Tag: World War II
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Hitler’s Boy Soldiers by Helene Munson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Hitler’s Boy Soldiers: Just when you thought the Nazis couldn’t get any worse. Quick synopsis: The story of how Hitler and the Nazis indoctrinated young men even before World War II. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: What was a good exercise for these young men? Manning anti-aircraft guns! Yes, really!…
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Valor by Dan Hampton
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Valor: The story of a man who refused to enjoy a beach vacation. Quick synopsis: The story of Bill Harris in World War II as he fights, gets captured, fights, fights some more and absolutely refuses to sit still. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Chicago’s mayor thought it was possible…
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The Fighting Bunch by Chris DeRose
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline: Pissing off soldiers back from World War II seems like a bad strategy. Quick synopsis for The Fighting Bunch: The story of the Battle of Athens, where armed soldiers back from World War II took on a corrupt local government. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Only 139 cars were made during…
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Timely History: Appeasement
Ever heard the word “appeasement”? If you haven’t yet, I have a feeling it will be coming up quite often. Let’s do the totally dorky but necessary first step in talking about a big idea and define it! I am going to go with the Cambridge Dictionary because it sounds fancy. “Appeasement” is the act…
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Facing the Mountain by Daniel James Brown
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Facing the Mountain: Well, this entire situation is a really bad look. Quick synopsis: The story of multiple Japanese Americans through the trials of World War II at home and abroad. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: People during World War II thought dogs could track Japanese people better because…. they…
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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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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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History Nerds United Podcast S1:E4 – James M. Scott
Pulitzer Prize finalist and author James M. Scott joins the podcast to talk about Rampage, his book on the World War II Battle of Manila. James explains his writing process, where he gets his ideas, the challenge in getting children to pay attention to history, and how to make the perfect gin and tonic. Hint:…
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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…