Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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There Is No Ethan by Anna Akbari
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for There Is No Ethan: This is a “read in one sitting” book. Quick synopsis: The bonkers story of a catfish and the women who brought them down. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: There was a guy on OkCupid called the “Swiss Cheese Pervert” and he’s exactly what you think he…
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Cunning Folk by Tabitha Stanmore
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Cunning Folk: Magic without getting burned at the stake. Quick synopsis: The story of benevolent magic practitioners during the medieval and early modern period. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: There used to be a food called buttocks bread. No, I won’t explain why. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Among other…
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College Girl, Missing by Shawn Cohen
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for College Girl, Missing: That’s it. My kid is not going to college. Quick synopsis: The story of the disappearance of Indiana University student Lauren Speirer in 2011. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: I’ve been very drunk at Indiana University before. So, there’s that. Fun Fact for History Nerds: California has…
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Paradise of the Damned by Keith Thomson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Paradise of the Damned: Europeans loved falling for the old “city of gold” trick. Quick synopsis: The story of Sir Walter Raleigh’s obsession with El Dorado. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Columbus’s first voyage covered 3,700 miles in 36 days of sailing. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The Orinoco River…
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Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island by John Bruning
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Fifty-Three Days on Starvation Island: This was no island vacation. Quick synopsis: The story of the U.S. Marine pilots at Guadalcanal in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1942, a filet mignon was only $1.90 in D.C. restaurants. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Brewster, a plane manufacturer,…
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Patton’s Prayer by Alex Kershaw
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Patton’s Prayer: Because weather shouldn’t ruin your day or keep you from winning World War II. Quick synopsis: The story of General George Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Patton had to repeat a year at West Point because he failed math. (Even I…
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Sailing Alone by Richard King
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sailing Alone: I’d never do it, but here’s a book about it. Quick synopsis: Various stories about people sailing solo (mostly on purpose). Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In Western culture, solo sailing only becomes a thing during the late 1800s. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Storm petrels are also…
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The Infernal Machine by Steven Johnson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Infernal Machine: This book is explosive! (I’m so sorry, I’ll see myself out.) Quick synopsis: A story about dynamite, anarchists, and the evolution of policing in New York City. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Owen Eagen was the only (what we would now call) bomb disposal personnel working with…
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Challenger by Adam Higginbotham
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Challenger: It was a question of when, not if. Quick synopsis: The story of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the moon in 1969, an estimated 600 million people were watching. Fun Fact for History Nerds: It…