The Biography Shelf

Rear Admiral Schley
Robert A. Jones
Texas A&M University Press
www.tamupress.com
9781648431234, $80.00, HC, 344pp

https://www.amazon.com/Rear-Admiral-Schley-Extraordinary-Williams-Ford/dp/1= 648431232

Synopsis: The career of Rear Admiral Winfield Scott Schley (9 October 1839 =
- 2 October 1911), as it unfolded on land and sea, offers a compelling acco= unt of a pivotal time in the history of the US Navy and maritime warfare. R= emembered chiefly for his role in the in Spanish-American War, Schley led t=
he US Navy to victory at the Battle of Santiago, was promoted to rear admir= al, then found himself accused of timidity and cowardliness in battle and s= ubject to a controversial Court of Inquiry. The dispute and its resolution,=
known as the Sampson-Schley Controversy, continue to impact the navy to th=
is day.

Schley graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1860 and advanced quickly thr= ough the ranks. After fighting in the Civil War, sailing the seven seas, an=
d visiting many foreign countries, he played a vital part in the formation =
of the "New Steel Navy" as the fleet converted from the era of sail to stea=
m.

With the publication of "Rear Admiral Schley: An Extraordinary Life at Sea = and on Shore", biographer Robert A. Jones tells a stirring tale of a remark= able commander whose cool-headed courage under fire and in hand-to-hand com= bat made him a highly respected leader whom men would follow willingly. His=
skills and proven leadership led to his being asked to conduct diplomatic = missions in several countries, to supervise ship construction, to direct tw=
o lighthouse districts, to intervene in a civil war in Chile, and to lead t=
he famous mission to rescue the Greely Arctic expedition.

Critique: Serving as the ideal template for similar studies of previously l= esser-known military leaders who helped to shape the US Navy into what it i=
s today, "Rear Admiral Schley: An Extraordinary Life at Sea and on Shore" i=
s a seminal, meticulously researched, comprehensive, and impressively prese= nted biography that rescues from an undeserved obscurity a significant figu=
re in the 19th Century history of the US Navy. Informatively enhanced for t=
he reader with the inclusion of four Appendices, sixteen pages of Notes, a = ten page Bibliography, and a fifteen page Index, "Rear Admiral Schley: An E= xtraordinary Life at Sea and on Shore" is unreservedly recommended addition=
to personal, professional, community, college, and university library Amer= ican Military History/Biography collections and supplemental curriculum stu= dies lists.

Editorial Note: Robert A. Jones (1941-2022) retired as a lead software engi= neer from the US Naval Sea Systems Command. He is also the author of "Confe= derate Corsair, The Life of Lt. Charles W. "Savez" Read".

Charlotte Cushman: A Biography and Performance History
Arthur W. Bloom
McFarland & Company
https://mcfarlandbooks.com
9781476690872, $49.95, PB, 309pp

https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-Cushman-Biography-Performance-History/dp/1= 476690871

Synopsis: Charlotte Cushman (July 23, 1816 - February 18, 1876) was one of = the great actors of 19th century American theatre. She was a lesbian who ke=
pt her identity hidden by focusing her career on male characters (Romeo, Cl= aude Melnotte, Wolsey), and also on strong and passionate women (Lady Macbe= th, Bianca in Fazio, and Queen Katherine in Henry VIII).

With the publication of "Charlotte Cushman: A Biography and Performance His= tory", Professor Arthur W. Bloom provides an authoritative record of Cushma= n's life and performances, showing how her complex gender identity illumina= tes and is illuminated by 19th century theatre critical views.

With respect to the organization and presentation of "Charlotte Cushman: A = Biography and Performance History", Part One is a biography; Part Two is a = performance history listing all of Cushman's known performances, often with=
a description of her role and critical commentary.

Critique: Of particular appeal to readers with an interest in 19th Century = American Theatre and the life/accomplishments of a 19th Century lesbian act= ress and theatrical performer, "Charlotte Cushman: A Biography and Performa= nce History" is informatively enhanced with the inclusion of a six page Bib= liography, sixteen pages of Notes, and a twelve page Index. An exceptional = example of biographical and meticulous research, "Charlotte Cushman: A Biog= raphy and Performance History" is a welcome and unreservedly recommended co= ntribution to personal, professional, academic, college, and university lib= rary LBTGQ Biography and 19th Century American Theatrical History collectio= ns, as well as supplemental Women's Studies curriculum lists.

Editorial Note: The late Arthur W. Bloom was a retired professor of theatre=
and administrator at several public and private American universities. He =
is the author of biographies of Joseph Jefferson, Edwin Booth, and Edwin Fo= rrest. There is a collection of his papers on the Dartmouth Library website=
at https://archives-manuscripts.dartmouth.edu/repositories/2/resources/984

A Life Cut Short at the Little Big Horn
Todd E. Harburn
University of Oklahoma Press
www.oupress.com
9780806191584, $34.95, HC, 260pp

https://www.amazon.com/Life-Cut-Short-Little-Horn/dp/0806191589

Synopsis: Of the three physicians at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, Doc= tor George Edwin Lord (1846-76) was the lone commissioned medical officer, =
an assistant surgeon with the United States Army's 7th Cavalry -- one more = soldier caught up in the U.S. government's efforts to fulfill what many peo= ple believed was the young country's "Manifest Destiny".

"A Life Cut Short at the Little Big Horn: U.S. Army Surgeon George E. Lord"=
by Todd E. Harburn tells Lord's life story for the first time. Notable for=
its unique angle on what become known as 'Custer's Last Stand' and for its=
depiction of frontier-era medicine, this historical biography is above all=
a compelling portrait of the making of an army medical professional in mid= -nineteenth-century America.

Drawing on newly discovered documents, biographer Harburn describes Lord's = education and training at Bowdoin College in Maine and the Chicago Medical = College, detailing what the study of medicine entailed at the time for "a y= oung man of promise... held in universal esteem." Lord's time as a contract=
physician with the army took him in 1874 to the U.S. Northern Boundary Sur= vey. From there Harburn recounts how, after a failed romance and the rigors=
of the U.S. Army Medical Board examination, the young doctor proceeded to = his first (and only) appointment as a post surgeon, at Fort Buford in Dakot=
a Territory.

What followed, of course, was Lord's service, and his death, in the Little = Big Horn campaign, which this biography shows us for the first time from th=
e unique perspective of the surgeon.

A portrait of a singular figure in the milieu of the American military's ni= neteenth-century medical elite, "A Life Cut Short at the Little Big Horn" o= ffers a unique perspective on a familiar incident in 19th Century U.S. mili= tary history, and a reminder of the humanity lost in a battle that resonate=
s to this day.

Critique: Informative enhanced for the reader with the inclusion of numerou=
s illustrations, sixty pages of Notes, a sixteen page Bibliography, and a n= ine page Index, "A Life Cut Short at the Little Big Horn: U.S. Army Surgeon=
George E. Lord" is a seminal and original work of meticulous and detailed = scholarship. An inherently interesting, well organized/presented, and a uni= que contribution to personal, professional, community, college, and univers= ity library 19th Century military/medical biography collections, it should = also be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, histori= ans, and those with an interest in the Battle of Little Big Horn, that "A L= ife Cut Short at the Little Big Horn: U.S. Army Surgeon George E. Lord" is = also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $21.95).

Looking Backward, Going Forward: Reflections on a Writer's Life
Jan Yager
Hannacroix Creek Books
www.hannacroixcreekbooks.com
9781938998942, $19.95, PB, 353pp

https://www.amazon.com/Looking-Backward-Going-Forward-Reflections/dp/193899= 8944

Synopsis: From the first novel she wrote at the age of ten to her most rece=
nt books published by commercial houses "When Friendship Hurts", (Simon & S= chuster); "Essentials of Victimology" (a textbook published in 2022 by Aspe=
n Publishing), "How to Promote Your Book" (Square One Publishers, February = 15, 2023), or through her own small press, Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc ("Fr= iendgevity"; "Work Less, Do More"; "On the Run"; and "Friendshifts") Jan Ya= ger is a prolific and award-winning writer has done it all.

Starting off by working full time in such amazing publishing companies as M= acmillan (2 years) followed by learning everything about trade book publish= ing as she worked alongside Barney Rosset (the legendary founder of Grove P= ress) for a year, Jan has a lot to share about writing, getting published, = and some of the adventures she has had going on cross country and even inte= rnational author tours.

With the publication of her memoir, "Looking Backward, Going Forward: Refle= ctions on a Writer's Life", Jan shares her insights and experiences about i= nterviewing everyone from puppeteer Jim Henson to playwright Harold Pinter.=
Her memoir covers working with and in a range of genres that include nonfi= ction, fiction, and illustrated children's books. She's been on several 5 t=
o 18-city cross-country author tours in the U.S. as well as international a= uthor tours throughout the UK, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand.

Critique: A fascinating, informative, and articulate memoir that will have =
a very special interest to aspiring authors, publishers, booksellers, liter= ary publicists, amateur and professional book reviewers, students of the pu= blishing industry, and dedicated bibliophiles. While especially and unreser= vedly recommended for personal, professional, community, college, and unive= rsity library Writing/Publishing and American Biography/Memoir collections,=
it should be noted that "Looking Backward, Going Forward: Reflections on a=
Writer's Life" is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle,=
$9.95).

Editorial Note #1: Jan Yager (https://www.drjanyager.com) has published 50+=
books in several genres including nonfiction, fiction, poetry, and childre= n's books, with one or more titles translated into 35 languages. She worked=
in publishing, first at Macmillan, then at Grove Press; she went on to pub= lish her own books with major houses including Scribner, Simon & Schuster, = Doubleday, Wiley, Grove Press, and Penguin Random House. In 1996, she found=
ed Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc. Jan holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the CUN=
Y Graduate Center. Since August 2014, she has taught in the Sociology Depar= tment at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she is an Adjunct Asso= ciate Professor.

WanderLOST
Jacob Daniel Sims
https://www.jdanielsims.com
Circle Books
c/o John Hunt Publishing
www.johnhuntpublishing.com
9781785359774, $21.95, PB, 256pp

https://www.amazon.com/WanderLOST-stories-winding-toward-significance/dp/17= 85359770

Synopsis: Deftly blending a global travel adventure with an exuberant comin=
g of age story, "WanderLOST: Stories from the Winding Road Toward Significa= nce" by Jacob Sims charts one millennial's decades-long globetrotting adven= ture in pursuit of meaning, significance, and belonging.

With each intriguing anecdote, harrowing encounter, and entertaining mishap=
Jacob Sims challenges his readers to reckon with accepted notions of freed=
om and identity as he expertly melds his personal memoir with observations =
of moral philosophy as he weighs the costs of a life in pursuit of liberty = and happiness. In the void left from this path, "WanderLOST" offers readers=
glimpses of wholeness in the deeper journey of learning to love.

Critique; Absorbing, thought-provoking, exceptionally well written, organiz=
ed and presented, "WanderLOST: Stories from the Winding Road Toward Signifi= cance" will be of immense interest to readers of contemporary memoirs, true= -life travel adventures, and Christian social issues dealing with globaliza= tion and politics. Also available for personal reading lists in a digital b= ook format (Kindle, $9.99), "WanderLOST" will prove an immediately welcome = and enduringly popular addition to community and academic library Contempor= ary History/Memoir collections.

Editorial Note: Jacob Sims (https://www.jdanielsims.com) currently serves a=
s Country Director of International Justice Mission (IJM) Cambodia where he=
leads a team of investigators, lawyers, social workers, programmatic and o= perational staff in the fight against violent labor exploitation. Concurren= tly with his role at IJM, he serves as a Non-Resident Fellow at Duke Univer= sity's Center for Reconciliation, a leading institute bridging the worlds o=
f research and practice in the global peace-building and justice space. Sim=
s is frequently drawn upon for expert commentary on various human rights an=
d global development challenges. His analysis has featured recently in The = Economist, The Guardian, Forbes, The LA Times, Al Jazeera, VICE World News,=
Sydney Morning Herald, ProPublica, The American Interest, Plough, The Hill=
, and World News Group amongst many others.

One Long Listening
Chenxing Han
North Atlantic Books
www.northatlanticbooks.com
9781623177850, $17.95, PB, 304pp

https://www.amazon.com/one-long-listening-friendship-spiritual/dp/162317785=
5

Synopsis: Immigrant daughter, novice chaplain, bereaved friend, with the pu= blication of "One Long Listening: A Memoir of Grief, Friendship, and Spirit= ual Care", author Chenxing Han takes us on a pilgrimage through the wilds o=
f grief and laughter, pain and impermanence, reconnecting us to both the he= artache and inexplicable brightness of being human.

Eddying around three autumns of Han's life, "One Long Listening" journeys f= rom a mountaintop monastery in Taiwan to West Coast oncology wards, from oc= eanside Ireland to riverfront Phnom Penh. Through letters to a dying friend=
, bedside chaplaincy visits, and memories of a migratory childhood, Han's s= tartling, searching memoir cuts a singular portrait of a spiritual caregive=
r in training.

Just as we touch the depths, bracing for resolution, Han's swift, multiling= ual prose sweeps us back to unknowingness: not knowing is most intimate. Ch= inese mothers, hillside graves. A dreamed olive tree, a lost Siberian crane=
.. The music of scripts and silence. These shards (bright, broken, giddy, ac= hing) are mirrors to our own lives in joy and sorrow.

A testament to enduring connection by a fresh and urgent new literary voice=
, "One Long Listening" asks fearlessly into the stories we inhabit, the hop=
es we relinquish, and what it means simply to be, to and for the ones we lo= ve.

Critique: Articulate, eloquent, absorbing, thought-provoking, memorable, "O=
ne Long Listening: A Memoir of Grief, Friendship, and Spiritual Care" raise=
s this real life memoir and autobiography to a literary excellence that is = typically only associated with with internationally acclaimed fiction. Of s= pecial appeal to readers with an interest in Asian American Studies, Grief = and Bereavement, "One Long Listening" is a strong and unreservedly recommen= ded addition to community, college, and university library Contemporary Bio= graphy/Memoir and Buddhist Philosophy collections. It should be noted for p= ersonal reading lists that "One Long Listening" is also readily available i=
n a digital book format (Kindle, $12.99).

Editorial Note: Chenxing Han (https://www.chenxinghan.com) is the author of=
"Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists" (North Atl= antic Books, 2021). She is a regular contributor to Lion's Roar, Tricycle, = Buddhadharma, and other publications, and a frequent speaker and workshop l= eader at schools, universities, and Buddhist communities across the nation.=
She has received fellowships from Hedgebrook, Hemera Foundation, the Lenz = Foundation, and the Institute of Buddhist Studies. Chenxing holds a BA from=
Stanford University and an MA in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theolo= gical Union. Her chaplaincy training began in Cambodia and continued in the=
San Francisco Bay Area, where she completed a year long residency on an on= cology ward. She is a co-teacher of Listening to the Buddhists in Our Backy= ard at Phillips Academy Andover and a co-organizer of May We Gather: A Nati= onal Buddhist Memorial for Asian American Ancestors.

Troubles and Triumphs: The Robert Young Story
Dan McGuire
BearManor Media
www.bearmanormedia.com
9798887710778, $35.00, HC, 230pp

https://www.amazon.com/Troubles-Triumphs-hardback-Robert-Young/dp/B0C19GQD7=
C

Synopsis: An introvert by nature, Robert Young found that he could overcome=
his shyness by taking on other personalities when he performed with his hi=
gh school's drama group.

Further schooling in theatre arts at the Pasadena Playhouse, where he appea= red in many productions, led to a screen test and a contract with Metro-Gol= dwyn-Mayer. Louis B. Mayer, the top man at MGM, said, "Young has no sex app= eal." Yet during his years with the studio Robert starred in dozens of film=
s and had prime supporting roles in many others.

After leaving MGM to freelance for several years, he branched out into radi=
o and starred on the popular series Father Knows Best. He then repeated his=
parental role in its television adaptation, followed by Marcus Welby, M.D.=
, both highly acclaimed series for which he won several awards. But for mos=
t of his adult years, unknown to all but his family and some close friends,=
Robert suffered from a chronic illness-one that almost killed him.

Supported by his beloved wife Elizabeth, he persevered, entertaining millio=
ns of moviegoers, radio listeners, and television viewers well into his sen= ior years. "Troubles and Triumphs: The Robert Young Story" by author and bi= ographer Dan McGuire is his story.

Critique: Enhanced with the inclusion of numerous black/white historical ph= otos, "Troubles and Triumphs (hardback): The Robert Young Story" is an inhe= rently interest read and will have a very special appeal for readers with a=
n interest in the life and achievements of Robert Young (February 22, 1907 =
- July 21, 1998). Meticulously researched and exceptionally well written, o= rganized and presented, "Troubles and Triumphs: The Robert Young Story" is =
an ideal and unreservedly recommended addition to community and academic li= brary American Actor/Entertainer and Television Performer Biography collect= ions. It should be noted for the personal reading lists of Robert Young fan=
s that this impressively informative life story of Robert Young is also rea= dily available in a paperback edition (9798887710761, $25.00) and in a digi= tal book format (Kindle, $9.95).

I Hate You, Mary Sullivan: A Memoir of Inherited Trauma
Barbara J. Williams
Cape House Books
https://capehousepublishing.com
9781939129154, $18.95, PB, 204pp

https://www.amazon.com/Hate-You-Mary-Sullivan-Inherited/dp/193912915X

Synopsis: Only in Ireland can Barbara Williams unlock the secrets of her la=
te grandmother's troubled personality -- and of her own anxiety. Their Kenn=
y ancestors were farm laborers who had endured famines, violent uprisings, = and forced eviction threats. Her Nana, Mary Sullivan, had never breathed a = word of it. As Williams uncovers this painful past, she calls forth a love = that heals her relationship with Nana fifty years after her death. Their in= tertwined stories, infused with Celtic spirituality and scientific insight,=
help unravel the mysteries that bind us all to our ancestors.

Critique: A deftly written, compelling, and inherently fascinating memoir, =
"I Hate You, Mary Sullivan: A Memoir of Inherited Trauma" by Barbara J. Wil= liams will have a particular interest for readers of culturally reflective = biographies. One of those intensely personal life stories that will linger =
in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been fi= nished and set back upon the shelf, "I Hate You, Mary Sullivan: A Memoir of=
Inherited Trauma" is especially and unreservedly recommended for personal,=
community, and academic library Contemporary Biography/Memoir collections.

Light Come Out of the Closet
Roger Leslie
Paradise Publishing
https://paradise-pubs.com
9781941680087, $19.95, PB, 350pp

https://www.amazon.com/Light-Come-Closet-Roger-Leslie/dp/B0BSKF5HML

Synopsis: "How do we live with a God, or ourselves, if who we are dooms us =
to Hell? In the dark night of our soul, we find our own light!"

"Light Come Out of the Closet: A Memoir for a Gay Soul" by Dr. Roger Leslie=
is a memoir of a gay man's struggle to reconcile his sexuality with his fa= ith. In an impressively candid account, Dr. Leslie explores his journey of = rediscovering the God of love he learned about as a child and how being gay=
became a gift that helped him find his soul.

Critique: A powerful testament to hope, healing, and self-discovery in the = face of prejudice and adversity, biographies and memoirs of LGBTQ men and w= omen like "Light Come Out of the Closet: A Memoir for a Gay Soul" is a time=
ly and much appreciated contribution to helping the broader community under= stand that being gay or lesbian or trans is how we are fashioned by God in = the womb of our mothers. An inherently interesting, exceptionally well writ= ten, impressively presented and contemporary life story of a religious gay = man, "Light Come Out of the Closet:" is a memorable and unreservedly recomm= ended addition to personal, community, college, and university library Cont= emporary American Biography and LGBTQ Memoir collections. It should be note=
d for personal reading lists of (to quote Dr. Leslie) anyone seeking to 'li=
ve the life they dream and soar toward their own ideal of success' that "Li= ght Come Out of the Closet" is also available in a digital book format (Kin= dle, $0.99).

Editorial Note: Dr. Roger Leslie (www.RogerLeslie.com) is a scholar in the = fields of success and education. Through major literary houses, medium and = small presses, and his own publishing house, Leslie has published fiction a=
nd nonfiction books in multiple genres: historical fiction, inspirational s= elf-help, spirituality, writing and publishing, movie reference, teaching a=
nd librarianship, biography, history, and memoir. Leslie has won numerous n= ational awards including ForeWord Book of the Year, The Ben Franklin Award,=
and Writer's Digest's #1 Inspirational Book of the Year. At its inaugural = event, Leslie received the Houston Literary Award for his body of work.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

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(dot) com

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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
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James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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