Tag: History

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 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

Cover for Human Sacrifice: A Shocking Expose of Ritual Killings Worldwide By Jimmy Lee Shreeve

Review: Human Sacrifice: A Shocking Expose of Ritual Killing Worldwide by Jimmy Lee Shreeve

October 7, 2021

Human Sacrifice investigates some recent cases of human sacrifices and ritual killings throughout the world. With the use of police reports and interviews, Jimmy Lee Shreeve tells the history of these cases.  This book was interesting. I didn’t realize ritualistic killings and human sacrifice was still happening around the world. Certain cultures still use human … More Review: Human Sacrifice: A Shocking Expose of Ritual Killing Worldwide by Jimmy Lee Shreeve

Cover for Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Various

Review: Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019

September 5, 2021

Four Hundred Souls is a collection of essays and poems chronicling 400 years of African American history. The essays began in 1619 with the ‘White Lion’ in Virginia and continued until 2019 when a white nationalist was the President.  I actually own this as an eBook but when I found that the audiobook is narrated … More Review: Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019

Cover for The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neumann

Review: The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neumann

August 21, 2021

In The Good Death, journalist and hospice volunteer Ann Neumann examines what it means to die in the United States. She discusses end-of-life care, right to die, medical ethics, starvation deaths, and other aspects of what it could mean to die in America.  This book was very interesting because it looks at how your wishes … More Review: The Good Death: An Exploration of Dying in America by Ann Neumann

Cover for White Rage by Carol Anderson

Review: White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

August 14, 2021

“White rage is not about visible violence, but rather it works its way through the courts, the legislatures, and a range of government bureaucracies. It wreaks havoc subtly, almost imperceptibly. Too imperceptibly, certainly, for a nation consistently drawn to the spectacular—to what it can see. It’s not the Klan. White rage doesn’t have to wear … More Review: White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide by Carol Anderson

Cover for Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywoods Dracula by Koren Shadmi

ARC Review: Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula by Koren Shadmi

July 29, 2021

This is a comic biography detailing the rise and fall of the horror film icon Bela Lugosi. Lugosi is a household name because he brought to life Dracula and embodied the role multiple times during his career. Unfortunately his life was not all wonderful. This was a wonderful and heartbreaking comic that tells the story … More ARC Review: Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula by Koren Shadmi

Cover for The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Review: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

July 11, 2021

“The United States now has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, dwarfing the rates of nearly every developed country, even surpassing those in highly repressive regimes like Russia, China, and Iran.” The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness is an informative and well researched book about the prison system … More Review: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

Cover for An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by Roxanne Dubar-Ortiz

Review: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

March 23, 2021

In this book, Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz offers a history of the United States told from the perspective of Indigenous peoples discussing how for centuries the Native Americans actively resisted the expansions of the United States. This book spans more than 400 years of history and discusses what many history books overlook, whitewashes, and outright lies about. … More Review: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris

February 20, 2021

“Surviving the knife was only half the battle.” In The Butchering Art, Lindsey Fitzharris takes us through the shocking world of 19th century surgery. This book follows the life of Joseph Lister, a surgeon who changed the world of medicine forever with his discovery of antiseptics to prevent infection. He pioneered the way for germ … More Review: The Butchering Art by Lindsey Fitzharris

Cover for The Five by Hallie Rubenhold

Review: The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Women by Hallie Rubenhold

December 12, 2020

In The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Women, Hallie Rubenhold discusses the five women who are famous for being Jack the Ripper’s victims. She does not discuss what Jack did to them instead she follows their lives from the time of their birth leading to the night of their deaths. Rubenhold shows us … More Review: The Five: The Lives of Jack the Ripper’s Women by Hallie Rubenhold