American Sketches: Great Leaders, Creative Thinkers, and Heroes of a Hurricane Book

If you are like me, and your idea of a good Friday night is googling old Walter Isaacson columns from Time Magazine then this book is a dream come true.

This is his greatest hits. There must be plenty of people like me or this book would not have been published. This book saves so much time by compiling his greatest biographical narratives (which is what he is truly good at) into one succinct place.

The part that surprised me the most about my own reaction to this book was that the most difficult part of reading this book was emotional for me. Think about it: reading about the greatest Americans in history written by someone who happens to also be one of the most influential Americans can make your own life feel insignificant in comparison. It was very humbling to read this book.

Was this self-reflection the only emotional reaction I had? No. Here is a list of other reactions I felt after reading this book:
1. I actually considered quitting my job as a lawyer and looking for unpaid journalism internships;
2. I now feel compelled to create a startup biotechnology firm;
3. I endured hours of mental self-flagellation about dropping the course "The Philosophy of Quantum Mechanics" the day of the add/drop deadline during my undergraduate days;
4. I appreciated Isaacson's analysis of biographical writing. It reminded me of my senior thesis which consisted of original archival research on Senator Dennis Chavez and his fight against McCarthyism. I decided while writing this book that I'm going to finally publish it. Watch out New Mexico Historical Quarterly (or its equivalent) here comes Gil Bradshaw.