Tag: History

Review: Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail by Andrea Lankford

August 16, 2025

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

Review: Black Coal and Red Bandanas: An Illustrated History of the West Virginia Mine Wars by Paul Buhle and Raymond Tyler

July 26, 2025

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

Review: The Devil Is Here in These Hills: West Virginia’s Coal Miners and Their Battle for Freedom by James Green

June 20, 2025

“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

Review: It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History by Jennifer Wright

June 3, 2025

TW: Discussion of murder, slavery, matricide, forced transitioning, rape; racism; disablism and ableism, mainly to those with dwarfism (Ch. 5); eugenics; pedophilia; miscarriages; abortions;  This book takes you through thirteen of the worst breakups in history. Like Wright’s other books, this was an enjoyable look at a specific topic in history. This book covers many … More Review: It Ended Badly: Thirteen of the Worst Breakups in History by Jennifer Wright

ARC Review: Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

May 12, 2025

While this book has an interesting topic, it didn’t end up being exactly what I expected. When you think of axe murders, you think of people like Lizzie Borden (Ch. 9),  the Axeman of New Orleans, or maybe if you are a true crime buff, Elifasi Msomi  (The Axe Killer). Instead this book is a … More ARC Review: Whack Job: A History of Axe Murder by Rachel McCarthy James

Review: Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

April 14, 2025

“One estimate…maintains that TB has killed around one in seven people who ever lived.” Tuberculosis is something that I knew was a thing that killed a lot of people but I didn’t realize it was still so rampant and that it is still killing on such a wide scale. Green does a great job at … More Review: Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection by John Green

ARC Review: Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

March 31, 2025

“No murderer should ever be the guardian of their victim’s story, and yet this is the role that Hawley Harvey Crippen has always held.” Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five,  is back and this time deep diving into the North London Cellar Murder. This is a case that I had never heard of before picking … More ARC Review: Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress, and Dr. Crippen by Hallie Rubenhold

Review: Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright

January 11, 2025

“Diseases are the most fundamental enemy of the human race, and we must be at constant war against them.” This was a fascinating book about thirteen different plagues and how they were handled. I have only heard about most of these but never done deeper research into them. This book provided a great introduction to … More Review: Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them by Jennifer Wright

Cover for Witchcraft a graphic history by Lindsay Squire

ARC Review: Witchcraft: A Graphic History: Stories of wise women, healers and magic by Lindsay Squire

October 15, 2024

Witchcraft: A Graphic History tells the story of Biddy Early, a famous wise woman in Ireland who was tried as a witch. This is a dramatized version of her story and the relationship but the relationship between her and her apprentice is false and is just used as an element to move the story along.  … More ARC Review: Witchcraft: A Graphic History: Stories of wise women, healers and magic by Lindsay Squire

Cover for They Called Us Enemy by George Takei

Review: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott

September 20, 2024

This was a very emotional and impactful graphic novel. I have been meaning to read this for a while now and was glad that I could read about this piece of history that was not included in the history books I had to read during school.  This is the story of George Takei’s childhood in … More Review: They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott

Cover for Kinky History by Esme Louise James

Review: Kinky History: A Rollicking Journey through Our Sexual Past, Present, and Future by Esmé Louise James 

September 13, 2024

After following James’ Kinky History videos on Instagram, I knew I needed to read this book. She always presents the kinky facts from history in a fun and easy to understand manner. This book is just a longer version of that.  James uses a mixture of history, science, and personal anecdote to tell the history … More Review: Kinky History: A Rollicking Journey through Our Sexual Past, Present, and Future by Esmé Louise James 

Cover for The Only Plane in the Sky by Garrett M. Graff

Review: The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff

September 10, 2024

As someone who lived through this event and watched it happen on television, this was a hard book to listen to. This attack happened when I was in the fourth grade (9 years old). A teacher came into our class to notify us that an attack had a happened and told us to turn on … More Review: The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff