If you haven't seen this book, it's an interesting idea. It's essentially the "What would be your dream dinner party?" in book form. The author createIf you haven't seen this book, it's an interesting idea. It's essentially the "What would be your dream dinner party?" in book form. The author created an imaginary dinner party of women she admires. Each chapter contains a mini-biography, together with some tie-in to food and a recipe.
On the one hand, the author gives us an eclectic group of women who probably would be very interesting to have at a dinner party. We get folks with direct ties to food and cooking, such as Edna Lewis and Laurie Colwin, and others where the tie-ins are a little more of a stretch. Octavia Butler would fall more into that category, though I found the biographical sketch so interesting that I didn't care.
My main beef with this book was that it felt a little skimpy. The bios are interesting, but they barely scratch the surface even when one looks at them as just a surface introduction to their subjects. In addition, while a few chapters of the book stood out to me, others were fairly forgettable. In the end, I thought this book was an interesting idea but it averaged out to be just an okay read for me....more
WARNING: It's pretty much impossible to come away from this book without feeling a lot of things, especially rage.
In this book, Patrick Radden Keefe dWARNING: It's pretty much impossible to come away from this book without feeling a lot of things, especially rage.
In this book, Patrick Radden Keefe does a fantastic job of first explaining how the Sackler brothers built themselves into a pharmaceutical marketing powerhouse. He then moves directly into the opioid crisis and the role played by Purdue Pharma (one of the Sackler companies) and Oxycontin.
One thing that makes this book so powerful is that Mr. Keefe does a brilliant job of drawing connections between people and events for the reader. This book isn't just about Oxycontin. The author lays out a compelling case showing how the Sacklers' marketing ploys not only drove the rise of Oxycontin, but also changed the manner in which drugs get marketed in general, often for the worse. His connecting of the dots between the Sacklers and some questionable (to put it charitably) shenanigans at the FDA was also well done. The Sacklers' effect on the industry has been pervasive, and as I read through the history of the rise of this family and their businesses, I could also see the seeds of so many pieces of our current healthcare crisis in this country. It's a hellish legacy they've left us.
The other aspect I liked about this book is one that I've admired in other works by Mr. Keefe. His research is relentlessly footnoted and well-sourced. This may be partly defensive because I suspect his subjects would have no problem filing suit if he colored outside the lines. However, this also shows respect for the reader. We don't need to accept the author's hypotheses about the Sacklers and the opioid crisis simply because he said so; we have the receipts right there if we care to check them. Or, if we're curious and want to learn more, we have places to go to read further.
In terms of picking favorites, I'd give Say Nothing the edge over this book, but Empire of Pain is still very well done. And, the more I follow news related to the drug industry, the more important I think this book is....more
I had to read this book in bits and pieces because it was a lot to take in. I grew up in the 80s/90s, with a lot of the movements in this book swirlinI had to read this book in bits and pieces because it was a lot to take in. I grew up in the 80s/90s, with a lot of the movements in this book swirling all around me. While I'm not Baptist, I did grow up in a conservative Presbyterian church, and looking back, I can see that folks there were definitely influenced by the ideas Dr. Du Mez writes about here.
The author is quite open about the fact that she is a historian and that she's not trying to write a work of theology. So the theobros splitting hairs about theology in this book can just miss me with their rants.
Instead of theology, Dr. Du Mez tracks the rise of various evangelical leaders of the 20th century such as Billy Graham, Jerry Falwell, and some less well-known such as Bill Gothard and Doug Phillips. While I sometimes wish that the book was longer and more detailed, the author does a fantastic job of showing how some of these seemingly unrelated church leaders were actually working part of a larger movement that has gone on to split churches and have a profound influence on American politics.
If you are looking for a good overview of how the evangelical movement got from midcentury revivals to the Trump era, this book is great for that. I would love to read more on different facets of that movement, especially Christian schools and conservative homeschooling, because I think a lot of people do not realize how organized and influential that sector of the political evangelical world became....more
I never learned about the Osage murders in school, not even in college. This shocking chapter in our history is something which really should be taughI never learned about the Osage murders in school, not even in college. This shocking chapter in our history is something which really should be taught because it's important that we know where we came from, particularly since early 20th century America tends to get idealized in some circles.
I would suspect that most Americans don't know that in the 1920s, the Osage were wealthiest people per capita in the world. However, while they had money from the oil found on their lands, they did not have power because they were Native Americans. This book details how the local, state and federal governments all worked together to prevent the Osage from having control of their own money, and as the book moves along, we get a glimpse into just how large the conspiracy to defraud and even murder the Osage for their money really was.
The book starts by laying out the background of the story before starting to track the investigation. There are quite a few twists and turns, so I don't want to spoil it by giving too much detail. The bits about the growth in power and credibility of the FBI are interesting, but it's the story of the Osage themselves and the vast conspiracy which endangered them and their allies that really holds the attention. It's the sort of book that both tells a compelling story and makes one furious, particularly in the final sections when the author interviews descendants of the victims and makes the point that the injustice continues to this day.
Note: While the story is quite compelling, the writing is sometimes a tad clunky, so I did mark it down a star for that. ...more
This book is an amazing, infuriating read. If you've ever wondered why we need protection for workers, this book provides an excellent example of why This book is an amazing, infuriating read. If you've ever wondered why we need protection for workers, this book provides an excellent example of why one cannot trust corporate management to protect their workers. As the narrative unfolds in this book, the record shows example after example of worker protection cutting into profits. And in the eyes of management, profit won every time. Even after management became aware that their decisions were literally killing people, profit still won out.
While I have heard plenty of late 19th/early 20th century factory horror stories, I had not read before about the women who worked painting dials. They used paint that glowed in the dark because it contained radium and as they worked, these women literally became radioactive as they worked with little to no protection from their materials. This history follows several of the radium workers through their work, their illnesses, and the lawsuits that eventually followed.
What sets this book apart is the detail put into the research. Ms. Moore did not simply review the historical accounts and trace the events themselves. Instead, she also spoke with surviving family members of the women who worked with radium in these factories and in doing so, she is able to tell us not only what happened to these women, but also show readers a little bit of who they were as people. The story of the radium dial painters is tragic, and knowing what these women and their friends and families lost makes this a painful read at times.
The author also does a good job of showing readers the power dynamic between the working-class women and the large, politically connected corporations. She demonstrates through multiple examples how the workers were effectively isolated from assistance and access to legal remedy while also showing how various institutions with power built interlocking relationships which not only allowed them to work together, but also closed off outsiders (i.e. individuals without money and power).
I think this is a good book to read in the current political environment. Whenever policymakers debate whether it would be a good idea to privatize various workplace safety initiatives and to allow industries to self-regulate, we need to remember what happened back in the days we had plenty of "self-regulation" and we didn't have OSHA or other forms of government oversight of workplace safety....more
After seeing Wendy and Kay rave about this book, I knew I needed to try it. Since my commute these days involves walking upstairs, I opted for the deaAfter seeing Wendy and Kay rave about this book, I knew I needed to try it. Since my commute these days involves walking upstairs, I opted for the dead tree book rather than the audio. Still a very good read, though.
This book is partly about the kidnapping and murder of Jean McConville, and also quite a bit about the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the peace process there. I went into the book knowing some of the vague outlines of the story, but I learned a lot as I read. The author does a fantastic job of showing how history is still very much alive in Northern Ireland. The rise of the IRA and the height of the unrest there did not happen so very long ago, after all.
This becomes very clear when the author talks about what happened with the Boston College oral history project. Various parties, including Brendan Hughes and Delours Price, of whom we learn much in this book, went on record talking about their experiences as members of a violent paramilitary organization. Designed to be kept confidential until after sources' deaths, the project ended in disaster as its existence became known and police were able to subpoena the tapes.
While the book talks a great deal about Jean McConville and the tragedies endured by her children after her murder, it also winds its way through the 70s-90s with much discussion of the IRA, the rise of Sinn Fein and the peace process. The author does a fabulous job of explaining what drove various parties to find common cause with the IRA and to engage in violence, as well as showing how several of these folks ended up disillusioned.
Gerry Adams, who has gone on to have a political career, definitely does not come off well in this book. I have read many accounts which mention rumors of IRA involvement while primarily associating him with Sinn Fein. However, in this book, the author not only definitively establishes Gerry Adams' roots in the IRA but links him to some of the worst violent acts they carried out. In Mr. Keefe's accounting, Adams also appears to have gaslit his comrades and thrown some of his close associates under the bus in his bid for respectability.
This book is very well researched and written. And it is haunting. I found it so not only because of the murder of Jean McConville and what became of her family afterward, but also because of the ways in which the author is able to show the lingering grip of the past moving forward into the present day....more
I'm glad I read this book, but I had very mixed feelings. On the one hand, the author does give readers some vivid glimpses into various people's liveI'm glad I read this book, but I had very mixed feelings. On the one hand, the author does give readers some vivid glimpses into various people's lives during the summer of 1911 and it really did give me a picture of what life would have been like for an upper-class English person of that time. The book purports to give a more universal portrait of that moment in time just before the First World War. However, there is a definite slant in favor of the ruling class and their stories get both more pages and more in-depth treatment than anything else here.
That being said, I did enjoy learning more about Winston Churchill in the earlier days of his career, and getting glimpses of the family dynamics of the royal family following the death of Edward VII. The author of this history does a good job of capturing the mood of a society on the verge of change.
However, I did have one other quibble with this book. The author appears to take it for granted that readers will already be familiar with the persons and events she discusses. While I knew who most of the players in this book were, I still had to spend a fair amount of time on Wikipedia filling in the blanks. Perhaps more problematic, though, was the fact that while various events are discussed throughout the narrative, readers are often left to research for themselves why some of these things might be significant. As a reader, I longed for a bit more detail....more
In addition to reading this book, I've also had a chance to hear the author speak (she's an excellent speaker - highly recommend if you get the opportIn addition to reading this book, I've also had a chance to hear the author speak (she's an excellent speaker - highly recommend if you get the opportunity!) and I found all of this fascinating.
Mundy dug into recently declassified records and also interviewed some of the last surviving "Code Girls" from WWII. These women were recruited from colleges around the country and brought to the DC area to work for the Army and Navy on massive codebreaking operations. If you've heard of the Enigma code, these ladies are some of the crew that broke it. They also got into the Japanese codes, and the story of how they operated and what their lives were like is riveting.
As a woman, I found this book especially interesting because what happened with the codebreaking units resonated a lot with me. These women were extremely intelligent, but most found their horizons very sharply limited as they completed college. Outside of marriage and a small selection of jobs for which they were overqualified and underpaid, these women had few choices. Being recruited into the codebreaking units opened their eyes to undreamed of opportunities. One can see the groundwork being laid for changes in the workplace in this book, even though in the years immediately after the war, most of the women working for the Army and Navy saw their opportunities vanish as they were urged to embrace home and children instead.
This is a piece of history that has gone too long untold, and it's a fascinating read. I definitely recommend it....more
If you're looking for a basic survey of social history of the Regency period, this one is an interesting read. While the author doesn't delve deeply iIf you're looking for a basic survey of social history of the Regency period, this one is an interesting read. While the author doesn't delve deeply into the topics covered, there are all kinds of interesting tidbits about dress of the period, manners and mores, transportation, social class, and more. Because she is looking at the world portrayed in Georgette Heyer's novels, the author does tie some of the factual information into various plot points used by Heyer.
Since I like Heyer's novels and I enjoy history, I enjoyed reading through this book. It's a good starting point if you want to learn more about the period, though those already fairly knowledgable may find it a little too basic....more
Fascinating read. This book is intriguing at least as much for the details of court procedure, social history and glimpses into Old New York as it is Fascinating read. This book is intriguing at least as much for the details of court procedure, social history and glimpses into Old New York as it is for the crime reporting itself. The narrative is built around the murder of Evelina Bliss, who died after eating clam chowder laced with arsenic. Her daughter, Mary Alice Livingston, was arrested and tried for the crime and this book traces the investigation and trial.
As I mentioned above, it's fascinating stuff and while the author does go into great detail, I did find myself wishing for more. The book is well researched, and much of the story of the trial comes from family papers and newspapers of the time. However, I would have loved more of the human side of the story. What did people who knew the family have to say about this? What happened to Mary Alice's children after the trial? And so on...
Still, a very good book. If you're lucky enough to find a copy, definitely check it out....more
My husband and I listened to this on audio over a couple of car trips. Very interesting book about a time in history that I feel like I don't know enoMy husband and I listened to this on audio over a couple of car trips. Very interesting book about a time in history that I feel like I don't know enough about. In addition to giving good background about the diplomatic mess that led to the Korean War, the author also interviewed a number of people who were there and the stories of their experiences at the front were just harrowing. Fascinating to hear about, but hard to think about these folks living through them.
The book meanders a bit in the middle and goes off on tangents every now and again, but overall I enjoyed it. If you, like me, want to know more about what went on during the Korean War, this is definitely worth checking out....more
How to sum up a 500+ page group biography? Well, imperfectly, I suppose.
Before reading this book, I was vaguely familiar with the Mitford family. I knHow to sum up a 500+ page group biography? Well, imperfectly, I suppose.
Before reading this book, I was vaguely familiar with the Mitford family. I knew Nancy Mitford was a novelist famed for her wit, and I'd read a book or two of hers. I was also aware that at least one of the Mitford clan had fallen in with the Nazis, though I was a touch vague on the details. And I knew the whole family was famed for their good looks and sharp intellect.
The interesting nature of the family definitely comes through in this book. One gets the impression that they could be challenging company, though never boring. Overall I enjoyed taking a journey back to their aristocratic corner of England. I did have a few quibbles with the text, though.
For starters, the author seems to definitely pick favorites among the Mitford sisters and it comes out in her writing. While she does report on the various disputes among the sisters, one gets the sense that poor Jessica (Decca), the sister who eloped and later became an active Communist, can never do right. If there are two ways to interpret her actions, rest assured that Lovell will pick the more negative of the two. As the narrative nears the end of Decca's life, this tendency is less pronounced, but by that time, I'd started to actually feel a bit sorry for Decca even if some of her actions were outrageous.
In contrast, the author goes out of her way to try to rehabilitate Diana and Unity, the sister who, to varying degrees, became allied with fascist parties and causes. So, while Decca's politics get criticized, readers are constantly reminded that fascist sympathies weren't so shocking in upper class Britain.
Even with these issues, I still found the book fascinating. I will probably read more of the Mitfords' writings in future, and I enjoyed the chance to be a fly on the wall for a small portion of their interactions. Definitely not a dull family....more
I read this one with one of my little cousins. It's not a bad book, but there's just a lot more telling than showing. When I was about 10 or 11, I proI read this one with one of my little cousins. It's not a bad book, but there's just a lot more telling than showing. When I was about 10 or 11, I probably would have liked it more because the information on frontier travel was interesting....more
3.5 stars This book is an interesting history, but probably not for everyone. The author starts off detailing her journey to Belvoir Castle to review 3.5 stars This book is an interesting history, but probably not for everyone. The author starts off detailing her journey to Belvoir Castle to review WWI-era documents for a project. However, she finds herself on another path entirely once she learns that the rooms where she works were at one point sealed off by a previous duke. In going through documents, she also figures out that said duke erased three distinct periods in his life from the archival record. And of course Catherine Bailey wonders why.
The story of the Manners family turns out to be a somewhat sad one, and unlike in many of the novels I read, not all of the loose ends get wrapped up in this book. It's interesting stuff, though. I have to admit that I found all of the detail about how the author went about finding information and drawing conclusions much more interesting that some of what she actually found. At times the book gets a bit weighed down in superfluous details and it plods a bit, but it does give one a window into a bygone era and an even bigger one into how historians work....more
This was a pretty riveting read for me. The author takes on quite a task, weaving together threads of several stories to create a picture of 1890s ChiThis was a pretty riveting read for me. The author takes on quite a task, weaving together threads of several stories to create a picture of 1890s Chicago. I could see where some might quibble about how the book jumps around a bit, but I found both the fair and the chilling tale of H.H. Holmes interesting stuff, so I got hooked early on. The chapters on Patrick Prendergast distracted me a bit, but otherwise this book really worked for me.
Larson tells the story of the Chicago Columbian Exposition through the eyes of Daniel Burnham, the prominent architect who supplied much of the vision for the fair. He then alternates this history of the fair with the story (what little is known) of H.H. Holmes, a serial killer who set up shop in a bizarre hotel near the grounds of the fair and who is estimated to have killed perhaps as many as 200 victims before finally being captured.
As I read the chronicle of the fair's construction, I found myself wishing that I could have had a chance to experience it myself. The author does a wonderful job of bringing not only the event but that time in history to life. And as for H.H. Holmes, just reading a nonfiction account of his deeds was enough to give me the creeps. Truly chilling stuff....more
I picked this up on a whim at a book fair, and it turned out to be a really good read. The author clearly expects the reader to have some basic knowleI picked this up on a whim at a book fair, and it turned out to be a really good read. The author clearly expects the reader to have some basic knowledge of events, and this is not a traditional chronological account of events. Instead, the author focuses on some of the various conflicts and compromises that arose during the Constitutional Convention. There are also some fascinating character studies of some of the players involved in various parts of the Convention. I enjoyed these in-depth mini bios and even though they made the narrative meander a bit, they really do add a lot to the book.
As a side note, I had to laugh at the cover quote which proclaimed this, "A fascinating suspense story." Gosh, do you think they're going to manage to come up with a constitution? :)...more
I had to read this in college, and I'll admit that it seemed terribly dry the first time around. After all, in those days I wanted to learn history - I had to read this in college, and I'll admit that it seemed terribly dry the first time around. After all, in those days I wanted to learn history - not pick apart someone's writing style. However, I found my copy recently while doing some cleaning and sorting, and sat down to read it again.
It really is a helpful book not just for reading and writing history, but for considering a whole host of subjects. The author does a good job of picking apart logical fallacies so that we can recognize them when we read a work more closely. It can make writing more intimidating, though, because I think it's impossible to read this book without worrying about how many of these issues might be infesting one's own work....more
It took me a while to read, but it's a very interesting book. Not surprisingly, the author presupposed his audience would have a working knowledge of It took me a while to read, but it's a very interesting book. Not surprisingly, the author presupposed his audience would have a working knowledge of Roman history and politics, so it helps to have a survey history(or the Internet) handy while reading. I found it fascinating and sometimes a little unsettling to read over the histories of the Roman emperors and draw parallels with modern politics. Also, in case you're wondering what the author thought of the Emperor Tiberius, he doesn't exactly leave you guessing on that one!...more