A Failed Attempt

I really hate giving up. Failure isn't something I enjoy or handle with ease. When I start a project, I want to complete it quickly and well! This brings me fulfillment and increased feelings of self-worth.

Well, I didn't succeed in my latest endeavor. I wanted to read through American Creation by Joseph Ellis. This book would have filled in my gaps of knowledge between the signing of the Declaration and the Louisiana Purchase. I still have a very basic knowledge of what George Washington did and who he was. My handle on how our government came to be is still wobbly. This book was supposed to solidify all that.

But, as someone said in an online review of this book -- "you'll need to read it with a dictionary close by". Tons of big words! Here is a list of big words found on just two pages of this book:
reconnoitering
attuned
intrinsic
formidable
subjugating
prowess
debauching
protracted
equivocal
prescient

I wimped out. I don't have the time or energy or mental fortitude to achieve such literature right now. I'll lower my standards a bit and hope to learn what I need through easier reads.