Category: Book Reviews

June 21, 2010

Taking on the Trust by Steven Weinberg *** (of 4)

This is the story of how Ida Tarbell, one of the first women to attend Allegheny College, probably the first woman to be a paid...

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June 21, 2010

Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach ** (of 4)

Everything you ever wanted to know about dead people, but were afraid to ask. To her credit, Roach is sassy, often to the point of...

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June 21, 2010

Six Days of War by Michael Oren *** (of 4)

A very thorough, detailed and extremely informative account of the 1967 Six day war in the Middle East.

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June 21, 2010

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson **** (of 4)

Shockingly, the book lives up to its pretentious title. Bryson, an accomplished travel writer and memoirist explains, with complete lucidity, the history of science. He...

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June 21, 2010

Shia Revival by Vali Nasr *** (of 4)

The first two chapters were so densely packed with Islamic history I am almost gave up on the book, but am so glad I didn’t....

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June 21, 2010

She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan *** (of 4)

James Boylan, a college classmate of mine, and chair of the English Department at Colby, at the age of forty could no longer bear the...

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June 21, 2010

The Shadow of the Sun by Ryszard Kapuscinski *** (of 4)

Very thorough review of 50 years of his dispatches from sub-Saharan Africa. He’s a Polish journalist who’s seen it all in Africa and captures the...

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June 21, 2010

Shadow of the Silk Road by Colin Thubron ** (of 4)

The Dean of British travel writers takes the Silk Road from China to Turkey and the NY Times says, “Thubron goes to places most other...

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June 21, 2010

1776 by David McCullough ** (of 4)

A recounting of one year of the Revolutionary War, without explaining why the Americans are fighting the British, why fighting for independence was not the...

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June 21, 2010

Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand *** (of 4)

The primary reason this story of a race horse, his owner, jockey, and especially, his trainer, became a best seller is Hillenbrand’s ability to create...

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