Tag: History

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 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