Tag: World War II

  • 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…

  • Fragile Cargo by Adam Brookes

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Fragile Cargo: Never has luggage been so exciting! Quick synopsis: The story of the race to save China’s imperial treasures before and during World War II. Fact for Non-History People: In 1860 British and French troops looted imperial treasures including a litter of Pekingese puppies. One was given to Queen Victoria…

  • Fierce Ambition by Jennet Conant

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Fierce Ambition: Journalists being hostile with each other? You don’t say. Quick synopsis: A biography of war correspondent Maggie Higgins. Fact for Non-History People: In the 1940s, American women did 80% of the nation’s buying. Fact for History Nerds: There were 325 accredited American war correspondents in World War II. 38…

  • Strike of the Sailfish by Stephen Moore

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Strike of the Sailfish: You will NEVER get me on a submarine. Quick synopsis: The story of sister submarines in World War II. Fact for Non-History People: Radar at this point could detect a small warship about 10 miles away and closer if it was a part of a convoy. Fact…

  • The Savage Storm by James Holland

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Savage Storm: Everyone was mad at the Italians, even the Italians. Quick synopsis: The story of the Allied invasion of Italy in 1943. Fact for Non-History People: By 1943, the Luftwaffe had already lost almost 6,000 aircraft in the Mediterranean alone. Fact for History Nerds: The German 10th Army lost…

  • Judgment at Tokyo by Gary Bass

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Judgment at Tokyo: Less of a trial and more like a clown show. Quick synopsis: The story of the Tokyo Trial to prosecute Japanese leadership after World War II. Fact for Non-History People: On a mission to bomb Chichi Jima, 9 U.S. pilots needed to bail out during the bombing run.…

  • Ghosts of Honolulu by Mark Harmon and Leon Carroll Jr

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Ghosts of Honolulu: Yes, THAT Mark Harmon. Quick synopsis: The story of the spying in Hawaii before Pearl Harbor. Fact for Non-History People: In 1920, there were 109,000 Japanese immigrants in Hawaii which made up 43% of the total population. Fact for History Nerds: 2,403 Americans were killed at Pearl Harbor…

  • Charlie Chaplin vs. America by Scott Eyman

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Charlie Chaplin vs. America: The Tramp was given his walking papers. Quick synopsis: The story of when Charlie Chaplin got barred from returning to the U.S. after World War II. Fact for Non-History People: Chaplin learned sign language to better converse with an artist he hired for his studio. Fact for…

  • To Besiege a City by Prit Buttar

    Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for To Besiege a City: I hate being forced to root for the Soviets. Quick synopsis: A look at the first two years of the siege of Leningrad in World War II. Fact for Non-History People: The Germans took about 5.7 million Soviet soldiers prisoner during World War II. About 3.3 million…