Tag: World history

  • Tyrant Lizard Queen by Riley Black

    I mean, how much do I need to expound upon when a book is titled Tyrant Lizard Queen about a T. Rex? If you are reading this, you are going to want to read the book. It’s very simple. You want more? Okay fine. Riley Black, the author, is an honest to goodness paleontologist. You…

  • The Best Kind of American by Kim Ghattas

    I will never stop marveling at authors who attempt to tell the story of the Middle East post-World War II. The sheer amount of names, armies, militias, and murderous tyrants is enough to make a book daunting even for the reader. Kim Ghattas decided that isn’t enough and adds a true crime angle to her…

  • The New Dark Ages by James Marriott

    Of course I am going to enjoy a book called The New Dark Ages which tells us the world is reading books less and it is all going to hell. Granted, author James Marriott doesn’t put as fine a point on it as I have, but I want to feel special. Don’t we all? Marriott…

  • The Cauldron by Simon Sebag Montefiore

    Do you think the Middle East is a bit of a mess? You may be correct, but you are probably oversimplifying a bit. If anything, the Middle East is a perfect example of how not to build countries. Drawing lines on a map without the input of the people who live within those lines should…

  • Shadow Before the Flame by Catherine Grace Katz

    There are two types of disaster books in my mind. The first, and much less interesting, is laser-focused on the event. The narrative revolves around the event itself and the carnage and drama around the tragedy. It is about setting things up only as far as necessary to get to the calamity. The second, and…

  • The Defector by Richard Kerbaj

    I think there are times where we glorify defectors too much. Often we get to see the person who realizes they are on the wrong side of history (or a certain Iron Curtain). But what if their reasons are less ideological? In fact…what if they just suck as people both before and after defection? Say…

  • Family of Spies by Christine Kuehn

    I think most people have wondered if their family is harboring a deep, dark secret. Rarely, though, does it ever include Nazi spies. For Christine Kuehn, it actually did mean Nazi spies. And a bunch of them at that! She recounts the story in her book, Family of Spies, which is quite literally correct as…

  • The Jackal by Joby Warrick

    When you think of Carlos the Jackal, you probably picture a suave, cold-blooded hitman roaming the capitals of the world. He has every action planned to the most minute detail. He can think on his feet. He is James Bond without a moral core. That’s a cool visual and all, but the real Carlos the…

  • Checkmate by Ben Mezrich

    If only there was a way in chess for everyone to lose. No, a draw doesn’t count. However, you could make the argument that Checkmate by Ben Mezrich ends in a draw and that’s what everyone deserves. The story is about chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and a young (and supremely obnoxious) Hans Niemann. You may…