Book Review : A Treasury of Foolishly Forgotten Americans (Book 73 of 100)

I liked this book It's the first Michael Farquhar I've read. I started reading him after he was recommended on the Afterword of Sarah Vowell. The book is about people who use to be famous but have largely forgotten in modern society Did you know that Paul Revere went on his famous ride with two colleges and who went in two different directions so as to avoid being captured by the British ? I didn't, I only knew about Revere, Dawes and Prescott were lost to history.

Do you know who Steven Pleasanton was? I didn't he was a idealistic young Capitol worker who managed to save a important historical document, like the first ever Constitution from being burned by the British in the war of 1812. He was only discovered by the author of The Burning Of Washington, a book I had no interest of reading but now actually might.

Anna Jarvis went crazy I didn't even know who she was much less that she founded Mothers day. In her later years Jarvis would come to hate the holiday she fought for because it was very commercialized another place i didn't know about was A Black encampment Called Belville It was in South Carolina and was founded by a man named Campbell who believe in a lot of the same things as Martin Luther King about a century too early

Im not surprised that a lot of the people who have forgotten were women, minorities, or both we all know about sitting bowl but who has heard of Sarah Winnamucca they were both famous leaders or native American rights. even the entry in this book which is meant to rectify histories own omission was a little bit gossipy as a focus on her repeated failed marriage and her obsession with white, non-worthy men.

we also learn about heady green who reminded me of Leona Helmsley and its famous for about the same reason that is being greedy. Her greed went so far that she refused to have her sons leg treated he eventually had to suffer an amputation. I didn't like heady very much. I was much more of a fan of Zelpa Elong The black preacher woman who coined the phrase " get thee behind me Satan " I also liked learning about Lewis Boyd a woman who explored the Arctic and Bula Henry a late person inventor who was called "The Lady Edison". Those two women broke the glass ceiling while the rest of the gender didn't know it existed.

I rate this book an 8.75 out of 10. Read it you'll learn a lot.