Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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Kings and Pawns by Howard Bryant
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Kings and Pawns: Everyone has got an angle. Quick synopsis: The story of the public collision between Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson. Fact for Non-History People: Jackie Robinson was court-martialed in the Army for refusing a segregated bus seat. Fact for History Nerds: The Hollywood Blacklist officially barred around 325 writers,…
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Tom Paine’s War by Jack Kelly
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Tom Paine’s War: Tommy P could really get people riled up with that quill. Quick synopsis: The story of Thomas Paine through his writings and the battle of New York during the revolution. Fact for Non-History People: Thomas Paine dropped out of school at age 12. Fact for History Nerds: Before…
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The Sea Captain’s Wife by Tilar Mazzeo
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sea Captain’s Wife: Heck of a place for a first timer. Quick synopsis: The story of how a woman took over a ship in one of the worst places on Earth. Fact for Non-History People: The first time a woman captained a U.S. Navy ship was in 1990. Fact for…
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The Invention of Charlotte Brontë by Graham Watson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Invention of Charlotte Brontë: When truth is stranger than literature. Quick synopsis: The story of how Charlotte Brontë’s death grew her legend. Fact for Non-History People: It is estimated that Jane Eyre has sold over 2 million copies. Fact for History Nerds: Jane Eyre netted Charlotte £500 which was 25…
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The Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Spy in the Archive: It ain’t sexy, but it’ll do. Quick synopsis: The story of a KGB agent who pulls off the strangest espionage mission I’ve ever seen. Fact for Non-History People: Russian spying peaked in the 1980s with an estimated 100,000 communist spies in Western nations. Fact for History…
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One of Us by Åsne Seierstad
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for One of Us: Don’t read this if you have a “no crying” streak going. Quick synopsis: The story of the 2011 Norway bombing and massacre by Anders Behring Breivik. Fact for Non-History People: Breivik’s massacre is often cited as second to the Oklahoma City Bombing for most fatalities caused by one…
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Seven Rivers by Vanessa Taylor
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Seven Rivers: Some are more annoying than others. Quick synopsis: A look at seven rivers (Nile, Danube, Niger, Mississippi, Ganges, Yangtze and the Thames) and their impact on human history. Fact for Non-History People: The largest/longest river in the world is the Nile, but the Amazon is the largest by volume.…
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No More Tears by Gardiner Harris
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for No More Tears: Actually, lots of tears it turns out. Quick synopsis: The story of how Johnson & Johnson’s squeaky-clean image is a lie. Fact for Non-History People: There are over 67,000 cases pending against J&J. Fact for History Nerds: A verdict against them from 2019 was for $2.1 billion but…
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The Gods of New York by Jonathan Mahler
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Gods of New York: More like men with god complexes. Quick synopsis: The city and people of New York City in the late 1980s. Fact for Non-History People: NYC’s population declined by one million during the 1970s. Fact for History Nerds: During cold nights below 32 degrees, upwards of 8,000…