Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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Hell Put to Shame by Earl Swift
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Hell Put to Shame: Hell is definitely where they are going. Quick synopsis: The story of the Murder Farm Massacre in 1921 Georgia. Fact for Non-History People: From 1889-1918, Black victims made up 93.3% of lynching cases in Georgia. Fact for History Nerds: The peonage system is tough to pin…
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Bartleby & Me by Gay Talese
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Bartleby & Me: Sinatra and explosions. Need I say more? Quick synopsis: Gay Talese talks about his career, Frank Sinatra, and a guy blowing up his brownstone. Fact for Non-History People: Frank Sinatra wore lifts in his shoes so that he was 5’9” even though he was really 5’7” which…
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The Blues Brothers by Daniel de Visé
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Blues Brothers: They’re on a mission from God. Quick synopsis: The story of how Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi became the Blues Brothers. Fact for Non-History People: The movie Animal House is based on a real life Dartmouth fraternity. Fact for History Nerds: Dan Aykroyd was born with syndactyly.…
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Charlie Hustle by Keith O’Brien
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Charlie Hustle: Hard to get out but even harder to like. Quick synopsis: The biography of baseball’s hit king, Pete Rose. Fact for Non-History People: Cincinnati was home to the first professional baseball team, The Red Stockings, in 1869. Fact for History Nerds: About half of all American households watched…
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Vagabond Princess by Ruby Lal
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Vagabond Princess: Her Instagram account would have been awesome. Quick synopsis: The biography of Mughal Princess and writer Gulbadan Begum from the 1500s. Fact for Non-History People: Royal couriers were super-fast back in the day. A good rider with a solid horse could cover around 350 miles on a great…
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The Asteroid Hunter by Dante Lauretta
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Asteroid Hunter: Who knew space could be so anxiety inducing? Quick synopsis: A firsthand account of the OSIRIS-REx space mission by its leader, Dante Lauretta. Fact for Non-History People: Asteroid Bennu might kill us all on September 24, 2182. Fact for History Nerds: About 17 meteorites hit Earth every…
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Plentiful Country by Tyler Anbinder
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Plentiful Country: Irish need apply. Quick synopsis: A look at how Irish immigrants fleeing the Irish Potato Famine prospered once they reached the U.S. Fact for Non-History People: England did not stop exporting food out of Ireland during the famine. Fact for History Nerds: Approximately 1 million Irish died during…
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Once a King by Jane Tippett
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Once a King: Lots of drama with little accountability. Quick synopsis: A look at the unpublished memoir of Edward VIII of England. You know, the one who quit. Fact for Non-History People: Edward was paid $75,000 in 1947 to write 3 articles on his childhood. In today’s dollars, that’s… a lot.…
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On Great Fields by Ronald White
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for On Great Fields: More than just a sweet mustache. Quick synopsis: A look at the life of Civil War officer and hero of Gettysburg, Joshua Chamberlain. Fact for Non-History People: Chamberlain was named after the American ship captain who is famous for the saying, “Don’t give up the ship.” Fact for…