Category: Books/Museum Reviews
-
Story of a Murder by Hallie Rubenhold
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Story of a Murder: A story finally fully told. Quick synopsis: The story of murderer Dr. Hawley Crippen, his victims, and maybe an accomplice. Fact for Non-History People: Between 1891 and 1901, the number of female clerks in England and Wales went from 18,947 to 57,736. Fact for History Nerds: A…
-
The Next One Is For You by Ali Watkins
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Next One Is For You: First, you get the guns. Quick synopsis: The story of how a group of Philadelphia gunrunners supplied the IRA during the Troubles. Fact for Non-History People: In the six months following Bloody Sunday, NORAID sent over $300,000 in donations to Northern Ireland. Fact for History…
-
Good Game, No Rematch by Mike Drucker
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Good Game, No Rematch: Literal trigger warning for Duck Hunt survivors. Quick synopsis: A memoir by comedian and comedy writer (Tonight Show/Full Frontal) Mike Drucker seen through his life in video games. Fact for Non-History People: The Nintendo company is 135 years old. Fact for History Nerds: In Street Fighter 1,…
-
A Greek Tragedy by Jeanne Carstensen
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Greek Tragedy: This was not a relaxing Mediterranean cruise. Quick synopsis: The story of the 2015 refugee shipwreck off the Greek island of Lesvos. Fact for Non-History People: There have been approximately 25,000 deaths and disappearances in the Mediterranean Sea since 2014. Fact for History Nerds: The UNHCR recorded 3,160…
-
The Fifteen by William Geroux
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Fifteen: A very one-sided trade proposal. Quick synopsis: The story of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Germany during World War II of soldiers facing the death penalty. Fact for Non-History People: There was approximately 400,000 German POWs in the U.S. during World War II. Fact for History Nerds:…
-
Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Everything is Tuberculosis: A cure made complicated. Quick synopsis: A look at the current state of the curable (but not eradicated) tuberculosis. Fact for Non-History People: Over a million people died of tuberculosis in 2023. Fact for History Nerds: Tuberculosis is also known as phthisis. My Take on Everything is Tuberculosis:…
-
Let Only Red Flowers Bloom by Emily Feng
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Do as we say, not as we said. Quick synopsis: A look at contemporary China and how many Chinese are adapting or pushing back. Fact for Non-History People: The Cultural Revolution starting in the 1960s killed at least an estimated half a million people. Fact for…
-
Boutwell by Jeffrey Boutwell
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Boutwell: The dude behind the dude. Quick synopsis: The life of Civil War era politician, George Boutwell. Fact for Non-History People: During Reconstruction, President Grant only declared martial law once and it was in South Carolina. Fact for History Nerds: The number of slaves in the U.S. tripled between 1790 to…
-
Trespassers at the Golden Gate by Gary Krist
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A History of Trespassers at the Golden Gate: Live bold, die bold. Quick synopsis: The story of Gilded-Age San Francisco and a wild murder. Fact for Non-History People: San Francisco’s population was so young in the 1850s that the death of a 47-year-old carried the byline “Death of the Oldest Inhabitant…