Author: Brendan Dowd
-
Somewhere Towards Freedom by Bennett Parten
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Somewhere Towards Freedom: A brutal army march was way better than the alternative. Quick synopsis: A look at Sherman’s March focusing on the stories of the newly freed enslaved that followed his army. Fact for Non-History People: By the time Sherman reached Savannah, there were 20,000 freed slaves with him. Fact…
-
Our Ancient Faith by Allen Guelzo
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Our Ancient Faith: The ultimate democracy fanboy. Quick synopsis: A look at how Abraham Lincoln treasured and communication his love for American democracy. Fact for Non-History People: Abraham Lincoln is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Fact for History Nerds: Lincoln is the only president who holds a patent. It was…
-
Mark Galeotti returns to talk the wars of Russian history!
Let’s jump into the forge! Mark Galeotti returns to talk his newest book, Forged In War: A Military History of Russia From Its Beginnings to Today. We talk wars, Putin, and how much we both enjoyed the Hulu series The Great! Come listen! Buy Forged in WarRead his blog and Listen to his podcast In…
-
Save Our Souls by Matthew Pearl
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Save Our Souls: Probably shouldn’t trust the crazy dude you meet on a deserted island. Quick synopsis: The story of the shipwreck of the Wandering Minstrel and the attempts at survival of captain’s family and the crew. Fact for Non-History People: Elizabeth Walker, the captain’s wife, would unknowingly become the first…
-
The Apache Wars by Paul Andrew Hutton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Apache Wars: Everything is inevitable if you are stubborn enough. Quick synopsis: A chronicle of the Apache Wars which was really a bunch of smaller wars over about 30 years. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Nickname fail: One of the main characters was half white, half Apache named…the Apache…
-
The Sinners All Bow by Kate Winkler Dawson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sinners All Bow: Truth is more tragic than fiction. Quick synopsis: The story of the death of Sarah Cornell in 1832, who did it, and the connection to The Scarlet Letter. Fact for Non-History People: Not only does this story include a connection to Nathaniel Hawthorne, but also the ancestors…
-
The Sugar Barons by Matthew Parker
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sugar Barons: Before the tea party was the sugar hell. Quick synopsis: The story of how a sugar empire was built in the Caribbean in the years after 1650. Fact for Non-History People: Processing sugar could kill you in many ways including by exploding stills. Fun Fact for History Nerds:…
-
Little Pieces of Hope by Todd Doughty
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Little Pieces of Hope: Oh look, I’m smiling. Smiling is my favorite. Quick synopsis: A whole bunch of stuff to make you feel good about life. Fact for Non-History People: Ann Landers and Dear Abbey were twin sisters! Fact for History Nerds: The ruins of Pompeii were discovered in 1748. My…
-
King John by Marc Morris
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Yup, he sucked as much as Robin Hood said he did. Maybe worse. Quick synopsis: A complete biography of King John of England. Fact for Non-History People: John rebelled against his father with his brother and then tried to steal power from his brother when he ascended. Fact for History Nerds: The…