Category: Books/Museum Reviews

  • 1999 by Ross Benes

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for 1999: Unhappy? Blame a 90s kid. Quick synopsis: A look at how the culture of 1999 reverberates today. Fact for Non-History People: Donald Trump is in the WWE Hall of Fame. Fact for History Nerds: In some markets, Jerry Springer was actually beating Oprah in the ratings.   My Take on…

  • The Great American Retro Road Trip by Rolando Pujol

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Great American Retro Road Trip: Too many of these things were during my lifetime. I feel so old. Quick synopsis: A look at all the best retro places and things around the United States. Fact for Non-History People: “Retro” is derived from the Latin word for “backward.” That checks. Fact…

  • Captain Kidd by Samuel Marquis

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Captain Kidd: Always keep the receipts. Quick synopsis: The story of how Captain William Kidd was wrongly convicted of privacy. Fact for Non-History People: The vast majority of pirates never buried their treasure. Except the one in this book, that is. Fact for History Nerds: Pirates sometimes wore eye patches to…

  • The Plantagenets by Dan Jones

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Plantagenets: When in doubt, make them sign the Magna Carta again. Quick synopsis: The story of the House of Plantagenet in England (and some other places, kinda). Fact for Non-History People: “Plantagenet” does have to do with plants! It’s from Latin for broom flower. Whatever that is. Fact for History…

  • Women of War by Suzanne Cope

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Women of War: If you are going to switch sides, go all the way. Quick synopsis: A look at four Italian women who joined the Resistance from German control in World War II. Fact for Non-History People: There were roughly 200,000 Italian partisans in World War II. Fact for History Nerds:…

  • Freedom Ship by Marcus Rediker

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Freedom Ship: If you can’t run, sail. Quick synopsis: A look at the Underground Railroad but from a maritime perspective. Fact for Non-History People: If you broke the original Fugitive Slave Law, you might get a fine of around $15,000 in today’s dollars. Later, the penalties increased a lot. Fact for…

  • How To Be A Saint by Kate Sidley

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for How To Be A Saint: Difficulty Level: No thanks. Quick synopsis: A humorous look at the sometimes whacky ways to become a saint in Catholicism. Fact for Non-History People: There used to be a person in the canonization of saints process called the Devil’s Advocate who basically listed all the reasons…

  • Dark Brilliance by Paul Strathern

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Dark Brilliance: Darkest before the dawn. Quick synopsis: A look at the Age of Reason through various artists. Fact for Non-History People: By the end of the Thirty Years War, the population of Europe decreased by 10%. Fact for History Nerds: Proportionally, more people in Europe died during the Thirty Years…

  • Thomas More by Joanne Paul

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Thomas More: Little bit of saint, little bit of sinner. Quick synopsis: A look at the life of St. Thomas More. Fact for Non-History People: Thomas More is the patron saint of lawmakers and politicians. They need all the help then can get (zinger!). Fact for History Nerds: Utopia literally translates…