Chatting Books Online Day 53. Today’s recommended book is American Sketches by Walter Isaacson . Walter Isaacson is well known for his biographies of famous people . These tomes are generally well written , well researched volumes that not only give the full picture of the person but due to their sheer size can also double as a doorstop when necessary . This book is something different . You still get the well written , well researched part, but it is the volume of information that differs . This book instead is a collection of short essays ranging from around 5 to about 25 pages in length each with just enough meat on the bones to enlighten and spark interest in a variety of interesting folks . It covers founding fathers , great thinkers like Einstein , more recent movers and shakers like Gorbachev , Madeline Albright, and the Clintons. As well as folks leading the way in technology and journalism . Naturally one of my favorite things about the book is that Mr. Isaacson both starts and ends the book with mention of Walker Percy and reflections on their friendship and that friendship’s influence on the writer . Perfect bite sized morsels of knowledge that you can read all at once or story by story .
This book is available in paperback for $15.
