This book was written in 1935, and is still so relevant today. War is a Racket is a scathing 43 minutes (or 50 pages) book about the lies politicians tell American taxpayers to justify going to war. Butler explains the corruption of war in very easy to follow language and finishes up by presenting three … More Review: War is a Racket by General Smedley Butler
“For good or ill, there is now a cult for everyone.” When you hear the word ‘cult’ your brain instantly imagines a specific type of group (an extreme religious one most likely), but that doesn’t cover the broadness of what a cult can be. Cultish takes a look at the language surrounding cults and what … More Review: Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell
This book is about the history of the dangers of the space program and how it led to disasters like the Challenger explosion in 1986, the Columbia disaster in 2003, and a few other disasters. While I knew of the Challenger disaster, it was before I was born and I never really looked into what … More Review: Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham
The siege of the Davidian compound in Waco, Texas is an event that I have heard mentioned before, but I knew nothing about. From the very beginning, I was hooked on this cult and the events surrounding the siege against them. As someone who had never heard of The Branch Davidians, or even the Seventh-Day … More Review: Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America’s Modern Militias by Kevin Cook
As someone who has a psychology degree with a minor in criminal justice, I found this investigation into Edward Rulloff fascinating, especially since I had never heard of him. Edward Rulloff was a psychopath who was tried multiple times for the murder of his wife and child, and speculated about other family members, and eventually … More Review: All That Is Wicked: A Gilded-Age Story of Murder and the Race to Decode the Criminal Mind by Kate Winkler Dawson
“A haunted house is a memory palace made real: a physical space that retains memories that might otherwise be forgotten or that might remain only in fragments. Under the invisible weight of these memories, the habits of those who once haunted these places, we feel the shudder of the ghost.” Ghostland takes a look at … More Review: Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey
“The most telling symptom of fascist politics is division. It aims to separate a population into an “us” and a “them.” This was a very informative book about what fascism is, how it works, and examples throughout history. I learned a lot from this book, especially in understanding how the United States got to this … More Review: How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley
As soon as I saw this book I knew it was one I wanted to read. This was a fascinating look at cannibalism in humans, animals, and insects. While this seems like a book that would discuss cannibal serial killers, it doesn’t and the author explains early on why he doesn’t cover that topic. I … More Review: Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt
“What makes Scream so relatable is that the killer, though initially masked and anonymous, is not some monster. It is someone you know who is deeply betraying you in a very traumatic and violent way.” This book is a love letter to the Scream franchise and its impact on the horror genre. Ashley Cullins provides … More ARC Review: Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins
While I live in the Appalachian mountains and spend a lot of time wandering the woods, I have never considered spending months hiking the Appalachian Trail or the Pacific Crest Trail. I have always been conscious of the dangers of hiking/wandering the woods and usually am pretty prepared, but that is only for a few … More Review: Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford
Title: Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars Author: Paul Buhle and Raymond Tyler Illustrator: Summer McClinton Pages: 137 “There is never peace in West Virginia because there is never justice.” Mother Jones This was a beautifully illustrated history of the West Virginia mine wars. I really loved … More Review: Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars by Paul Buhle and Raymond Tyler
“God does not walk in these hills…The devil is here in these hills, and the devil is greed.” General Charles D. Elliott As a West Virginian, I will admit I only recently learned about the mine wars. About four years ago my work created an exhibit and presentation about it be mine wars and it … More Review: The Devil Is Here in These Hills: West Virginia’s Coal Miners and Their Battle for Freedom by James Green
Red-Haired Ash Reads 