Category: History

July 30, 2025

Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes *** (of 4)

Istanbul, the city, sits at the junction of Europe and Asia, literally and metaphorically. Istanbul, the book, moved my perception of history eastward, away from...

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June 17, 2025

Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys **** (of 4)

There is no shortage of books describing the horrors of war, which makes this novel of World War II refugees so remarkable for its riveting...

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June 2, 2025

A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid (***) of 4

Jamaica Kincaid's second book (1988) expands the vision of a theoretical tourist vacationing in Antigua. The tourist soaks up deliciously sunny skies, gazes at unbelievably...

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June 2, 2025

Red Scare by Clay Risen *** (of 4)

Clay Risen's thorough recounting of the Red Scare, which began well before Joseph McCarthy's rise to infamy, makes clear that right wing opposition to progressive...

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May 1, 2025

An African History of Africa by Zeinab Badawi *** (of 4)

A much needed, and enthusiastically rendered account of the history of Africa as seen through the eyes of Africans. Badawi, a native of Sudan, and...

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May 1, 2025

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin *** (of 4)

A young adult award winning (Newberry Honor, Sibert Medal) account of the making of the world’s first nuclear bomb and attempts by the Russians to...

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February 25, 2025

James by Percival Everett **** (of 4)

On the face of it, a book that can be described in a single sentence. What would the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn look like if...

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January 16, 2025

Keeping the Faith by Brenda Wineapple **** (of 4)

What makes this account of the 1925 Scopes trial in Tennessee so compelling--in which a school teacher was arrested for breaking a state law forbidding...

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January 3, 2025

Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon *** (of 4)

Athenian soldiers attacked ancient Syracuse (Sicily) in 414 BCE, expecting a quick victory. They lost. Athenian soldiers were captured and held in a quarry on...

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