Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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Diamonds and Deadlines by Betsy Prioleau
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Diamonds and Deadlines: Sometimes a name change is all you need. Quick synopsis: The story of publishing giant and trailblazer Mrs. Frank Leslie. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In mid-1800s New York City, approximately 20% of the female population practiced prostitution. Fun Fact for History Nerds: 17% of the male…
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Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Facing the Mountain: Well, this entire situation is a really bad look. Quick synopsis: The story of multiple Japanese Americans through the trials of World War II at home and abroad. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: People during World War II thought dogs could track Japanese people better because…. they…
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A Flick of Sunshine by Frederic and Alexander Hill
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Flick of Sunshine: If your boat gets shipwrecked, never sail again. Quick synopsis: A biography of Richard Willis Jackson who had some of the most amazing bad luck and good luck simultaneously. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Coconut milk was used by islanders in the Pacific when they had…
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The Sinner and the Saint by Kevin Birmingham
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sinner and the Saint: Hard to feel bad about your own life when you read about Dostoevsky. Quick synopsis: A biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky as he writes Crime and Punishment with inspiration from a notorious French criminal. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: On page 225, Kevin Birmingham pulls out…
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Three Ordinary Girls by Tim Brady
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Three Ordinary Girls: Who says women can’t work together? Quick synopsis: The story of three Dutch badasses, Hannie Schaft, Freddie Oversteegen, and Truus Oversteegen. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: “I shoot better.” Read the book. You’ll get there. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The three women’s legacies were very…. complicated…
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Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: Prepare to have no good argument against getting that walk in today. Quick synopsis: The story of Grandma Gatewood walking the whole Appalachian Trail. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Oh, forgot the important parts. She was 71 when she walked the ENTIRE trail which is 2,050 miles.…
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White Hot Hate by Dick Lehr
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for White Hot Hate: Even idiots can put together explosives. Quick synopsis: The story of a domestic terrorism cell in Kansas in 2016. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Listening devices are much better nowadays. Even the FBI out in Kansas have pocket sized listening devices which can record for hours. Remember…
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Freedom on Trial by Scott Farris
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Freedom on Trial: Technically it was the KKK on trial. So “Idiots on Trial” would also work. Quick synopsis: A look at the Ku Klux Klan trials of South Carolina right after the Civil War. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: During the Ku Klux Klan trials, the juries were mostly…
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Revolutionary Brothers by Tom Chaffin
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Revolutionary Brothers: This is a lovely reminder of why Thomas Jefferson sucks. Quick synopsis: A shortened dual biography of the Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson after the American Revolution and leading to the French Revolution. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Thomas Jefferson had his own daughter kidnapped. Go ahead,…