Tag: History

Review: All That Is Wicked: A Gilded-Age Story of Murder and the Race to Decode the Criminal Mind by Kate Winkler Dawson

November 9, 2025

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

Review: Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

October 24, 2025

“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

Review: How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them by Jason Stanley

September 15, 2025

“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

Review: Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History by Bill Schutt

September 8, 2025

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

ARC Review: Your Favorite Scary Movie: How the Scream Films Rewrote the Rules of Horror by Ashley Cullins

August 19, 2025

“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

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

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