Category: Books/Museum Reviews

  • The Infernal Machine by Steven Johnson

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Infernal Machine: This book is explosive! (I’m so sorry, I’ll see myself out.) Quick synopsis: A story about dynamite, anarchists, and the evolution of policing in New York City. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Owen Eagen was the only (what we would now call) bomb disposal personnel working with…

  • Challenger by Adam Higginbotham

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Challenger: It was a question of when, not if. Quick synopsis: The story of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When Neil Armstrong first stepped foot on the moon in 1969, an estimated 600 million people were watching. Fun Fact for History Nerds: It…

  • Skies of Thunder by Caroline Alexander

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Skies of Thunder: Catch-22 only real life. Quick synopsis: The story of World War II pilots flying routes over the Himalayas. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: There are currently nearly 600 planes lying where they crashed along the route. Fun Fact for History Nerds: When British forces took over Burma…

  • Left for Dead by Eric Jay Dolin

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Left for Dead: Well, maybe they should have left the poor sea otters alone. Quick synopsis: The story of castaways left for dead in the Falkland Islands during the War of 1812. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Sea otters have the densest fur of any animal with as many as…

  • Throne of Grace by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Throne of Grace: Life without a map. Quick synopsis: The story of one of America’s forgotten explorers, Jedediah Smith. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Arithmetic used to be called ciphering in schools. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Between 1700 and 1822, European markets purchased nearly forty million pieces of beaver…

  • The Great Abolitionist by Stephen Puleo

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Great Abolitionist: Who would have thought slavery proponents could be so violent? Quick synopsis: The life of ardent American abolitionist and senator, Charles Sumner. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: While I don’t condone caning someone, it turns out Sumner did mock a colleague who just had a stroke during…

  • 1217 by Catherine Hanley

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for 1217: King John was as bad as Mel Brooks said he was. Quick synopsis: The story of why King John was just the worst. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The nobility and religious communities at this time made up about 6% at most of the population meaning the other 94%…

  • The Shooter at Midnight by Sean Patrick Cooper

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Shooter at Midnight: Farming folk can be just as murderous as city folk. Quick synopsis: The story of the 1990 murder of Cathy Robertson in Missouri. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The farming crisis of the 1970s saw farmers take their own lives at double the national rate. Fun…

  • Otherworldly Antarctica by Edmund Stump

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Otherworldly Antarctica: I wanna go! Quick synopsis: A photographic look at Antarctica from a long-time visitor. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Antarctica is a desert. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Ice covers 98% of Antarctica which is 90% of Earth’s ice and 70% of our fresh water. My Take on…