Remind Me

Steve Burgess -- Night Table Recommendations

I'm fond of non-fiction, particularly history and religion. But then, you probably would have guessed that.

Misquoting Jesus/Lost Christianities by Bart Ehrman (HarperCollins / Oxford University Press)

Bart Ehrman is a Biblical scholar with a populist touch. His books are little primers in the methods employed used by those who pore over Scripture to separate the oldest writings from later additions and translator's mistakes. Although Ehrman has also written about his own theological ideas, in books like Misquoting Jesus he is more intent on in guiding readers through the basic principles of scholarship and explaining why and how scholars come to their conclusions about the validity of Gospel passages. Lost Christianities focuses on the many gospels that never made the Biblical cut, including the entertaining "infancy gospels" in which little Jesus is revealed as a dangerous playmate to cross.

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Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster)

Another take on the life and career of Abraham Lincoln, this one offering a broader perspective by placing Lincoln in his political context. Doris Kearns Goodwin introduces us to Lincoln's rivals, men he would include in his cabinet-William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edwin M. Stanton, and Edward Burns. If it seems strange that each of these men initially thought himself more than Lincoln's equal (Chase never really altered that opinion), well, Abe didn't have a luxury sedan named after him just yet.

The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty by Caroline Alexander (Penguin Books)

A good historian can revisit familiar stories and bring fresh perspective, as Kearns Goodwin did with Abe Lincoln. Caroline Alexander does a similarly admirable job of reexamining the oft-told tale of Captain Bligh, Fletcher Christian and the Bounty crew. If she has an agenda-a reappraisal of Bligh's reputation as the ultimate sea-going tyrant-she does not push it too far. Bligh comes off as the kind of man most of us have met, well-meaning and very capable yet unfortunately prone to rubbing people the wrong way. Still, Alexander lets her facts speak volumes-by the naval standards of the time Bligh was lenient. He had no choice. Bligh lacked on-board marines and his crew was too small to allow him to clap essential seamen in irons for insubordination. The mutiny, it seems, came down to personalities and, most of all, the siren call of Tahiti to awe-struck English tars.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World by Jack Weatherford (Crown Publishing Group)

Readers have pointed out that Jack Weatherford's title is misleading-Genghis Khan expires no more than a third of the way through his slim volume, which actually covers the whole history of the Mongol empire. As for the subtitle, it seems every historian is duty bound to claim that their particular subject reveals the underpinning of our own era. But Weatherford makes solid assertions about the lasting impact of Mongol civilization. He also shows the ways that the invaders were demonized by their European foes, leading to lasting misunderstandings about what was in many ways a remarkably progressive regime. Genghis Khan's much-quoted dictum about destroying your enemies and clutching their womenfolk to your breast was an invention-the man appears to have been a shrewd and wise conqueror. A certain amount of speculation is necessary when writing about Genghis Khan due to a sparse historical record. But later khans left a clearer trail. Weatherford's book is a pleasure for those tired of reading about the same old European monarchs.

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Steve Burgess is a writer and broadcaster whose honours include two Canadian National Magazine Awards. Burgess is the former host of @the end, a nationally broadcast talk show on CBC Newsworld, and a frequent CBC Radio guest host. Burgess's stories have been featured in Reader's Digest editions around the world, as well as Maclean's, the Globe and Mail, and other publications. Who Killed Mom?: A Delinquent Son's Meditation on Family, Mortality, and Very Tacky Candles (Douglas & McIntyre Publishers) is his first book and had its Winnipeg launch at our Grant Park location in April.