Tag: European history
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Three Ordinary Girls by Tim Brady
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Three Ordinary Girls: Who says women can’t work together? Quick synopsis: The story of three Dutch badasses, Hannie Schaft, Freddie Oversteegen, and Truus Oversteegen. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: “I shoot better.” Read the book. You’ll get there. Fun Fact for History Nerds: The three women’s legacies were very…. complicated…
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Charlotte Bronte by Claire Harman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Jane Eyre was way truer to life than I thought. Quick synopsis for Charlotte Bronte: The biography Charlotte Bronte, best known as the writer of Jane Eyre. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Charlotte’s sister, Emily, wrote Wuthering Heights, another book you probably dodged in high school unsuccessfully. Fun Fact for History…
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The Daughters of Yalta by Catherine Grace Katz
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Daughters of Yalta: It all makes for very complicated dinner parties. Quick synopsis: The story of the Yalta Conference near the end of World War II through the eyes of Sarah Churchill, Anna Roosevelt, and Kathleen Harriman. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Franklin D. Roosevelt never knew what he…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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:…
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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…
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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…