[October 27, 2015] The arrival of our first grandchild earlier this October was a day of celebration in the Satterfield family. Such a tiny little girl and with her birth I hope that, when she grows up, that we have better senior leadership at the political level in all countries. Alas, I push these political speculations aside as our weather continues to cool and take more vigorous walks with my Yellow Labrador who teaches me the importance of loyalty every day. Today I have a special treat; the traditional review of a leadership book plus a few comments on a wonderful cookbook by an Italian grandmother.
The Beleaguered City: The Vicksburg Campaign December 1862-July 1863, Shelby Foote, 1995.
I was presented with a copy of this book upon my visit to Vicksburg as a U.S. Army Flag officer in 2010. It was however not my first visit to the battlefield of Vicksburg for I had seen it with my father in the early 1960s. The battlefield had never lost its allure to me because it was a symbol of the bravery of the soldiers and sailors who fought for the grounds surrounding the city and the Mississippi River. Shelby Foote’s book is an excellent account of General Grant’s siege of the Mississippi port of Vicksburg. Foote has been described as an impeccable Civil War historian and his reputation certainly shines through with his book about the Vicksburg Campaign. Foote points out in his book that this campaign was arguably the most important of the Civil War because it permanently severed the Confederacy and assured Federal control over the nation’s premiere waterborne trade route. To fully understand the battle here requires walking the ground. I highly recommend reading Foote’s book prior to doing so.
An interesting side note for my readers. The surrender of the city of Vicksburg was taken on July 4th, much to the chagrin of its Confederate defenders. I am told that the citizens of Vicksburg did not celebrate the Fourth of July Independence of America until sometime in the 1960s because of this intentional embarrassment of the city by Federal troops.
Cooking with Italian Grandmothers: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany to Sicily, Jessica Theroux, 2010.
This is a wonderful Italian cookbook. Regardless of your personal tastes in food or story, this is one of the best cookbooks around today. Winner of the 2011 IACP Judges Choice Award1 and the IPPY Gold Award2, and the Best Italian Cookbook of 2010, you will love it, I hope, as both my wife and I have. In the book’s introduction, Theroux said it well when she wrote that “This is a book about women and food and listening.” Leaders, pay attention!! Highly recommended.
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- International Association of Culinary Professionals
- Independent Publisher Book Awards