Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Most Famous Man in America: Stanford was ridiculous when it was founded! Quick synopsis: The biography of famous preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Does the name sound vaguely familiar? You probably know his sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Fun Fact for…
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The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Facemaker: The good doctor. Quick synopsis: The story of Dr. Harold Gillies, who pioneered face reconstruction of World War I casualties. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In World War I, over 280,000 soldiers from just Britain, Germany, and France suffered some form of facial trauma. Fun Fact for History…
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The Scandalous Hamiltons by Bill Shaffer
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Scandalous Hamiltons: Thank God we have paternity tests now. Quick synopsis: A true crime story about Robert Ray Hamilton and his wife after a stabbing. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: You can leave in your will that you want a fountain created in your name. You have to pay…
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Inventing the It Girl by Hilary Hallett
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Inventing the It Girl: Sex sells. Quick synopsis: A biography of novelist and screenwriter Elinor Glyn. Fun Fact for Non-History People Will Like: In the 1890s, 46,000 women died giving birth in England and Wales. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Elinor’s sister and brother-in-law survived the sinking of the Titanic. My…
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The Sewing Girl’s Tale by John Wood Sweet
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sewing Girl’s Tale: If you can’t trust a brothel keeper, who can you trust? Quick synopsis: The story of Lanah Sawyer and her sexual assault in 1793 New York City. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Medical schools used to rob graves to get cadavers for studying. Fun Fact for…
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The School That Escaped the Nazis by Deborah Cadbury
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The School That Escaped the Nazis: A school that kids actually wanted to go to! Quick synopsis: The story of Anna Essinger and how she relocated her school to England out of the Nazi’s reach. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In December 1938, almost 2,000 children were saved from Nazi…
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Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Agent Josephine: Celebrities can work for the greater good! Quick synopsis: The untold story of how entertainer Josephine Baker was also a French spy in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: A list of animals Josephine took with her nearly everywhere: a Great Dane, monkey, golden lion tamarin,…
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The Great Stewardess Rebellion by Nell McShane Wulfhart
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Great Stewardess Rebellion: It’s truly amazing more men weren’t stabbed on planes. Quick synopsis: A look at the trials and tribulations of stewardesses in the 1960s and 70s. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1971, Oprah won Ms. Black Tennessee. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Stewardesses were required to…
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Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Under the Banner of Heaven: Multiple spouses just sounds exhausting. Quick synopsis: A book focused on Mormon Fundamentalism and a horrific double murder. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In the fundamentalist stronghold of Colorado City, 78% of the population receives food stamps. Fun Fact for History Nerds: An actual sentence…