Sometimes you get a book because it’s on the $2 rack at Barnes and Noble. This would be one of those books. That being said, I think that it was an interesting read, if not necessarily a fun one.

The author, E. Randall Floyd, does an absolutely magnificent job of finding some of our American weirdos. Most of the nut jobs are from the 19th Century (that’s 1800 – 1899 for you historically inept folks out there) and it’s great reading about what they used to do and then thinking about how they could have possibly fit into society back then! There is one great story about the widow of the guy who invented one of America’s most popular guns and how she was haunted by the spirits of those who were killed by that particular gun.

So what does she do to ease the spirits?

She builds a monster of a house that has hundreds of rooms, bathrooms, hallways, windows all over the place, random doors leading to no where…absolute insanity! Come to think of it, I might have worked for a lunatic that did similar things in Monmouth County at one point…

In any event, the book was definitely worth the reduced price. It was a great read while I was on the treadmill at the gym. I’m not really sure what it retails for, but if you like American History, you’ll enjoy reading this book. Above I said that it wasn’t necessarily a “fun” read. I say that because I like to read a lot about a person and I sort of get agitated when I get a little tease about their life and times.

But that’s just one of my literary quirks.

Again, for those of you who like American history and especially aspects of American history that aren’t covered too much, this is a great read for you.