Scandals at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and the United States detention camp at Guantanamo Bay have led to outrage, both at home and abroad, over America's treatment of prisoners of war. The recent behavior toward prisoners of war has led many to question if these are isolated events in the course of American history or has it been an underlying, complex issue affecting American action from the Revolution through Vietnam and our current wars.

Historian Robert C. Doyle's The Enemy in Our Hands: America's Treatment of Prisoners of War from the Revolution to the War on Terror evaluates the claim that Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay were unprecedented slips in the American military's conduct. Doyleprovides the most comprehensive history of the American military's treatment of prisoners of war, exposing drastic contrasts between earlier wars and the harsh tactics used in the War on Terrorism.

The Enemy in Our Hands examines American actions regarding POWs from George Washington's leadership in the American Revolution through both World Wars to the present. In discussing each of these wars, Doyle utilizes soldiers' own narratives of their experiences while guarding prisoners of war, giving insight to the personal toll that came with looking after an enemy.

Doyle also uses the Golden Rule-"Do to others as you would have done to you"-to provide further context for how American policies toward prisoners of war evolved, examining The Geneva Convention of 1929, which set the international standard for the treatment of prisoners of war. Many of the ninety-seven articles drafted then were based on the Golden Rule and require that countries offer prisoners the same food, work, housing, and punishment as they would give their own troops.
The treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay are shown as outliers in American history, but The Enemy in Our Hands expresses further doubts in the future of prisoner's treatment. Doyle urges that the international community reevaluate the policies established under the Geneva Convention, amending them to better correlate with the developing nuances of fighting enemies who are not associated with foreign governments in the twenty-first century.

Robert C. Doyle, professor of history at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, is the author of A Prisoner's Duty: Great Escapes in U.S. Military History and Voices from Captivity: Interpreting the American POW Narrative. He has been a historical consultant on multiple films and documentaries, including Hart's War (2002).
 
MORE INFORMATION:
The Enemy in Our Hands: America's Treatment of Prisoners of War from the Revolution to the War on Terror
Robert C. Doyle
$34.95 cloth

Today, John C. Breckinridge is probably best remembered as the youngest Vice President in America's history, taking office at age thirty-five. However, the most impressive moments of his political and military career took place after his tenure in the executive branch. He was most renowned for the diplomacy and bravery that he displayed as a Confederate officer during the Civil War, and officers on both sides of the conflict acknowledged his unwavering and selfless loyalty, composure, and sensitivity.

Back in print for the first time in many years, Breckinridge: Statesman, Soldier, Symbol by William C. Davis is the quintessential biography of one of Kentucky's most important but underappreciated figures. Davis' work is the first to delve into the life of a man who lived to serve, focusing on his roles as statesman, soldier, and diplomat.

His agreeable demeanor and ability to gain the support of those around him led to his election as Vice President on the 1856 Democratic ticket with James Buchanan. Though he unsuccessfully ran for president in 1860, Breckinridge was elected to the U.S. Senate that same year. His term was short-lived, however, as he was expelled from the Senate by resolution in 1861 for supporting the Confederacy.
Fearing arrest for treason, Breckinridge joined the Confederate Army and began his military career commanding the 1st Kentucky Brigade until 1864, when he was transferred to the Eastern Theater to serve as a general in Shenandoah Valley. In January of 1865, he was appointed Secretary of War for the Confederacy and quickly became one of the most important of Jefferson Davis' advisors.

The new edition of Breckinridgerevisits the remarkable life and career of a man who, unbeknownst to many, played a pivotal role in the most significant conflict in American history. He exhibited a remarkable level of tolerance, honesty, and responsibility throughout his lifetime, and his efforts planted the seeds for peaceful reconciliation after the end of the Civil War.

William C. Davis,director of programs at the Virginia Center for Civil War Studies and professor of history at Virginia Tech, is the author or editor of more than fifty books, including the Virginia at War series.
 
MORE INFORMATION:
Breckinridge: Statesman, Soldier, Symbol
William C. Davis
$19.95 paper

Subject of UPK Biography Win the Congressional Medal of Honor

147 years after his death in the battle of Gettysburg in July of 1864, General Alonzo Cushing, first lieutenant of Battery A, 4th U.S. Artillery, has been recommended to receive a Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded by the United States.
 
In Cushing of Gettysburg: The Story of a Union Artillery Commander, Kent Masterson Brown offers an expansive view of the life and career of Lt. Cushing.  Brown, author of Retreat From Gettysburg: Lee, Logistics, and the Pennsylvania Campaign and creator of The Civil War magazine, incorporates vivid descriptions of the fury of battle and the exhaustion of forced battles to honor the historic contributions of Cushing.
 
Cushing courageously led the Union troops to break Pickett's Charge in the battle of Gettysburg, even placing his thumb over the vent of a Confederate gun and having it burned to the bone. Shortly after this incident he was killed instantly by a gunshot to his face. His first sergeant, who survived the battle, was awarded a Medal of Honor, but Cushing's award is considered long overdue by many.
 
Residents in Cushing's hometown of Delafield, Wisconsin, the governor of Wisconsin, Jim Doyle, and many Facebook fans pushed recognition for Cushing and Senator Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.), finally endorsed Cushing's nomination in 2003. In March of this year, Secretary of the Army John M. McHugh confirmed that the Army supports Cushing's nomination. The medal recommendation has been sent to the House and Senate Armed Services Committee.
 
MORE INFORMATION:
Cushing of Gettysburg: The Story of a Union Artillery Commander
Kent Masterson Brown
$19.95 paper

by James E. "Ted" Bassett III and Bill Mooney has been awarded the fourth annual Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award by Lexington's Castleton Lyons farms and Thoroughbred Times. The award, named for the founder of Castleton Lyons, is presented annually to the best book published about the Thoroughbred industry.
 
Keeneland's Ted Bassett: My Life, written by James E. "Ted" Bassett III and two-time Eclipse Award-winning journalist Bill Mooney, presents readers with a comprehensive autobiography of the man behind the racetrack, exploring all aspects of his life both on and off the track.
 
After serving as a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theater during World War II and as the head of the Kentucky State Police during the tumultuous 1960s, Bassett began his career in the horse industry, pushing Keeneland to the forefront of the racing business. He has served as Keeneland's president, chairman of the board, and trustee, and was also president of Breeders' Cup Limited.
 
The book's co-author, Bill Mooney, has covered racing for the New York Times, the Thoroughbred Record, and The Blood-Horse and is currently a contributing editor for the Thoroughbred Times. He is also the author of The Complete Encyclopedia of Horse Racing, a comprehensive reference book about the "Sport of Kings."
 
The three finalists participated in a book signing on April 23 at Keeneland Race Course. Later in the evening, during an invitation-only cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception, the award was presented with a $10,000 prize. The runners up, Beyond the Homestretch: What I've Learned From Saving Racehorses by Lynn Reardon and The Kentucky Derby Vault: A History of the Run for the Roses by Andrew Plattner, were each awarded $1000 prizes.
 
A panel of three judges was responsible for awarding the Dr. Tony Ryan Book Award. The panel consisted of Rudolph Valier Alvarado, the 2008 winner of the same award for The Untold Story of Joe Hernandez: The Voice of SantaAnita, Kay Coyte, an editor with the Washington Post since 1982, and Mary Simon, a contributing editor of Thoroughbred Times.
 
Simon said that Keeneland's Ted Bassett "is one of those rare racing autobiographies that transcends the sport in which it is largely based. Beautifully written, with humor and endearing self-deprecation, it captured me right out of the gate and kept me riveted around the turn, down the stretch, and across the finish line."