History

The Dawning of Hope

A Survey of American History from Pre-Columbian Societies to the Closing of the American Frontier

Born in a well-lit council room in a beautiful brick building in Philadelphia, our nation was conceived out of an unheard-of political ideal and shaped by five words which have echoed off the walls and streets of every town throughout the nation: All men are created equal.

However, when the men at Independence Hall dared to forge a new nation against impossible odds, their iconic phrase was little more than a fantasy to such a diverse group of fragmented people. Plantation owners. Slaves. Factory owners. Child laborers. Merchants. Indentured servants. Poor farmers. Privateers and pirates. Sailors. Politicians. Average people from all religions, all social classes, and all countries. A fragmented, dissonant people attempting to form a cohesive, harmonious orchestra. Average people pursuing an extraordinary goal: All men are created equal.

Meanwhile, the world watched America, the Great Experiment, with incredulous and scoffing eyes. A host of admirers, skeptics, emulators, and naysayers looked on, watching to see if the petulant colonists would succeed in their fool’s errand or simply fall apart in their ineptitude. This is the dramatic story of America’s successes and failures in its quest to achieve the highest possible ideal for mankind: All men are created equal.

A five-word phrase that left an indelible mark on the world by offering every unique individual something they had always searched for: hope.

They Were Not Silent

The History of Christian Monasticism from the Early Church through the 1700’s

For more than sixteen-hundred of the two-thousand years since Christ established his church, the vast majority of Christianity’s missionary outreach was done by the unlikeliest group of people – monks. Satirized by movies and dismissed as irrelevant by much of Christendom, monastic orders are often depicted as huddling together in secluded rooms far away from the world, ignoring society and adhering to vows of silence. Contrary to how the world has come to characterize monasticism, monks were far from silent and inactive. In fact, there is hardly an aspect of society that monasticism did not influence, including education, science, literature, agriculture, the arts, holidays, medical care, and banking. This book exposes the true history of monasticism’s incredible impact on civilization as it spread Christianity throughout the world.

Off the Map

The Unbelievable Story of the Journey of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Co-written with Rick Granger.

When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, nobody could have guessed exactly what he had bought. Jefferson sent several small scouting expeditions across the continent to explore. Every single group met with failure except one – Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

Theirs is a story filled with thrills, suspicions of espionage, death threats, factions and rivalry from within, near-fatal accidents, natural disasters, extreme temperatures, near starvation, mutiny, desertion, and occasionally a bit of comedy. More than anything else, Lewis and Clark’s expedition is a story about friendship and overcoming the odds. Experience one of the greatest adventures in American history. Journey along with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery as they go Off the Map.

Off the Map: Young Readers Edition

Co-written with Rick Granger.

When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, nobody could have guessed exactly what he had bought. Jefferson sent several small scouting expeditions across the continent to explore. Every single group met with failure except one – Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery.

Theirs is a story filled with thrills, suspicions of espionage, death threats, factions and rivalry from within, near-fatal accidents, natural disasters, extreme temperatures, near starvation, mutiny, desertion, and occasionally a bit of comedy. More than anything else, Lewis and Clark’s expedition is a story about friendship and overcoming the odds. Experience one of the greatest adventures in American history. Journey along with Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery as they go Off the Map.

The Death of Swing

With a swingin' soundtrack to their youth, a group of young people struggle to cast off the trappings of the Great Depression. Meanwhile, Germany increasingly crashes through the radio into their sleepy little world with designs on world domination. This is the story of a group of kids who are forced to grow up in a world marked by unimaginable hardship and sacrifice. Follow along as their childhood days are put to rest and witness The Death of Swing.