Tag: American history
-
Marquis de Lafayette Returns by Elizabeth Reese
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Marquis de Lafayette Returns: That’s my boy right there! Quick synopsis: The story of the Marquis de Lafayette’s return to the U.S. years after the revolution. Fact for Non-History People: Lafayette spent about $250,000 of his own money during the revolution ($5 million today). Fact for History Nerds: The throat infection…
-
Our Flag Was Still There by Tom McMillan
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Our Flag Was Still There: This book is a Star-Spangled Banger. Quick synopsis: The story of the flag over Fort McHenry both before and after the battle. Fact for Non-History People: Francis Scott Key’s son was murdered in the middle of Washington D.C. over an affair. Fact for History Nerds: The…
-
Combing Through the White House by Theodore Pappas
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Combing Through the White House: Talk about some hairy situations! (I’ll see myself out.) Quick synopsis: A book about presidential hair. Yes, you read that correctly. Fact for Non-History People: Lincoln was clean-shaven for a good portion of his life until a young girl wrote him a letter suggesting he grow…
-
President Garfield by CW Goodyear
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for President Garfield: More than just an assassination. Quick synopsis: A full biography of President Garfield. Fact for Non-History People: By age 26, Garfield was married and a college president. Fact for History Nerds: Garfield never lost an election in his life. My Take on President Garfield: To be honest, I wondered…
-
Muscles & Mayhem (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Muscles & Mayhem: Like a human cannonball to my nostalgia bone. Quick synopsis: The story of the American Gladiators TV show. Fact for Non-History People: Before it got popular, the show used some cardboard cutouts to look like audience members. Fact for History Nerds: The second iteration of the show starred…
-
The Devil at His Elbow by Valerie Bauerlein
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Devil at His Elbow: Keeping murder in the family. Quick synopsis: The story of disgraced lawyer and killer, Alex Murdaugh. Fact for Non-History People: Hampton County, S.C. is named for a Confederate general who had been one of the South’s biggest slave owners. Fact for History Nerds: The Murdaugh family…
-
A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Well-Trained Wife: When you gotta go, you gotta go. Quick synopsis: The story of how Tia Levings left her abusive marriage. Fact for Non-History People: U.S. women couldn’t open their own bank accounts until 1960. Fact for History Nerds: They couldn’t get credit cards until 1974. My Take on A…
-
McMillions by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for McMillions: Happy Meal with a side of fraud. Quick synopsis: The story of how no one really won the Monopoly game at McDonald’s. Fact for Non-History People: McDonald’s executives are required to work at a restaurant for a week. Fact for History Nerds: The chances of winning one of the big…
-
Red Dead’s History by Tore Olsson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Red Dead’s History: When video games and history collide. Quick synopsis: A look at how historically accurate the video game Red Dead Redemption II is. Fact for Non-History People: Red Dead Redemption II has sold over fifty million copies and is in the top ten of bestselling video games ever. Fact…