Category: Books/Museum Reviews

  • Alexander at the End of the World by Rachel Kousser

    Alexander at the End of the World by Rachel Kousser

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Alexander at the End of the World: Bro did not know when to go home. Quick synopsis: The story of Alexander the Great’s final 7 years. Fact for Non-History People: Alexander was never defeated in battle. Fact for History Nerds: Alexander named over 70 cities after himself. Self-obsessed much? Am I…

  • A Hunger to Kill by Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer

    A Hunger to Kill by Kim Mager and Lisa Pulitzer

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Hunger to Kill: A one-way love story. Quick synopsis: The story of how Detective Kim Mager helped put away an Ohio serial killer. Fact for Non-History People: From 1992-2019, Ohio has had 505 victims of serial killers. Fact for History Nerds: In that same time period, California leads the U.S.…

  • Lovers in Auschwitz by Keren Blankfeld

    Lovers in Auschwitz by Keren Blankfeld

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Lovers in Auschwitz: They found love in a hopeless place. Quick synopsis: The story of the two people who fell in love and survived Auschwitz in World War II. Fact for Non-History People: In 1941, the Warsaw ghetto covered 2.4% of the city but housed 30% of the city population. Fact…

  • The Rent Collectors by Jesse Katz

    The Rent Collectors by Jesse Katz

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Rent Collectors: Better pay up. Quick synopsis: The story of gang violence in L.A. and a botched murder. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Pray you never have to find out what it is to “keister” something. Fun Fact for History Nerds: When the lake at MacArthur Park was drained,…

  • The Mighty Moo by Nathan Canestaro

    The Mighty Moo by Nathan Canestaro

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Mighty Moo: A very moooooving story. (I said what I said!) Quick synopsis: The story of the USS Cowpens aircraft carrier in World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Mighty Moo was caught in Typhoon Cobra which has 70 foot waves and winds of 120 knots. Fun…

  • The Last Island by Adam Goodheart

    The Last Island by Adam Goodheart

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Last Island: Leave them alone. Quick synopsis: The story of North Sentinel Island and the isolated tribe that calls it home. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Andaman Island chain contains nearly 600 islands and thousands of species that don’t exist anywhere else in the world. Fun Fact for…

  • Perfect Wife (Hulu)

    Perfect Wife (Hulu)

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Perfect Wife: Perfect at being a narcissist. Quick synopsis: The story of the disappearance of Sherri Papini. Fact for Non-History People: The crime of kidnapping is hard to number because many people just become missing persons. There were 70,000 missing persons over the age of 18 cases in 2001 for instance.…

  • Ask Not by Maureen Callahan

    Ask Not by Maureen Callahan

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Ask Not: Ask not what this family did to women, ask why they got away with it. Quick synopsis: The story of all the women destroyed by the Kennedy family. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The firefighter who retrieved Mary Jo Kopechne’s body at Chappaquiddick estimated she stayed alive for…

  • The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum by Margalit Fox

    The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum by Margalit Fox

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: Her talent was crime. Quick synopsis: The story of Gilded Age crime boss, Fredericka Mandelbaum. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Brooks Brothers was founded in 1818 in New York City and was known for the shoddy products it provided to the Union Army during the Civil…