Category: Nonfiction

Cover for How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith

Review: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

February 14, 2022

“The history of slavery is the history of the United States. It was not peripheral to our founding; it was central to it. It is not irrelevant to our contemporary society; it created it. This history is in our soil, it is in our policies, and it must, too, be in our memories.” Clint Smith … More Review: How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

Cover for The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean

Review: The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds by Sam Kean

February 3, 2022

Trigger Warnings: suicide, slavery, animal torture and death, Nazi experimentation and torture, experimental misconduct, miscarriages, forced impregnation and abortion, murder, torture, grave robbing, lobotomization, mental health, intentional infection of diseases, psychological experiments, electric chair deaths,  “But when we sacrifice morals for scientific progress, we often end up with neither.” The Icepick Surgeon exposes the crimes … More Review: The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds by Sam Kean

Cover for A Taste of Poison by Neil Bradbury

ARC Review: A Taste of Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury

February 1, 2022

Poison is one of the oldest and most popular weapons of choice when it comes to murder. This book provides us with an in-depth look at how eleven poisons are used to kill, what it does to the body, and how that poison is created.  This book was quite fascinating. The book covers eleven poisons: … More ARC Review: A Taste of Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them by Neil Bradbury

Cover for Migraine: Inside A World of Invisible Pain by Maria Konnikova

Review: Migraine: Inside A World of Invisible Pain by Maria Konnikova

January 26, 2022

“I feel guilty about even thinking about attending to myself. You power through, not because you aren’t in pain, but because it’s the only option. Because you’ll be met with a complete lack of understanding if you don’t.” While this is a very short delve into Migraines, it is very impactful and informative. Maria Konnikova … More Review: Migraine: Inside A World of Invisible Pain by Maria Konnikova

Cover for 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

Review: 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

January 21, 2022

Frances Glessner Lee is influential in the development of forensic science in the United States. She helped establish the Department of Legal Medicine at Harvard, endowed the Magrath Library of Legal Medicine, became the first female police captain in the U.S., and created 20 true crime scene dioramas in dollhouse scale that are referred to … More Review: 18 Tiny Deaths: The Untold Story of Frances Glessner Lee and the Invention of Modern Forensics by Bruce Goldfarb

Cover for Ace by Angela Chen

Review: Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

January 15, 2022

“The label of asexual should be value neutral. It should indicate little more than sexual orientation. Instead, asexual implies a slew of other, negative associations: passionless, uptight, boring, robotic, cold, prude, frigid, lacking, broken. These, especially broken, are the words aces use again and again to describe how we are perceived and made to feel.” … More Review: Ace: What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex by Angela Chen

Cover for Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Review: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

December 21, 2021

“Throughout human history, three caste systems have stood out. The tragically accelerated, chilling, and officially vanquished caste system of Nazi Germany. The lingering, millennia-long caste system of India. And the shape-shifting, unspoken, race-based caste pyramid in the United States.” This book was mind blowing. Isabel Wilkerson dives into the history of the caste system in … More Review: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Cover for The Good Kings by Kara Cooney

Review: The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World by Kara Cooney

December 9, 2021

In this book Cooney discusses five ancient Egyptian pharaohs: Khufu, Senworsret III, Akenhaten, Ramses II, and Taharqa. She talks about their reigns and how they ruled. She also discusses the patriarchy and how it influenced these men and continues to influence us today. After reading Cooney’s previous two books, I was excited to get my … More Review: The Good Kings: Absolute Power in Ancient Egypt and the Modern World by Kara Cooney

Cover for All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

November 30, 2021

Trigger Warnings: sexual assault, racism, homophobia, death of a friend, physical violence. This is a series of personal essays about journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson. They explore his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia.  This was a very moving memoir about George’s life. He describes his past trauma and … More Review: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

Cover for Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peters

Review: Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson

November 27, 2021

Content Warnings: sexual assault, underage sexual attention, abusive mother, drug and alcohol use, domestic abuse, homelessness, murder, suicide, stalking, panic attacks, miscarriages, and friends and family death. “We all have our own scars. Let them be a blessing and not a curse.” Wow, what a life!  Cassandra Peters, aka Elvira, started her life as a … More Review: Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassandra Peterson

Cover for Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo

Review: Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo

November 12, 2021

Trigger Warnings: drug use, cheating, gang violence and murder, criminal acts, abusive childhood, family death Danny Trejo is an actor that I have watched on screen since I was a child. He is an iconic actor with his looks and personality. When I saw that he wrote a memoir, I knew I needed to read … More Review: Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo

Cover for Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne B. Freeman

Review: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne B. Freeman

October 15, 2021

In The Field of Blood, Joanne Freeman traces the history of physical violence on the floor of the U.S. Congress leading up to the Civil War. Drawing on a range of historical sources, Freedman shows that the Capitol was rife with conflict, duels, and lifelong grudges.  This was a fascinating look at Congressional history. While … More Review: The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War by Joanne B. Freeman