Tag: American history
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Paradise Falls by Keith O’Brien
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Paradise Falls: An entirely different kind of sightseeing. Quick synopsis: The story of the environmental disaster at Love Canal, NY. Fact for Non-History People: The chemical company at the center of this story sold contaminated land to board of education for $1… so the board could build a school on top…
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Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons by Charlotte Gray
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons: Mommy knows best. Quick synopsis: A dual biography of Jennie Jerome Churchill and Sara Delano Roosevelt. Fact for Non-History People: Around the 1850s, 700 British families owned four fifths of the land in Britain. Fact for History Nerds: Between 1870 and 1914, 454 titled Europeans married American…
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Tripping on Utopia by Benjamin Breen
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Tripping on Utopia: I’ll stick to beer, thanks. Quick synopsis: The people and science at the beginning of widespread drug experimentation. Fact for Non-History People: The CIA did experiments with LSD for mind control purposes. Fact for History Nerds: LSD was first synthesized by Swiss scientists in the 1930s. My Take…
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American Girls by Jessica Roy
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for American Girls: I’m just thankful I have brothers after reading this one. Quick synopsis: The story of an American girl who joins ISIS and the sister who tries to bring her home. Fact for Non-History People: When the girls’ mother thought their house was haunted, church leaders identified the source of…
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Among the Bros by Max Marshall
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Among the Bros: Bros being bros. Quick synopsis: The story of a drug ring centered around fraternity members at the College of Charleston. Fact for Non-History People: How ingrained is Greek life in America? Only 2% of the population is involved in Greek life but they make up 80% of Fortune…
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Too Much Sea for Their Decks by Michael Schumacher
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Too Much Sea for Their Decks: Never go on a Great Lake in November. Quick synopsis: A look at shipwrecks on Lake Superior. Fact for Non-History People: Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world with 31,700 square miles of surface area. Fact for History Nerds: November shipwrecks on…
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White House Wild Child by Shelley Fraser Mickle
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for White House Wild Child: Whoa, oh, sweet child o’Teddy. Quick synopsis: A look at the life of Teddy Roosevelt’s daughter (and renowned hellion) Alice Roosevelt. Fact for Non-History People: Teddy bears are named after Teddy Roosevelt because of his love of hunting. Fact for History Nerds: How “in demand” was Alice?…
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God Save Benedict Arnold by Jack Kelly
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for God Save Benedict Arnold: Arnold sucks, but the book is good! Quick synopsis: A look at Benedict Arnold through the lens of his battlefield prowess. Fact for Non-History People: Arnold had two wives named Peggy. The similarities ended there, though. Fact for History Nerds: Arnold would have been paid 20,000 pounds…
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Sailing the Graveyard Sea by Richard Snow
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sailing the Graveyard Sea: When nepotism gets you hung from the yardarm. Quick synopsis: The story of the U.S. Navy’s only recorded mutiny. Fact for Non-History People: The mutiny is one of the major drivers to the establishment of the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. (Note: Go Army, Beat Navy.)…