What a really great book (I can't give it five stars, I'll explain later). Extremely well researched and well written. Ms. Russell's writing is extremWhat a really great book (I can't give it five stars, I'll explain later). Extremely well researched and well written. Ms. Russell's writing is extremely easy to read and it's not dry at all which a really good thing for history books as that tends to turn people off. I had known about US concentration camps since I was a young child and even knew of the anti-German feelings in the country (my grandmother was fired from her teaching job because she spoke German). But I had never heard of Crystal City before and the history of it. It was really interesting to read.
I especially enjoyed the fact that Ms. Russell followed the families until the present day. A lot of times, the aftermath of war isn't as documented.
As for the reason I can't give this five stars is the fact that as much as it was interesting, Irene's story really wasn't necessary and really wasn't about Crystal City. It wasted at least two chapters that could have been spent talking about some of the inhabitants of Crystal City like those of Italian decent. I do get this that this book was supposed to be about the exchange program but it doesn't read like that which is really frustrating. Because both would have been interesting. It was almost like the author couldn't pick which topic to focus on, the history of Crystal City or the exchange program (which I get, both are fascinating and should be talked about).
Overall, I really enjoy this book and it's a really good read!...more
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. For the most part the writing is well done,More like 3.8 stars.
I won this book via Goodreads Giveaways.
I'm not quite sure how I feel about this book. For the most part the writing is well done, especially for a non-fiction book, which many times can be dry. However, there was just something that I couldn't quite put my finger on that bugged me about the writing.
I had never heard of Mrs. Chadwick before but that doesn't surprise me. Once again, a woman's story has been pushed down and out in favor of men. Not that I feel sorry for this woman. She made her bed and is a criminal. I feel badly for the people she basically stole from.
Overall, not a bad book, and definitely an interesting tale of a woman most people have probably never heard of before....more
I finally DNF'd some 40 pages in. I just finally couldn't stand the lack of citations. This is a book thatI won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
I finally DNF'd some 40 pages in. I just finally couldn't stand the lack of citations. This is a book that either should have never been published in its current form or by this author (who's not a historian). It's badly researched and the fact that nothing is cited, how is the reader supposed to believe ANYTHING in the book? It's atrocious that WilliamMorrow would allow such a badly researched book to be published. Rutland's story is fascinating and I would love to see an author like Erik Larson take it on.
I do not recommend this book, especially if you are a historian or even like history for that matter. Drabkin and his publisher, WilliamMorrow do a disservice to historical non fiction in this book....more
Seth knows his musical theatre, that's not in question here. Here he provides good insights into not only Broadway history but how and who makes a musSeth knows his musical theatre, that's not in question here. Here he provides good insights into not only Broadway history but how and who makes a musical.
My only issue is I wish there had been more musicals discussed as well as more standardization in talking about them. In some of the musicals, the source material is mentioned and it helps with the history but in others it's not that could have helped with the history (I'm specifically looking at the section on Cats. Explaining it's from a really weird T. S. Elliot poem (even for Elliot) would have helped a ton)....more
This is a really fascinating book! The discussion of how word plays a part in murder and how a murderer writes are a fascinating topic. There were a fThis is a really fascinating book! The discussion of how word plays a part in murder and how a murderer writes are a fascinating topic. There were a few things I didn't necessarily agree (such as calling Gypsy Blanchard an ice cold killer, when a)she didn't actually murder her mother, and b) she was put through abusive hell) with but overall this book was really interesting....more
I wanted to like it! But man it just drags so hard. I understand the author is trying to give a voice to tI won this book through Goodreads Giveaways.
I wanted to like it! But man it just drags so hard. I understand the author is trying to give a voice to the victims but it's almost like two competing stories here and one of them is a crime fiction novel and the other is the true crime story. And it just did not work....more
I'm not really sure how to feel about this book. In one respect, the writing is fantastic and even though it's non-fiction, it reads really well. But I'm not really sure how to feel about this book. In one respect, the writing is fantastic and even though it's non-fiction, it reads really well. But on the other hand there are things that aren't great about it.
Did the reader really need to know how a beaver was skinned in order to understand how the Astors made their money? I would hazard a very educated guess to say "no" they did not. I normally don't get squeamish but that detail was absolutely disgusting and unnecessary.
There were also the unnecessary chapters of Blackwell's Island, the bar in the Hotel Astor, and Mary Astor. While interesting, they were pointless and added nothing to the overall story of the Astors and considering where they were in the book, the "Downfall"
Like I said, the writing is fantastic and it reads really well but I felt the second half of the book was just really weak and didn't address anything substantial.
And comparing this book to The Vanderbilts, this one was overall weak. Unlike that book, there was much more written about the Astors (as seen in this book's bibliography), so this book felt kind of pointless... I felt it didn't bring anything new to the party so to speak.
Overall, it's a well written (and well researched) book but I felt it just lacked something...more
This book was really interesting and more of a sociology book than a history book. There definitely was history but more of the book had More like 3.8
This book was really interesting and more of a sociology book than a history book. There definitely was history but more of the book had to do with societal norms and fashion rather than history. I did learn some things. And for being an academic book, it's very well written and easy to read, not too dry, which definitely can happen in academic books.
My major gripe with this book is the lack of citations. If you're going to write a history book, you have to cite your sources, not just list them at the end....more
Very impressed with Ronan's writing and coverage of this story. The depravity of NBC killing the story still to this day boggles my mind.Very impressed with Ronan's writing and coverage of this story. The depravity of NBC killing the story still to this day boggles my mind....more
Really enjoyed this book. I knew a lot of what was talked about in this book but there was so much I didn't. I highly recommend this book if you are pReally enjoyed this book. I knew a lot of what was talked about in this book but there was so much I didn't. I highly recommend this book if you are planning on watching HBO Max's Gilded Age. This book will give you a great background on 90% of people in that show. Also if you are planning on reading Anderson Cooper's new book as several of his relatives are mentioned.
One of my favorite quotes was from musician Thomas Beecham who said in describing the sound of the harpsichord, "two skeletons compulating on a roof" ...more
Oh how I so wanted to rate this higher. I have been a fan of Anderson Cooper's since I first saw him on Channel One when u was in middle school. I lovOh how I so wanted to rate this higher. I have been a fan of Anderson Cooper's since I first saw him on Channel One when u was in middle school. I loved his autobiography but this book... Oof. There were definitely interesting parts too it and the last chapter is really good. However, there is a lot of stuff that just wasn't needed as well as whole chapters that could have been cut out. For instance, one whole chapter on the American Cup race that was almost lost. There was absolutely no point to that chapter. It didn't add anything to the narrative or give any more insight on the Vanderbilt story. There's also a lot of unnecessary writing and fluff (including the use of pretentious words) that isn't needed.
I truly wish there had been more on other members of the family (if you want more on Conseulo, Duchess of Marlborough, I hight suggest reading the book, Husband Hunters)....more
**spoiler alert** I had heard the story of the Hicks Clinic many years ago and found it both incredibly horrifying but also a little bit fascinating. **spoiler alert** I had heard the story of the Hicks Clinic many years ago and found it both incredibly horrifying but also a little bit fascinating. So when I saw TLC's "taken at birth" and the saw that Jane had a book, I knew I wanted to read it... However, while very well written, this book is a bit... Chaotic to say the least. It is kind of all over the place in terms of timeline and I was expecting a lot more about the searching for other Hicks babies, and other things related to the clinic. There was some in here that I didn't know like how Doc Hicks (view spoiler)[ killed his own son. Though I definitely wish Jane had included more information because there was obviously WAY more to the story than she wrote (hide spoiler)] but there was a lot I already knew. So overall I'd give this 3.5 stars. Also the last chapter and a half was about religion and that was a big turnoff for me. I know it's part of her life but it's a big turnoff for me.
If you've only just briefly heard about the Hicks Clinic and haven't seen TLC's documentary, than this is a good book to read before you watch it....more
This was recommended to me by the curator of the Mütter Museum and as an Archivist I was super intrigued.
I had heard of athropodermic books before soThis was recommended to me by the curator of the Mütter Museum and as an Archivist I was super intrigued.
I had heard of athropodermic books before so the the subject matter was nothing new. However, this book needed a better... Flow. It is well written and it's an easy read for someone who may not have a lot of science background. But it just seemed all over the place for a lot of things.
This book is fascinating and a must read for anyone interested in genealogy and genetics. While I knew the story of the Benson-CoMore like 3.5 stars.
This book is fascinating and a must read for anyone interested in genealogy and genetics. While I knew the story of the Benson-Collins mystery, this book flushed it out further as well as discussing the issues with genealogy and direct to consumer testing.
My qualms about this book are, 1) some of the stuff is a little technical and overwhelming. It made my eyes kind of just skip over things. 2) the whole Benson-Collins thing needs a freaking family trees(s) to keep track of who is who. And finally, 3) there was a bit too much repetition about the Benson-Collins mystery. It could have been paired down.
Overall, it's a good book and highly recommend if you're thinking about doing a genetics test or have done one already. I will say this did help clear up some of my recent confusion about some of my Ancestry results....more
While it's got some great details, it's called musicals yet there are movie musicals and I wasn't expecting that. Also it ignores a lot of other musicWhile it's got some great details, it's called musicals yet there are movie musicals and I wasn't expecting that. Also it ignores a lot of other musicals that are important for the zeitgeist. Overall it's a good book....more
Wow. I have read a lot of true crime but didn't know about this guy, though as I was reading this, I vaguely remember this case, as I lived in WashingWow. I have read a lot of true crime but didn't know about this guy, though as I was reading this, I vaguely remember this case, as I lived in Washington state at the time. The writing here was fantastic and getting to understand the timeline of things....more
WOW. What A book. I knew a tiny bit of Nazi spies being in the US but I had no idea how extensive it was. I highly recommend reading this book after wWOW. What A book. I knew a tiny bit of Nazi spies being in the US but I had no idea how extensive it was. I highly recommend reading this book after watching Ken Burn's The US and the Holocaust because it'll give even more insight as to why the US didn't do more to help....more
There were many things to like about this book, hence the three stars (though it's more like 3.75). It reads very well and unlike a lot of non-fictionThere were many things to like about this book, hence the three stars (though it's more like 3.75). It reads very well and unlike a lot of non-fiction books, isn't dry. However, there were lots of this book that were wholly unnecessary and could have cut the book's page count down by quite a bit. And while I understand the author's purpose in doing so, there was so much a biography of LIW that was... honestly pointless for me. I knew most of LIW's story before she started writing the books. So I wish the author would have prefaced the book saying something like, if you knew LIW's life before she moved to Missouri, skip to such and such chapter.
Rose... while I knew Rose had written things, I didn't know she'd published a lot but the thing I want to mention is... her behavior. Jesus. If she were alive today she'd be a full-blown MAGA. And while LIW was conservative, I give her a little more leeway because of her upbringing. But the hypocrisy of those two against help (which the author does explain in the epilogue to some degree) and the government is just flabbergasting....more
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