Manuscript-in-Progress

Back in the stacks.

A reviewer of Alexandria on Edge: Civil War, Reconstruction, and Remembrance on the Banks of the Potomac came back with some specific points “suggested” for addition to the manuscript. Sigh. Yes, it’s all for a stronger text. Yes, it’s frustrating.

Actually, I always do relish a day of “looking things up.” Here’s my carrel in the Fenwick Library at George Mason University after I pulled books off the shelf and before I started. Don’t worry—coffee is allowed so I didn’t sneak it in.

I expect to submit this revision in early May.

On the Other Side

The Hazel Rowley Prize recognizes a first-time biographer with funding, a careful reading of the biographer’s proposal by an agent, and other recognition. Candidates submit a 20-page proposal. For the past several years, I’ve sat on the committee to select the recipient.

This year, more than thirty-five proposals were submitted. Having sat on the “other side” many times, it is eye-opening to serve as the judge and not the judged.

Here’s a few things I’ve learned:

• The competition is fierce. In this case and so many others (jobs, other awards, school admissions, etc.), the odds are honestly not great. It’s not a rejection of poor-quality work!

• Follow the instructions. Some took themselves out of the running by not following the criteria clearly listed on the BIO website.

• Look at what you gained for next time. Several unsuccessful candidates responded that they nonetheless benefited from the task of putting together synopsis, market evaluation, etc.

• Kindness counts. I know from personal experience that even the nicest rejection letter doesn’t take the edge off disappointment. That said, our committee worked hard on a letter to the unsuccessful candidates that gave them the bad news but also reaffirmed their work. As chair of the committee, the email went out under my name. I was touched by many thank-you-for-letting-me-know responses I received. The most common word used in the responses related to how we broke the news was “kind.”

Can’t we all be at least kind to each other? The award will be presented at the BIO conference in New York on May 28. Congratulations to the recipient!

Two Books Reviewed

I reviewed two very different, excellent books for the Washington Independent Review of Books.

A Fare Worse than Hell by W. Fitzhugh Brundage: Brundage writes about the prisoner-of-war camps during the Civil War and how things got so bad. I wrote:

It takes fortitude to open a book titled A Fate Worse than Hell in these turbulent times. Fair warning if you do: You’ll quickly become mired in the horrendous conditions faced by Civil War prisoners on both sides. But persevere. Historian W. Fitzhugh Brundage not only introduces us to the war’s prisoners, officials, and places, but also discusses the long-term impact of the prison system on Civil War memory and, more broadly, on modern warfare.

This Land Is Your Land by Beverly Gage: Gage takes us on a “road trip” of thirteen historical areas that, taken together, tell the story of the nation. I wrote:

In the end, Gage remains hopeful about the state of the union. “The good news is that history is hard to suppress, once people know it’s out there.” In 1940, Woody Guthrie wrote the song “This Land Is Your Land” as both a glorification and critique of America. Nearly a century later, Beverly Gage has written This Land Is Your Land with both love of country and honesty about how it can do better.

April 23, 6:30 pm, Joseph McCoy Remembrance, Roberts Memorial United Methodist Church, Alexandria

In remembrance of lynching victim Joseph McCoy, Dr. Rodney Sadler, Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation in North Carolina, wil speak on the historic use of violence by those invested with authority and power. For more information, go here.