Tag: American history
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Murderland by Caroline Fraser
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Murderland: So many ways to die. Quick synopsis: A look at the rise of serial killers in the 1970s and 1980s with a focus on the Pacific Northwest. Fact for Non-History People: Serial killers peaked in the U.S. with 300 known offenders in the 1970s. Fact for History Nerds: Washington state…
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Nothing but Courage by James Donovan
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Nothing but Courage: One of the few reasons to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Quick synopsis: The 82nd Airborne’s mission on D-Day. Fact for Non-History People: The American airborne forces would comprise 13,000 paratroopers and 4,000 men delivered by gliders. Fact for History Nerds: Approximately 2,500 American paratroopers would…
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Phantom Fleet by Alexander Rose
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Phantom Fleet: The Taking of U-505. Quick synopsis: The Battle of the Atlantic and the attempt to steal a German U-boat. Fact for Non-History People: The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest campaign of World War II. Fact for History Nerds: 3,500 Allied merchant ships were sunk during the Battle…
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The Sailing of the Intrepid by Montel Williams and David Fisher
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sailing of the Intrepid: Old habits die hard. Quick synopsis: The story of how in 1944 the crew of the USS Intrepid used old school methods to make it home. Fact for Non-History People: Yes, that Montel Williams is the author. He is an Annapolis grad (Go Army!) and is…
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Taking Midway by Martin Dugard
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Taking Midway: When reading the mail was so important. Quick synopsis: The story of Midway Island and the battle which turned the tide of World War II in the Pacific. Fact for Non-History People: The Japanese lost 3,000 personnel in comparison to the U.S.’s about 300. Fact for History Nerds: Midway…
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Mark Twain by Ron Chernow
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Mark Twain: Let him write. Don’t let him business. Quick synopsis: A biography of iconic writer and terrible businessman, Mark Twain. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Twain served on the Confederate side in the Civil War although rather briefly. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is…
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Strangers in the Land by Michael Luo
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Strangers in the Land: It didn’t get better once the railroads were finished. Quick synopsis: The story of Chinese immigrants who came to America. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: It took seven weeks for news of the death of President Zachary Taylor to reach California. Fun Fact for History Nerds:…
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Taking Manhattan by Russell Shorto
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Taking Manhattan: Business decisions made at cannon-point. Quick synopsis: The story of how New Amsterdam became New York. Fact for Non-History People: In 1673, during the Third Anglo-Dutch War, New York became New Orange when the Dutch retook it, but it was given up again in the treaty ending the war.…
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The Fifteen by William Geroux
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Fifteen: A very one-sided trade proposal. Quick synopsis: The story of a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Germany during World War II of soldiers facing the death penalty. Fact for Non-History People: There was approximately 400,000 German POWs in the U.S. during World War II. Fact for History Nerds:…