Making our history one step at a time
"It is no exaggeration to say that the only thing I learned about slavery during my British education was that we 'ended' it." ~ Zadie Smith French asks us to re-evaluate the centrality Africa and Africans have played in the narrative of modernity in this ambitious book.
Get ready for some nostalgia for a different political climate in "Dear Barack" recounting the friendship between US president Barack Obama and German chancellor Angela Merkel. Also, I *heart* all things German.
I'm reading again, and I started with the biography of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, The Great Dissenter I hadn't heard of Harlan before. He fought for the civil rights of African Americans from the bench in a time when white America had turned their backs. In his dissents, he called out the hypocrisy of his colleagues and set the legal footwork for the next generation.
Is there anything quite so satisfying as reading the last book in a trilogy? (I'm looking at you Patrick Rothfuss!) JA Curtis's last book in "Rise of the Fomori" brings the series to a very satisfying conclusion. But you'll have to read to find out!
Hey look! They retold the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of Patroclus and Achilles! A great LGBTQ romance! Does it have a happy ending? *Smiling face with a tear emoji*
When I'm not teaching math or programming, I'm reading books about teaching math or programming to get a bit of inspiration. At least, that's what I'm dedicating my reading to this semester. Here's the first!
Do you feel like there is no justice in the world, unscrupulous rulers trample on the basic human rights of the poor, but you also like church architecture? Read The Pillars of the Earth, historical fiction set in 12th century England during The Anarchy.
Did you know that one person was largely responsible for developing 9 of the modern vaccines you get at the doctor's office? That individual was Maurice Hilleman, yet not a lot of people know of him. Read on for Dr. Anthony Fauci cameo and a prediction of the next pandemic.
Do you remember Rutherford B. Hayes? What about Grover Cleveland? *American Colossus* covers a fascinating and underappreciated era of American history, which Brands interprets as a period of capitalism overpowering democracy.
Murder! Intrigue! Romance! (OK, not too much of that) But "July 1914" is a very engaging re-evaluation of the events leading up to WWI, centering on diplomatic relations in July. What happened before the Guns of August?
History Engineers 