Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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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…
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A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins: Toss a coin to your nerd. Quick synopsis: Yeah, it is exactly what the title says it is. Fact for Non-History People: When Julius Caesar was kidnapped, he demanded his captors raise their ransom demand because he felt insulted by their low number.…
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The Prosecutor by Jack Fairweather
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Prosecutor: Never let them forget. Quick synopsis: The story of Fritz Bauer who kept going after Nazis even after the Nuremberg trial. Fact for Non-History People: Instead of a trial at the end of World War II, Stalin just wanted to just execute the entire German General Staff of fifty…
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The Rebel Empresses by Nancy Goldstone
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Rebel Empresses: More than just pretty faces. Quick synopsis: The lives of Elisabeth of Austria and Eugénie of France. Fact for Non-History People: Emperor Maximilian I of Mexico was Austrian. His reign went as badly as you would expect. Fact for History Nerds: Sisi (Elisabeth) was a big supporter of…
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Hero of the Empire by Candice Millard
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Hero of the Empire: He always had to be the center of attention somehow. Quick synopsis: The story of Winston Churchill’s escape from being a prisoner of war during the Second Boer War. Fact for Non-History People: Yes, there were two Boer Wars. Fact for History Nerds: Churchill was acting as…
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Paris Undercover by Matthew Goodman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Paris Undercover: With friends like this…. Quick synopsis: The story of two women in Nazi-occupied Paris and a huge betrayal. Fact for Non-History People: At least 39 women were sent into occupied-Paris by the British SOE. Fact for History Nerds: The American OSS employed nearly 24,000 spies in World War…
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Arctic Labyrinth by Glyn Williams
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Arctic Labyrinth: If at first you don’t succeed, keep sending people to freeze to death. Quick synopsis: The history of the quest for the Northwest Passage. Fact for Non-History People: I’ve read a lot about this. Why did people think the Northwest Passage existed? Because it would be convenient if it…
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After Lives by Megan Marshall
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for After Lives: Oh no, this made me introspective! Quick synopsis: A collection of Megan Marshall’s essays which are part memoir, travelogue, true crime, and biography. Fact for Non-History People: Pearl Prynne from The Scarlet Letter was based on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s eldest daughter, Una. Fact for History Nerds: Marshall was a Pulitzer…
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In Gad We Trust by Josh Gad
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for In Gad We Trust: I would have went with “The Book of Gad.” Quick synopsis: A partial memoir of the life of actor Josh Gad. So far. Fact for Non-History People: Gad won the National Forensics League (the other NFL) championships in original oratory in 1998 and 1999. Fact for History…