By the way, this book "inspired" Steven Spielberg's Lincoln. Both the movie and book are good but they, in no way, resemble each other.

6. The Nixon Tapes: 1971-1972 by Douglas Brinkley and Luke A. Nichter

President Richard Nixon's infamous tapes recorded about 3,700 hours of conversation between the president and some of the world's most powerful people; but, until recently, only about five percent of those tapes were ever transcribed and available to read. But Brinkley and Nichter have pored through the tapes to highlight fascinating conversations about Nixon's re-election campaign, arms agreements and opening relations with China.

7. One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev & Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War by Michael Dobbs

Get new insight into one of the most dangerous moment's in human history—the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dobbs' research includes reading a draft of the Khrushchev Peace Initiative agreement (the final version of which was never committed to paper because of fear it might look Bobby Kennedy look less "tough.") The author manages to add something new to one of the most discussed moments in one the most discussed president's life.

8. The American President

The American President documentaries discuss every American president through George W. Bush and group them by themes (generals, those who reluctantly took office etc.) so we can see what our leaders—separated by era and even outlook—had in common.

9. The Real George Washington
The Revolutionary War, the Constitutional Convention, the first national administration—all likely would have failed had it not been for George Washington. But what do you know about him? Learn about Washington's humble beginnings, his relationship with slavery and how he, in fact, could tell a lie, especially if that lie offered a military advantage.

10. All the Presidents' Wives

Behind every president (except James Buchanan) was a strong woman. Learn more about these women and how they influenced our country's history. And, if you like that, check out Women in the White House too.

Join Mentor Reads to Learn about President James A. Garfield

Meet fun people and learn about Mentor's favorite son during Mentor Reads with the Garfield National Historic Site.

Every day is President's Day in Mentor, because our city is one of the few that can claim to be a hometown to a president.

To celebrate (and also learn about) our president Mentor Library started a book club, Mentor Reads James A. Garfield, with the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

Our next meeting is at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 8, at our Main Branch on Mentor Avenue. We'll be talking about Horatio Alger's "From Canal Boy to President: The Boyhood and Manhood of James A Garfield." Alger is the bard of rags-to-riches tales, so he's uniquely suited to tell the story of someone born in a one-room log cabin who rose to the presidency.

If you'd like to borrow a copy of "From Canal Boy to President" from us, it's already uploaded onto all of our Nooks (along with a bunch of other things.) You can also read it for free online with your computer, phone, tablet or eReader thanks to Project Gutenberg.

If you can't make it this month, join us Feb. 12 to talk about "Crete and James: Personal Letters of Lucretia and James Garfield." All of our book clubs are free and open to everyone.

If you love history, the Garfield National Historic Site also leads a monthly program about the U.S. Civil War. At noon on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at our Main Branch, they'll be talking about famous regiments from our state, including the 23rd and 42nd Ohio. You can register for the lunchtime talk on MPL's event calendar.

See you at the library!

James A. Garfield National Historic Site & Mentor Library team for new book club

The first read for the new book club is "James A. Garfield" by Ira Rutkow.

James A. Garfield National Historic Site is one of Mentor Library's favorite partners. We already team with them on our Major Battles of the Civil War series. (The next talk, by the way, is on the Battle of Cedar Creek this Wednesday at noon.)

Now we're joining forces to start a book club called “Mentor Reads James A. Garfield."

The group will meet at 6:30 p.m. on the second Thursday of each month from now until April 2015 at our Main Branch. Volunteers from James A. Garfield National Historic Site will lead the discussions on a different book related to the president each month.

The first meeting will be this Thursday, Oct. 9, and the book discussed that evening will be James A. Garfield by Ira Rutkow.

Everyone is invited to join us. People can call or visit the library to borrow a copy of each month’s book. Those with their own copies of the books are invited to read their personal copies and attend the discussions, as well.

For more information, you can call the James A. Garfield National Historic Site at (440) 255-8722 or visit the national park's website.

See you soon!

Historic first family visiting Mentor Public Library

There have been 44 presidents of the United States.

And Mentor can claim the unique distinction of being one of those president’s hometowns, specifically President James A. Garfield.

While it would require a séance to summon President Garfield and his wife Lucretia for a conversation, children can enjoy the next best thing at 7 p.m. Feb. 5, Wednesday, at Mentor Public Library’s Main Branch.

The historical recreationists of We Made History will have a special program for kids. Deborah Weinkamer and Edward Haney—as Lucretia and James Garfield, respectively—will talk about what it was like to be a presidential family.

Kids can also ask the Garfields questions, make a presidential craft and take a photo with the first family of Mentor.

“Mentor is one of the few communities that can boast about having a president who lived there,” said Kim Sidorick, the manager of Mentor Public Library’s Children’s Services Department. “The Garfields also have a tie to the library. It was founded by their descendants.”

Mentor Public Library will also hold a presidential scavenger hunt in its Children’s Department starting Monday, Feb. 3.

Kids can search the library, looking for clues based on President Garfield’s life. Those who complete the scavenger hunt can pick up a small prize at the children’s services desk in the library’s Main Branch after the First Family program on Feb. 5.

Children who wish to sign up for the First Family program can do so by calling the Mentor Public Library at (440) 255-8811 ext. 221 or by registering on Mentor Library's website.

11 Things I Learned about the Battle of Chattanooga

Dave Lintern talking about the second Battle of Chattanooga at the Mentor Public Library.

Rangers and volunteers from the James A. Garfield National Historic Site have been hosting a monthly series of talks about the battles of the Civil War at the Mentor Public Library.

On Wednesday, Volunteer Interpreter Dave Lintern talked about the Battle of Chattanooga -- more specifically, the second Battle of Chattanooga.

(You can click here for 13 things I learned about the Battle of Gettysburg, which the rangers discussed last month.)

Here are 11 interesting facts from Lintern's talk.

1. There were three Battles of Chattanooga during the Civil War. You're most likely familiar with the third one in which Union Major General Ulysses S. Grant defeated Confederate General Braxton Bragg.

However, Lintern's subject was the second battle and the preceding Tullahoma campaign, which began on June 24, 1863, and continued until Aug. 21 of the same year.

Both the campaign and battle were the prologue for the better known Battle of Chickamauga, which will be the subject of the next talk in the Civil War series.

2. A little bit of context is necessary to understand what happens during the second Battle of Chattanooga -- henceforth, known as Chattanooga II.

The people of eastern Tennessee were Appalachians and loyal Unionists, which didn't sit well with many of their neighbors to the south.

The civilians often suffered at the hands of conscription agents who would plunder the towns and kill those who opposed them.

Consequently, President Lincoln wanted to protect these people and that meant taking Chattanooga.

3. The aforementioned Bragg was Confederate officer in charge during the campaign and battle. He was unpopular with both his superiors an subordinates (and this ended up making a big difference later.)

Meanwhile, General William Rosecrans was in charge of the Union's Army of the Cumberland. Rosecrans' chief of staff was a familiar name around these parts -- General James A. Garfield.

4. Chattanooga II was appropriately also the second battle of three between Bragg and Rosecrans.

The first round was the Battle of Stones River, which happened Dec. 31, 1862, to Jan. 2, 1863.

Rosencrans won that battle. It was a big win at the time for the Union who needed some good news after the Battle of Fredericksburg.

The win earned Rosecrans some good will, which he proceeded to squander with six months of inactivity.

5. Maybe "inactivity" is too harsh a word, but he wasn't doing a lot of fighting.

Instead, he oversaw the construction of Fort Rosecrans, a 225-acre headquarters that was the biggest fort constructed during the Civil War.

It took six months (from January to June) to build.

6. While Bragg's and Rosescrans' infantries were mostly inert, their cavalries occasionally skirmished.

One of Bragg's cavalry leaders was Major General Earl Van Dorn -- a tangential character to the story of Chattanooga II but interesting enough to merit a footnote.

Dorn, in addition to being a soldier, was a painter, writer and a bit of a cad. A reporter at the time labelled him "the terror of ugly husbands."

He was shot and killed in May 1863, but not by a Union soldier. One Dr. George Peters said he shot him for "violating the sanctity of (his) home." Peters was never charged with a crime.

7. Not everyone was indolent during this 6-month span. Union Colonel John T. Wilder turned his infantry into cavalry by commandeering horses.

He also outfitted his men with 7-shot repeating rifles, as opposed to muskets. When the government refused to pay for the repeaters, Wilder ordered them anyhow and his men agreed to pay for them out of their monthly wages.

When Washington got wind of their own stinginess, they were so embarrassed that they paid for the rifles.

8. On Garfield's encouragement, Rosecrans finally ordered his soldiers to attack Bragg.

From June 24 to July 3, the Union executed the Tullahoma campaign -- one of the most masterful strokes of planning and execution by either side during the Civil War.

Wilder set the tone for the offensive when his brigade held Hoover Gap against the Confederates despite being outnumbered three to one.

The odds were so bad that Wilder was actually ordered to retreat but he didn't follow orders.

Afterward, his superiors told him that his brigade's work saved three days of fighting and 1,000 lives.

The message, according to Lintern, "If you're going to disobey orders, you better be right."

9. Rosecrans both outflanked and outmaneuvered Bragg during the Tullahoma campaign, and Bragg was forced to retreat.

So, on July 3, the Union took Tullahoma without firing a shot.

This might have been a bigger deal if General Grant and General Meade didn't win even larger battles in Vicksburg and Gettysburg, respectively, in the next two days.

10. As he was wont to do, Rosecrans stalled again after taking Tullahoma instead of pursuing Bragg.

He did not press his advantage until August 21 when he began shelling the city of Chattanooga.

Once again, most everything went the Union's way. By coincidence, most Confederates were in church when the shelling began so they were caught unaware. And, when the Confederates finally set up their own artillery, the Union's cannons hit it on their first try.

The shelling continued for several days and, on August 29, the Union crossed the Tennessee River at four different locations.

On September 8, Bragg retreated again and Rosecrans took Chattanooga.

11. Then Rosecrans did something unusual: He pressed his advantage.

He pursued Bragg, stretching his own army over a stretch of 50 miles.

At about the same time, Bragg received about 20,000 reinforcements from the Army of Northern Virginia. That gave both him and Rosecrans about 65,000 men.

All of this might have provided Bragg with a tactical advantage if only his subordinates would have listened to him. (Remember, he was not a well-liked guy.)

On September 10 and 12, Bragg ordered one of his generals to attack an isolated unit of Rosecrans'. But, in both cases, his generals disregarded his orders because they feared more the Union Army was lurking nearby. (In hindsight, it wasn't.)

Thus far, almost everything had gone Rosecrans' way; but his and Bragg's fortunes were to be reversed during the Battle of Chickamauga.

Our Civil War series continues at noon on September 11 in our Main Branch when the subject will be the Battle of Chickamauga. You can register for the talk here.

The Psychic Lives of Presidents Abraham Lincoln and James A. Garfield

Did you know that President Abraham Lincoln attended séances with his wife, Mary Todd Lincoln?

There are even some who think Lincoln was psychic because he had precognitive dreams, including one about his own assassination.

Did you know that there are those who think President James A. Garfield haunts his former home? (The one in Hiram -- not the James A. Garfield National Historic Site. The best we can tell, that one is ghost free.)

While we can't say for sure if Lincoln knew he was predicting his own death or what Garfield is doing in the afterlife, we do know that there's more going on than was dreamt of in Horation's philosophy.

We also know that the Victorians of Lincoln and Garfield's era had a fascination with the psychic. Spiritualism, astrology, premonitions and phrenology -- the practice of using the bumps on someone’s forehead to predict their future -- were all the rage.

And the Lincolns and Garfields were aware and, to some extent, even participated in these interests. (The Lincolns held the aforementioned séances in an attempt to contact their deceased, 11-year-old son Willie.)

If you want to know more about where the presidents' lives intersected with the psychic and spiritual, you can visit the Mentor Public Library for the Beyond the Veil program at 6:30 p.m. Monday, June 3, at the library’s main branch.

Visitors will get a chance to join two grieving first ladies, Mary Todd Lincoln and Lucretia Garfield, around the séance table. The first ladies will also share how these psychic and astrological practices and beliefs affected their own families, as well as reveal some strange facts about their husbands’ deaths.

Lincoln and Garfield will be portrayed by Marian King and Debbie Weinkamer, respectively, of the re-enactor’s collective We Made History.

If mediumship, presidential history or both piques your interest, Beyond the Veil is well worth your time.

The program is free and open to the public. However, we ask that you register with us beforehand.

For more information on the program or to register call 440-255-8811 ext. 247 or log on to www.mentorpl.org.