Reviews
Reviews of movies, books, and historical sites and products.
1421 - A Book Review 
Columbus discovered America. No, the Vikings. Wait, it really could have been.....the Chinese! Read the theory laid out in this book on how China actually mapped out the Indian Ocean, Pacific, Antarctica, the North Pole, and the Americas. 1491 - A Review
Open up an American history textbook and it inevitably begins with either the Vikings exploring parts of North America or with the landing of Columbus. What we have shamefully ignored is the history prior to 1492. There is much more to the Americas' than we realize and 1491 explores them all. A Heart for Freedom - A Book Review
Where does the passion come from to reach out to help others? Experiences. This is true with Chai Ling where her passion can be found in her own experiences at Tiananmen Square and the massacre that occurred. A Heart for Freedom gives others a glimpse of what happened that famous day and beyond. A History of Russia - A Book Review
How much do you know about the history of Russia? Most of us know only what we have seen in documentaries or movies. How much that is true can be debatable. There is one book that you need to read if you are seriously considering: A History of Russia by Nicholas V. Riasanovsky and Mark D. Steinberg. A Marked Man - A Book Review
Who doesn’t love a good mystery especially when it comes mixed with history? That is what I found when I read Barbara Hamilton’s A Marked Man. It turned out to be a murder mystery involving Abigail Adams, the First Lady who was afraid of no man. Affairs of Honor - A Book Review
If you are looking for a book that dives into early American political history from a different viewpoint than you get with most books, then you might be interested in Joanne B. Freeman’s Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic. All Different Kinds of Free - A Book Review
I’ve read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I’ve read and studied American history. I’ve seen Prigg v. Pennsylvaniamentioned in textbooks. I never knew the real story behind it. Jessica McCann’s All Different Kinds of Free makes one question the humanity of many of our ancestors. American Colonies - A Book Review
Studying American history can become boring as the same old topics get rehashed. This will not be found in Alan Taylor’s American Colonies: The Settling of North America. From the very beginning this book approaches the study of the New World in a different light. An Empire Divided - Book Review 
The colonization of the Far East by France is one of those subjects. Too few even realize how much presence the French had in that area of the world. J.P. Daughton brings that subject back into the academic circles with his book, An Empire Divided. Ancient Greece - A Book Review
The study of ancient civilizations can be overwhelming. There is so much information along with strange and exotic names and customs. It takes a well laid out book like Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History to help explain it. Ancient Greek Atlas - A Book Review
In the study of Ancient Greece, there should always be reference material that helps guide the reader/student through the history in a way that helps the historical events sink in and take root. The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Greece by Robert Morkot is one of those valuable resources. Black Wind - Book Review
There isn’t a Clive Cussler novel I don’t like. Each one gets me sucked in and refuses to let me go until the book is completely read. What makes the action packed novel even better is the way Cussler incorporates history into each of his books. He didn’t disappoint me in Black Wind. British Imperialism - A Book Review
Are you looking for a good book for your research in British, Africa, American, World, or Asian history? Do you want to learn more about British imperialism? Robert Johnson's British Imperialism might be the one for you. Chasing the Nightbird - a Book Review
Teaching history to a child, even a teenager, can be difficult if they don’t have a love for history and learning. Teaching history through a good story has the reader absorbing all this education while following adventurous youths. I found this when I read Krista Russell’s Chasing the Nightbird. Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan - Book Review
Young adults, mainly those just becoming teenagers, love adventure. If it is done well, the child can learn much about geography, history, cultures, and other areas without even knowing it. I found this to be true with Hildi Kang’s Chengli and the Silk Road Caravan. Dakota, or What's a Heaven For - Book Review
A story of a woman seeking to fulfill her dreams in the Dakota Territory only to find something completely different. Daughter of York - a Review
A review of Anne Easter Smith's book on Margaret of Burgundy. Eagle of the Ninth - A Review
A Roman soldier longs to redeem his families honor by bringing the symbol of a lost legion back to Rome. This story is the journey to recover the eagle and learn who he really is. Flesh and Blood So Cheap - A Book Review
Albert Marrin educates the world in his Flesh and Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and its Legacy about the tragic New York event that changed American history and impacts us still today. Foreign Communities in Hong Kong - A Book Review
Everyone knows of Hong Kong. Many of us remember Hong Kong before it went back to the Chinese. How many of us really know about the development of British Hong Kong? Very few. From Prejudice to Genocide - A Book Review
There are history books that just give long narratives that make you yearn for a picture or map to break the monotony from the information overload. Then there are the books that have just as much information or more but in a manner that is invitingly educational. Haven - A Book Review 
Ruth Gruber’s Haven... tells the story of the Holocaust as well as the story of the 1000 men, women, and children refugees who were allowed into the United States during World War II. Historical Atlas of the Medieval World - Review
Studying the Medieval world can be exciting and rather daunting. The Middle Ages is a large span of European history. When reading about this very important time period, you need reliable and worthy resources such as the Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World by your side. History of the World Board Game Review
Want to have some fun and learn some history? Check out this board game. Holly Jean - A Book Review
Set back during World War II, Bonnie Compton Hanson’s Holly Jean and the Secret of Razorback Ridge is a delightful story of a young girl’s journey from a big city to the hills of Kentucky and a mystery that she is just got to solve. Even an adult can enjoy this tale. If the South Had Won the Civil War - A Review
There are many "what if" scenarios in this world. What would have happened if the South had won the Civil War? How much would be different. Author MacKinlay Kantor takes us into a world that never happened but might have. Discover a whole other historical timeline. Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War - A Review
If you love history and are visual, The Library of Congress Illustrated Timeline of the Civil War by Margaret E. Wagner might be something you’d be interested. I found a piece of Civil War reference material that I’ve got to have for my library. Inca Gold - A Book Review
Treasure hunting, spies, murder, and history combined can make the best of adventure stories. It never fails that Clive Cussler books bring you just that. Inca Gold is a wonderful tale of adventure and Incan history all wrapped up into one. Jackie O: On the Couch - A Book Review
What if a famous person sat down on your couch and opened up their entire soul to you? Alma H. Bond takes the facts of Mrs. Onassis’ life and delivers them as though they were through her own lips in her book, Jackie O: On the Couch: Inside the Mind and Life of Jackie Kennedy Onassis. Key Events in African History - Book Review
What all do you know about African history? Sadly, the answer is typically very little. Yet, so much of our own history is influenced by the large continent. Ladies of Liberty - A Book Review
If you are interested in early American history and the influence of its women, Ladies of Liberty might be worth checking out. Author Cokie Roberts does a great job in exploring the influence of all the women that were the driving force behind the young America. Lily Renee - A Book Review
Where can you learn history? There are museums, books, documentaries, and tourist sites. To many kids, this is so boring. They might choose the opera over it. Have you seen what comic/graphic books can do with teaching history? I had not until I read Trina Robbins’ Lily Renee, Escape Artist. Lincoln Inc - A Book Review
Lincoln, Inc.: Selling the Sixteenth President in Contemporary America by Jackie Hogan dives deep into an aspect of Lincoln that we are submerged in yet have never noticed how far deep we are. Manufacturing Revolution - A Book Review
Too often we think that studying a moment in history is easy and very black and white. Events such as the American Revolution are more than just one side against another. There are many with various factors causing the altercation to actually be a quite complicated event. Midnight in Peking - Book Review
How much of history is a blurb in a book or document and never investigated further? How much history gets lost that would actually open the doors of the past up further? Paul French explores this through his book, Midnight in Peking. Modern South Asia - A Book Review
How much do you really know about Asian history? If you are like a lot people, that answer might be little to none. Night - A Book Review
We read about historical events, and we watch documentaries and movies. But to make it real, we read personal accounts. A well-written and personal account of the Holocaust is found in Elie Wiesel’s book, Night. On a Foreign Field - A Book Review
You’ve heard of William Wallace. Yes, this book is about him. No, he’s not the main character. This book is more about the people who followed Wallace including Reeve, an English soldier, who was able to step back and see the bloody reality of war. On the Edge of Twilight - A Book Review
This is a story of what-if. Forget your history to an extent. World War II didn’t develop the way you remembered. This is a story of a different D-Day and a different war afterwards. The Allies did not win. One Day in the Life Ivan Denisovich - Review
All periods of history have their shameful moments. In fact, many times we try to deny their existence. The concentration camps of the Soviet Union was one such fact that was denied by the country's leaders, but through the determination of many people including authors, the truth was exposed and Palestine and the Arab Israeli Conflict Review 
Reading a book on the history of an area is great, but just reading secondary sources always leaves a true history lover feeling like they have missed something. But when an author incorporates primary source documents and not just quotes here and there, you have stumbled on a gold mine. Patriots of African Descent - A Review
Learning about one’s own family history is fun. One of the best parts is that it makes history come alive. That is what Patriots of African Descent in the Revolutionary War does. Plain Jane - A Book Review
Henry VIII is known for the many women he went through in order to get a male heir and a few extra. This is a story of the one woman who was able to give him that son. The surprising part is that no one had thought her capable of getting any husband much less becoming Queen of England. Renaissance Europe - A Book Review
What was Europe like during the Renaissance? How did the people live? What drove the society that gave us lasting art, education, and religion? Discover all this and more in Renaissance Europe 1480-1520 by J.R. Hale. Roman Sunset - A Book Review
One area of history that is not neglected but not really focused on is the Roman occupation of Britain. Fiction or nonfiction, this period is very interesting. Elizabeth May approaches this period with a story you’ll fall in love with in Roman Sunset Roman Twilight - A Book Review
In Elizabeth May's sequel to Roman Sunset, she explores further the lands of current day Great Britain during the time after Rome's departure from the land. She continues the story of Quintus and many other characters in their journey to new lands and new and old friends. Spartacus - An Historical Review
The classical movie, Spartacus can be a great way to study history. Steamboats and the Rise of the Cotton Kingdom
One of the great images of the Antebellum South is that of the majestic steamboat. Robert Gudmestad gives you a whole new perspective of the steamboat in his book, Steamboats and the Rise of the Cotton Kingdom. Survival in Auschwitz - A Book Review
The personal accounts of the Holocaust take us right into the concentration camps and show us the life of a prisoner. Primo Levi tells in his book, Survival in Auschwitz, of his own personal time in the camp as a young scientist who learned how to survive. Surviving the Angel of Death - A Book Review
Surviving the Angel of Death: The Story of a Mengele Twin in Auschwitz by Eva Kor and Lisa Rojany Buccieri is the account of a young child’s survival under the experimentation of Dr. Mengele. It’s a story that will have you holding your child close to you. Taft 2012 - A Book Review
Creative writing can take many forms. The more unique it is the more you tend to like it and want to talk more about it. Such as it is with Jason Heller’s Taft 2012. You can only call it unique when a dead president is not really dead and runs for president 100 years after his “death”. Tarnished Victory - A Book Review
There are many books on the Civil War. Thousands could fill your shelves, and this would not include the ones that are now out of print. Having another one demands that it needs to bring about a new perspective. That was the goal of William Marvel’s Tarnished Victory. The Agency 3 - Book Review
Reading about history can be fun when a little mystery is thrown in. In The Agency 3: The Traitor in the Tunnel, Y.S. Lee brings the reader into Victorian England right into Queen Victoria's home where a young woman is assigned to find a thief. In the process, she finds much more.
The Atlantic - A Book Review
The Atlantic is more than ocean. Throughout history, it helped to shape much of the Western world and was a driving force in the development of the Americas. How much impact did it have? The Crusades - A Review
Learn the truth of the Crusades and discover that it wasn't all romantic nor one-sided. Read my review of the The Crusades, by Michael Paine. The Iliad - A Book Review
So many of our legends and stories come from the past. Homer's work, The Iliad, has inspired thousands of books, legends, and movies. Read my review of this epic story.
The Italian Renaissance - A Book Review
Most of the attention during the Renaissance period can be found in Italy where culture exploded and took the world by storm. Peter Burke dives into the society and culture of this most fascinating period in his book, The Italian Renaissance: Culture and Society in Italy. The Lost Book of Frgrances - A Book Review
Have you ever felt the power of scent? Has a smell brought memories back so vivid that you felt they were real? Does the smell of lilacs have you turning to see if someone that has passed years ago was standing right behind you? It is this theme that M.J. Rose uses in The Lost Book of Fragrances. The Market Revolution: Jacksonian America
If you are looking for a good resource for the Jacksonian American period, you might want to check out Charles Sellers' book, The Market Revolution: Jacksonian America, 1815-1846 The Modern Middle East Book Review
Studying the Middle East is not always easy. James L. Gelvin’s The Modern Middle East is a must for history lovers The Phoenix Gambit - A Book Review
‘What if’ scenarios in history are fun and can really get people talking as there are so many possibilities. The Practice of the Bible in the Middle Ages
The Bible in the Middles Ages is not one that is a common topic, but it is an important one nonetheless. The Practice of the Bible in the Middle Ages is one of those reference books that you must have in your Medieval library. The Prince - A Book Review
Reading a piece of work from the intriguing Renaissance helps you get a better understanding of the era and the people in. This is especially true when the work is that of Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince. It is a classical piece of literature that every student or leader should own. The Scarlet Letter - A Book Review
I highly advise rereading books after a decade or more. Because what you think you read and what you really read is not always the same. That is what happened when I just read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne What I thought had happened was very distorted over the years. The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn - A Book Review
In Robin Maxwell’s The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn the author tries to give the reader a different viewpoint of this once queen as well as that of her famous daughter, Elizabeth I. The Secret Eleanor - A Book Review
History and romance can be interwoven. Add an intriguing figure and you the perfect combination for an historical romance. Cecelia Holland gives us a unique perspective on the early figure of Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Secret Eleanor. The Seer and the Scribe - A Book Review
G.M. Dyrek has done a great job in weaving history, culture, mystery, and murder together into a story that keeps you hopping. The Seer and the Scribe is a great young readers book for entertaining and learning. The Twisted Road to Auschwitz - A Book Review
What most miss is how the Holocaust was possible. What led to such atrocities? How could it even be imagined? Karl Schleunes goes into the path that brought Hitler and the Holocaust to the world in his book, The Twisted Road to Auschwitz: Nazi Policy Toward German Jews 1933-1939. The Wars of the Roses - A Book Review
Through this book, a detailed understanding of how the English throne passed between two houses multiple times the the loss of many of the nobility. This was a time of bloodshed and deceit. Read to see how the English throne was tossed around and eventually claimed. Theodora - A Book Review
Writing a fiction story about an historical character can prove to be a challenge. This can be extremely fun for the writer. Stella Duffy has some fun with the infamous Empress Theodora in her book, Theodora. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Book Review
Many times, one can find themselves not reading a book because they have heard so much about it over the years that they feel like they have already read it. That was the case with me and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. I had never read it but felt like I had from everything I had heard.Did I learn a lot! Understanding Iran - A Book Review
Attempting to understand a culture of today cannot be limited to just this generation or even the generation before that. To fully understand any culture, the researcher has to go back to the beginning and examine the history from that moment until today. We've Got a Job - A Book Review
History is full of untold stories or stories that you hear about and quickly dismiss because they are not 'big' enough to dwell on. Cynthia Levinson takes you to one segment of American history in We've Got a Job: the 1963 Birmingham Children's March. History Homepage | Editor's Picks Articles | Top Ten Articles | History Site Map
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