Tag: European history

  • Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Tunnel 29: It’s like Shawshank but from the opposite direction. Quick synopsis: The story of Tunnel 29 which was dug from West Germany to East Germany to allow people to escape. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The East Germans called the Berlin Wall the “anti-fascist protection barrier.” History can be…

  • Taking Paris by Martin Dugard

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Taking Paris: Everybody wants some Paris. Quick synopsis: The story of the Allies losing and regaining Paris in World War II. Spoiler alert, I guess. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Allies almost skipped Paris after D-Day. With the focus on defeating the German Army, it took some cajoling to…

  • Checkmate in Berlin by Giles Milton

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Checkmate in Berlin: Those crazy Soviets don’t play well with others. Quick synopsis: The story of how post-World War II Berlin became split in half. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: During the height of the Berlin Airlift, a plane was landing with supplies every 30 seconds. Fun Fact for History…

  • The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch by Gill Hoffs

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch: A chronicle of how much the 19th century sucked. Quick synopsis: The story of the sinking of the Ocean Monarch in 1848. The ship was an emigrant ship headed for Boston and caught fire soon after leaving port. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:…

  • The Great Mortality by John Kelly

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Great Mortality: If you think the coronavirus sucks… Quick synopsis: A look at the Black Death as it raged across Europe. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In Italy, some towns saw over an 80% death rate. Think of 10 of your neighbors. 8 of them would have been dead…

  • Target Tokyo by James M. Scott

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Wait, we bombed Tokyo right after Pearl Harbor? I’ll be damned. Quick synopsis: We bombed Tokyo right after Pearl Harbor. Yes, really. Jimmy Doolittle and his Doolittle Raiders actually did a hell of a lot. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: When the Doolittle Raiders took off for their bombing run, they…

  • The Volunteer by Jack Fairweather

    Quick synopsis of The Volunteer: The story of Polish World War II hero, Witold Pilecki. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The dude VOLUNTEERED to be sent to Auschwitz to foment rebellion in the camp. Yes, THAT Auschwitz. Fun Fact for History Nerds: Dude then BROKE OUT OF AUSCHWITZ. My Take on The Volunteer: Well,…

  • The Lady in the Cellar by Sinclair McKay

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Lady in the Cellar: A lady in the cellar and a lot of bats in the belfry. Quick synopsis: A true crime story about a woman murdered in a boarding house in the late 1800s. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Asian décor was big in the late 1800s of…

  • Hannibal by Patrick Hunt

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Hannibal: This book has nothing to do with Anthony Hopkins. Quick synopsis: A biography of Hannibal Barca focusing mainly on his time in the area of today’s Italy and surrounding areas. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Archimedes, a nerdy math guy, came up with a mirror he could use to…