I have a passion for learning the truth about American history, primarily the Civil War. I have studied works exploring various events in American history by Larry Schweikart, Thomas Woods Jr., Howard Zinn, Jay Winik, David McCulloch, and Arthur Schlesinger. Civil War writers that have influenced me include (non-fiction) Shelby Foote, Bruce Catton, and Ulysses S. Grant (memoirs). Fiction writers include John Jakes, Michael Shaara, and Owen Parry.