Category: Books/Museum Reviews

  • Taking London by Martin Dugard

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Taking London: Sometimes it takes an island. Quick synopsis: The story of the Battle of Britain through the eyes of four Allied pilots. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Nazi Party grew from just a small movement in 1920 to about 400,000 people by World War II. Fun Fact for…

  • When the Sea Came Alive by Garrett Graff

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for When the Sea Came Alive: D-Day in their own words. Quick synopsis: On oral history of D-Day from various records of the people who lived it. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Nearly 133,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day. Fun Fact for History Nerds: By June 30th, over 850,000 men, 148,000…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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,…

  • 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…

  • 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…