Category: Non-fiction

Book Review, featured, History, Non-fiction, Rants

Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford

One thing that makes reading history fun, for me at least, is finding out what really happened. So often what we know, or think we know, has been influenced by forces outside the facts: racism, sexism, classism, nationalism, all the ‘ism’s plus time. Time passes and history changes. Then, periodically, someone comes along to set the record straight. It makes for interesting reading. In the … Continue reading Forget the Alamo by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford

james b chester1 Comment
Book Review, featured, History, Non-fiction, Western

Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N Blain

This book may be illegal in your state. If you live in Texas, Florida or any assorted U.S. states with Republican governments, it may be difficult to find Four Hundred Souls in your public library, school library, even at your local college or university library. This is just the sort of book Texas Governor Abbot and Florida Governor DeSantis have in mind when they complain … Continue reading Four Hundred Souls, edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N Blain

james b chesterLeave a comment
Book Review, featured, History, Non-fiction, Rants

Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

History is problematic. American history is very problematic. I only recently started reading American history seriously. During the last three years of my teaching career, I kept trying to get an 8th grade history position. If I had, I might still be teaching. The closest I came was teaching it via Zoom during lockdown. Prior to that my historical interest was ancient and Medieval, largely … Continue reading Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

james b chesterLeave a comment
Book Review, featured, History, Non-fiction

The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara by David I. Kertzer

A Jewish family sits together peacefully in their home. It is an ordinary night. After dinner. Mother, father, six children, the oldest still under ten years. Suddenly, agents of the Inquisition are at the door, there to take away Edgardo, age six, claiming he was secretly baptized by one of the family servants, therefore a Christian, therefore in need of Christian parents. The panicked family … Continue reading The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara by David I. Kertzer

james b chester1 Comment
Book Review, featured, History, Non-fiction

Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition by Nisid Hajari

I bought this book by mistake. I thought it was a collection of essays about Salmon Rushdie’s terrific novel Midnight’s Children, one of my all-time favorites. Midnight’s Furies then sat on my TBR shelf for nearly five years. Five years is the maximum I allow. After that, it’s time to admit I’m just never going to read it and pass it along to a nearby … Continue reading Midnight’s Furies: The Deadly Legacy of India’s Partition by Nisid Hajari

james b chester1 Comment
Book Review, History, Noir, Non-fiction

Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

I come to this book by way of the recent television series. Both are very good. The television series, while based on a true crime, is largely fiction. The producers created entire characters and storylines to flesh out the historical plotline into multiple episodes. The book fleshes out its true crime story with a fascinating history of Mormonism focused on the religions violent past and … Continue reading Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer

james b chester2 Comments
Book Review, California, featured, Noir, Non-fiction

I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

Michelle McNamara didn’t live to complete her excellent account of hunting the Golden State Killer, whom she didn’t live to see arrested. So, what to make of this book? Incomplete at the time of the author’s death. About an unsolved crime. Let’s start with did I like it? Yes, I did. I liked the portions the author completed before her death the most, possibly only … Continue reading I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara

james b chester
Book Review, featured, History, Non-fiction, Uncategorized

My New Favorite Book–Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer

Don’t be afraid of reading history; it’s not just a learning experience. At least not in the case of Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer. This is one of the most entertaining books I’ve read in a while. I couldn’t put it down, as they say, much of the time. At nearly 500 pages, some parts are more interesting at others, but reading it … Continue reading My New Favorite Book–Cuba: An American History by Ada Ferrer

james b chester
Book Review, Classic, Non-fiction, Uncategorized

Be the Water. The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff – DNF

I have been reading Lau-Tzu’s Tao te Ching or Book of the Way for about four years now. I taught Taoism as part of the middle school history curriculum for over 25 years before deciding one day to read its key text cover to cover. I liked what I found so much that I made it a daily exercise for many years, reading one or … Continue reading Be the Water. The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff – DNF

james b chester2 Comments
Book Review, Non-fiction

It’s Time to Fight Dirty by David Faris

Begin with this…..The Democrats have been the majority party, by millions of votes, for the presidency, the Senate and the House of Representatives for most of the last seven election cycles.  By majority I mean they have received more votes total than the Republicans.  Yet they are the minority party in all three. How is this possible? What can be done about it? This is … Continue reading It’s Time to Fight Dirty by David Faris

james b chester1 Comment
Book Review, Classic, European Literature, Fantasy, Fiction, French, German Literature, Graphic Novel, History, Non-fiction

Two with Pictures: The Singing Bones and Yvain, the Knight of the Lion

I’ve been doing some reading for work. Since I teach 7th grade history and English reading for work takes me places it might not take other grown men. Not that I mind. Two strong contenders for actual classroom use this time around. The first is M.T. Anderson’s graphic novel (illustrations by Andrea Offermann) Yvain, The Night of the Lion based on the 12th century French epic … Continue reading Two with Pictures: The Singing Bones and Yvain, the Knight of the Lion

james b chester