Tag: American history

  • The Monster We Make by Rachel Corbett

    Criminal profiling: what’s it good for? Rachel Corbett takes a stab at it (I’ll see myself out) and comes away with a book that is an easy read, informative, but also a little light. Corbett starts off by talking about a personal situation which led her down the path of crime investigating. What follows is…

  • Funny Business by Matt Singer

    Ah, to be young and funny again. I am one of those old curmudgeons who looks around the multiplex nowadays and whines, “Where are all the comedies anymore?” Just kidding, there is almost zero chance I go to the movies anymore. I always end up next to someone on their phone, talking to their date,…

  • Valley So Low by Jared Sullivan

    This book made me cough. Yes, that is a strange way to start a book review, but hear me out. Jared Sullivan tells the story of America’s worst coal disaster in his exceptional Valley So Low. In 2008, a gigantic mountain of ash waste did what mountains of waste do and fell over. No one…

  • Kennedy’s Only Hero by Joel Nelson

    I think it’s important to put reviews in perspective. I loved Kennedy’s Only Hero by Joel Nelson. This is somewhat extraordinary as I really dislike JFK. Now that I have enraged at least a few people, let’s talk about the book! Nelson reveals that JFK was a legitimate Winston Churchill fanboy. There is no other…

  • Ordinary Wife by Gregg and Morgan Olsen

    How do you solve a problem like Lyda? For the sake of this review, I am just going to say “Lyda” since going by one of her many last names would be exhausting. You see, she was married a lot, and her husbands had a horrible penchant for dying right after they signed insurance paperwork.…

  • Redemption by Lawrence Wright

    Redemption by Lawrence Wright is not what you think it is. Sure, you are getting the story of nuns going to death row to meet with women who may one day be executed by the state of Texas. However, Wright wants to ask the big and unanswerable questions about the justice system, God, and, of…

  • Hate Speech by Samantha Barbas

    Ah, hate speech. The perfect way to find out if someone knows what the First Amendment actually says. I can tell you one thing, author Samantha Barbas certainly understands it, and the proof is her wonderful Hate Speech. (Please note, Hate Speech is the title, and I am not saying that her “hate speech” is…

  • Off the Top of My Head by Barbara Lazio

    Well this was frickin’ delightful. Dr. Barbara Lazio provides a look into our heads (literally) with her hilarious and poignant Off the top of My Head. Yes, the title is an indicator of the overall tone. Lazio puts together a collection of essays about life, parenting, and, of course, brain surgery. I find that with…

  • This Cursed Beautiful Land by Evan Gershkovich

    Turns out, Russian prison isn’t so bad. That is, if you are an American journalist jailed on trumped-up charges so you can be used for a prisoner swap. Sure, it still sucks, and you will end up with PTSD. However, your experience may vary greatly if you are not in the very specific position author…