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Posts tagged with ‘History’

WHO WAS DRACULA? by Jim Steinmeyer

June 17, 2013

THEATER AND MAGIC HISTORIAN Jim Steinmeyer looks into the inspirations for Bram Stoker’s DRACULA. Spooky fun!

Grade: B PLUS

WHO WAS DRACULA? BRAM STOKER'S TRAIL OF BLOOD
Penguin/Tarcher
2013

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REBELS AT THE BAR, by Jill Norgren

June 16, 2013

ENGAGING HISTORY LOOKS at eight 19th-century US women attorneys, reveals much about challenges they faced.

Grade: SOLID B

REBELS AT THE BAR: THE FASCINATING, FORGOTTEN STORIES OF AMERICA'S FIRST WOMEN LAWYERS
New York University Press
2013

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SEARCHING FOR ZION, by Emily Raboteau

May 24, 2013

SEEKING A “PROMISED LAND” in Israel, Africa, and the US South, a writer looks compellingly at race and faith.

Grade: B PLUS

SEARCHING FOR ZION: THE QUEST FOR HOME IN THE AFRICAN DIASPORA
Grove/Atlantic
2013

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HIDDEN CITIES, by Moses Gates

May 14, 2013

URBAN EXPLORATION, FROM the catacombs of Paris to the bridges of New York, captured in an exciting memoir.

Grade: B PLUS

HIDDEN CITIES: TRAVELS TO THE SECRET CORNERS OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST METROPOLISES---A MEMOIR OF URBAN EXPLORATION
Penguin/Tarcher
2013

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BETWEEN MAN AND BEAST, by Monte Reel

May 13, 2013

SUPERB TRUE ADVENTURE tale of the first Western explorer/naturalist to study, document (and hunt) gorillas.

Grade: B PLUS

BETWEEN MAN AND BEAST: AN UNLIKELY EXPLORER, THE EVOLUTION DEBATES, AND THE AFRICAN ADVENTURE THAT TOOK THE VICTORIAN WORLD BY STORM
Doubleday
2013

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FAREWELL, FRED VOODOO, by Amy Wilentz

May 5, 2013

IMAGES OF HAITI after the 2010 earthquake, from a US journalist trying to see past her outsider’s perspective.

Grade: B PLUS

FAREWELL, FRED VOODOO: A LETTER FROM HAITI
Simon & Schuster
2013

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STORM KINGS, by Lee Sandlin

April 26, 2013

EARLY TORNADO CHASERS in the US, from Ben Franklin through the 20th century, profiled in a lively history.

Grade: B PLUS

STORM KINGS: THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF AMERICA'S FIRST TORNADO CHASERS
Pantheon
2013

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EAT THE CITY, by Robin Shulman

April 16, 2013

COMPLETELY FASCINATING HISTORY of farming, production of food and drink in New York City past and present.

Grade: B PLUS

EAT THE CITY: A TALE OF THE FISHERS, FORAGERS, BUTCHERS, FARMERS, POULTRY MINDERS, SUGAR REFINERS, CANE CUTTERS, BEEKEEPERS, WINEMAKERS, AND BREWERS WHO BUILT NEW YORK
Crown
2012

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REST IN PIECES, by Bess Lovejoy

April 3, 2013

THE POST-MORTEM ADVENTURES OF famous people’s remains.  Witty, macabre, well-researched, entertaining!

Grade: B PLUS

REST IN PIECES: THE CURIOUS FATES OF FAMOUS CORPSES
Simon & Schuster
2013

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CONSIDER THE FORK, by Bee Wilson

March 25, 2013

WONDERFULLY ENTERTAINING HISTORY, anthropology, and sociology of tools for cooking and eating. Smart fun!

Grade: A MINUS

CONSIDER THE FORK: A HISTORY OF HOW WE COOK AND EAT
Basic Books
2012

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