Tag: war

  • King of Kings by Scott Anderson

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for King of Kings: An amazing number of heads in the sand. Quick synopsis: The story of the Iranian Revolution. Fact for Non-History People: In Iran, “thumbs up” is the equivalent of the middle finger most other places. Fact for History Nerds: One of Ayatollah Khomeini’s first acts was to reverse advancements…

  • The Boys in the Light by Nina Willner

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Boys in the Light: No finer company. Quick synopsis: The story of the intersection between some American soldiers in World War II and the author’s father, a concentration camp survivor. Fact for Non-History People: Germany had over 1,000 concentration camps. Fact for History Nerds: Approximately 1.65 million people were kept…

  • A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for A Flower Traveled in My Blood: Nobody wins. Quick synopsis: The story of the Abuelas de Plaza de Mayo and their search for their kidnapped grandchildren in Argentina. Fact for Non-History People: The most lucrative kidnapping in world history happened in Argentina and netted the kidnappers $60 million. Fact for History…

  • Midnight on the Potomac by Scott Ellsworth

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Midnight on the Potomac: An old story told new. Quick synopsis: A different look at the last year of the Civil War. Fact for Non-History People: Lincoln would even visit Confederate prisoner hospital tents during the war. Fact for History Nerds: One out of every 50 Americans were killed during the…

  • When We Ruled by Paula Akpan

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for When We Ruled: You didn’t learn about these names in history class. Quick synopsis: A look at twelve African Queens and Warriors. Fact for Non-History People: Emperor Mansa Musa of Mali was one of the richest people ever. He might have been the richest. Fact for History Nerds: There are still…

  • The Fate of the Day by Rick Atkinson

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Fate of the Day: You loved the original so don’t miss the sequel. Quick synopsis: The American Revolution from Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777-1780. Fact for Non-History People: The Marquis de Lafayette’s full name was Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette. Fact for History Nerds: Georgia is the only state…

  • Nothing but Courage by James Donovan

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Nothing but Courage: One of the few reasons to jump out of a perfectly good plane. Quick synopsis: The 82nd Airborne’s mission on D-Day. Fact for Non-History People: The American airborne forces would comprise 13,000 paratroopers and 4,000 men delivered by gliders. Fact for History Nerds: Approximately 2,500 American paratroopers would…

  • Sceptred Isle by Helen Carr

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Sceptred Isle: Just because they are your favorite doesn’t mean they are everyone else’s. Quick synopsis: A look at English royal upheaval in the 14th century. Fact for Non-History People: Richard II is credited with either inventing or popularizing the handkerchief. Fact for History Nerds: Right before the Black Death arrived,…

  • Phantom Fleet by Alexander Rose

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Phantom Fleet: The Taking of U-505. Quick synopsis: The Battle of the Atlantic and the attempt to steal a German U-boat. Fact for Non-History People: The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest campaign of World War II. Fact for History Nerds: 3,500 Allied merchant ships were sunk during the Battle…