Category: Books/Museum Reviews
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Battle of the Books on the White Hurricane
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: The perfect storm was a drizzle compared to this. Quick synopsis: The story of the Great Lakes (Snow) Hurricane of 1913. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: This storm was so destructive that 12 ships sank and over 248 people lost their lives. And you’ve probably never heard of it. Fun Fact…
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Rampage by James M. Scott
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Rampage: You’ll cancel your hibachi reservation after reading this. Quick synopsis: Story of the battle of Manila in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Nothing “fun” about this subject matter. More people were killed in the Battle of Manila than in the Battle of Britain. Fun Fact for…
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The River of Doubt by Candice Millard
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The River of Doubt: I don’t recommend exploring uncharted tributaries of the Amazon. Quick synopsis: The story of when Teddy Roosevelt decided to take a vacation and explore a tributary of the Amazon. Didn’t go well. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Did you see the synopsis above? I am a…
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The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer/Josh Mensch
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The First Conspiracy: George Washington, assassins, and overwrought prose. Quick synopsis: The story of the assassination conspiracy of George Washington right before the Battle of Long Island. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: New Yorkers in 1770 consumed an average of 6.7 gallons of rum year per person. That is the…
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Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Midnight in Chernobyl: In Soviet Russia, things go boom! Quick synopsis: An in-depth look at the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Russia in 1986. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Marie Curie and her husband discovered polonium and radium. Her notes on them are so radioactive they are still…
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The Five by Hallie Rubenhold
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Five: Life is hard for a woman. Then Jack the Ripper kills you. Quick synopsis: The life stories of the women killed by Jack the Ripper. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The number of women killed by Jack the Ripper is not completely known. The five women in this…
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Museum Review: Mount Vernon
Museum Focus: George’s Washington’s home in Virginia. Where is it: 3200 Mount Vernon Hwy, Mt Vernon, VA 22121. What does it cost: About $20 per adult, $12 per kid. How long should I plan to stay: Mount Vernon is 500 acres. You could probably take 2 or 3 days to see everything. However, a good…
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Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Say Nothing: Came for the murder, stayed for the Troubles. Quick synopsis: A true crime story which starts as a case of kidnapping but then becomes a microcosm of the Troubles of Northern Ireland. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When some serious IRA hard-cases came to America, they thought WE…
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The Ice Balloon by Alec Wilkinson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Ice Balloon: This is what happens when you ignore science Quick synopsis: A story of S.A. Andree’s attempt to reach the North Pole via a balloon. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: S.A. Andree thought he could reach the North Pole via balloon. It went as well as you think…