Sacred Ground

Americans and Their Battlefields by Edward Tabor Linenthal...it is back to class.  I am reading a lot of books right now, but this one was assigned and had to be read in a week.  Linenthal visits the history of a few of our battlefields; Lexington and Concord, The Alamo, Gettysburg, The Little Bighorn, and Pearl Harbor.  Each of the chapters read like a biography of the battlefield.  When was it born, how did the history develop, and where is it now (when the book was published)?  In each of the chapters you can read about what happened (both the reality and the myth), the symbols or myths that still exist today, the interest groups or stakeholders in the space, and the controversies that still exist today.  For a student of history, this was a great book to read.  I had never really thought about battlefields.  I actually have never visited any of the battlefields.  I guess I had always thought of them as a place to remember those who fought there...your family, your ancestors...not a place to go on vacation.  But, there are many unmarked battlefields in the United States...so I am sure I have walked on a couple of them!  Great ideas, interesting thoughts and I really enjoyed the reading.  As a side note, our professor arranged to have a phone conversation with him in class and it was incredible.  We asked questions and got a little background on why he wrote the book and what he would add to the book today.  I recommend to those of you who love history out there!