Tag: biography
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Chasing Beauty by Natalie Dykstra
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Chasing Beauty: An old school influencer. Quick synopsis: A biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner who created a popular museum in her own name. Fact for Non-History People: In the 1800s, Washington D.C. was a popular honeymoon destination. Fact for History Nerds: Isabella’s museum was the site of the infamous 1990 heist…
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Vagabond Princess by Ruby Lal
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Vagabond Princess: Her Instagram account would have been awesome. Quick synopsis: The biography of Mughal Princess and writer Gulbadan Begum from the 1500s. Fact for Non-History People: Royal couriers were super-fast back in the day. A good rider with a solid horse could cover around 350 miles on a great…
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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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The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel by Douglas Brunt
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel: The engine’s name is truly apt. Quick synopsis: The life and mysterious death of the creator of the Diesel engine, Rudolf Diesel. Fact for Non-History People: By 1885, there were only 250,000 electric light bulbs in America. By 1902, there were 18 million. Fact for…
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Pure Wit by Francesca Peacock
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Pure Wit: Pure indifference to people’s opinions, as well. Quick synopsis: A biography of Margaret Cavendish, an author in 1600s England. Fact for Non-History People: The title of a pamphlet in this time period for context, “The Arraignment of Lewd, Idle, Froward, and Unconstant Woman.” Fact for History Nerds: Cavendish was…
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The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams: He’s more than just a beer! Quick synopsis: A biography of the overshadowed Adams, Samuel. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: He was never called “Sam.” Always Samuel. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Adams was gifted a slave from his mother-in-law. He immediately had her emancipated. Surrey…
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The Most Famous Man in America by Debby Applegate
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Most Famous Man in America: Stanford was ridiculous when it was founded! Quick synopsis: The biography of famous preacher, Henry Ward Beecher. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Does the name sound vaguely familiar? You probably know his sister, Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Fun Fact for…
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A Flick of Sunshine by Frederic and Alexander Hill
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Flick of Sunshine: If your boat gets shipwrecked, never sail again. Quick synopsis: A biography of Richard Willis Jackson who had some of the most amazing bad luck and good luck simultaneously. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Coconut milk was used by islanders in the Pacific when they had…
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The Sinner and the Saint by Kevin Birmingham
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Sinner and the Saint: Hard to feel bad about your own life when you read about Dostoevsky. Quick synopsis: A biography of Fyodor Dostoevsky as he writes Crime and Punishment with inspiration from a notorious French criminal. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: On page 225, Kevin Birmingham pulls out…