Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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Valor by Dan Hampton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Valor: The story of a man who refused to enjoy a beach vacation. Quick synopsis: The story of Bill Harris in World War II as he fights, gets captured, fights, fights some more and absolutely refuses to sit still. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Chicago’s mayor thought it was possible…
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The Moors Murderers by Chris Cook
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Moors Murderers: Yeah, no one should have been shocked when these two got arrested. Quick synopsis: The story of the child killers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in the 1960s. Fun Fact for Non-History People Will Like: There were quite a few early indicators Ian Brady was a psychopath. Punching…
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Judgment Ridge by Dick Lehr/Mitchell Zuckoff
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Judgment Ridge: Teenagers are the absolute worst. Quick synopsis: The story of the murder of Dartmouth professors Half and Susanne Zantop. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: One of the murders refused to kill a dog. Because, obviously, that would be too far. Fun Fact for History Nerds: High school worked…
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The Fighting Bunch by Chris DeRose
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Pissing off soldiers back from World War II seems like a bad strategy. Quick synopsis for The Fighting Bunch: The story of the Battle of Athens, where armed soldiers back from World War II took on a corrupt local government. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Only 139 cars were made during…
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Endurance by Alfred Lansing
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: I would have just laid down and died. Quick synopsis: The story of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic expedition of 1914–1917 led by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: No one died from the Endurance. Read the book. They all should have. Fun Fact for History Nerds: When the expedition returned…
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My Mother’s War by Eva Taylor
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for My Mother’s War: What’s worse than a concentration camp? Multiple concentration camps. Quick synopsis: The story of the author’s mother who lived through multiple concentration camps. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Spies actually evaded capture by acting drunk. It doesn’t just work in movies! Fun Fact for History Nerds: Also…
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Madam by Debby Applegate
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Madam: Our grandparents never told us these stories. Quick synopsis: The story of Polly Adler, a very famous madam during the jazz age of New York City. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: After 1900, out of wedlock sex went from 13% to 51%. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The Jewish…
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Liberty’s Chain by David Gellman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Liberty’s Chain: A lot of mixed messages in this one. Quick synopsis: The story of Founding Father, John Jay, his descendants and their relation to slavery. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: John Jay still had slaves while serving as a prominent abolitionist. Fun Fact for History Nerds: In the six…
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The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons by Paul Hill
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Kingdom of the Anglo-Saxons: Who would have thought writing stuff down would make such a difference. Quick synopsis: The story of England around the time of Alfred the Great. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Alfred the Great kept a third of his revenues to provide gifts to visiting dignitaries…