One of my favorite reading topics is American history, and I’m easily sold on a book that promises to explore the “hidden” history of our country. There is seldom anything hidden about it, of course. It’s usually just historical stories that are usually overlooked or not particularly relevant to current affairs. There are no “National Treasure” storylines of hidden messages and secret cabals.

Kenneth Davis has written “A Nation Rising: Untold Stories of Flawed Founders, Fallen Heroes, and Forgotten Fighters from America’s Hidden History” as a collection of short stories that occur from 1800-1850. It’s an enjoyable book, but it doesn’t cover anything new. I kept waiting for an insight that had been “untold” but was disappointed.

There are several stories of interest, and it’s fun to read these stories when somebody as talented as Davis writes them. Among others, there is the curious story of Aaron Burr being tried for treason, the bloody “Bible Riots” in Philadelphia, and the retelling of the “Dade Massacre”. It’s interesting how Andrew Jackson weaves his way through most of the stories, from nearly being an accomplice of Burr to his vengeful treatment of the Native Americans. It’s a testament to the long shadow he left on the country during that era.

Davis has a knack for taking such stories and pulling out modern day parallels (such as the modern attack on Obama’s country of birth and the same attack on John C. Fremont when he ran for President). That adds a great deal to the book and affirms the old adage that if you don’t remember history you are sure to repeat it.

I might add that Davis seems to take great relish in sharing the underside of stories about those we call American heroes. All men and women have their flaws, and I don’t mind having those pointed out to me if it is relevant to understanding how it impacted a historical figure. And I’m not averse to knocking some of our hallowed heroes off a pedestal. But Davis seems to take such pleasure from the process that it begins to grate on me. I say this not so much as a criticism as a warning to those who dislike such things.