Category Archives: nonfiction
A Curious Madness: An American Combat Psychiatrist, a Japanese War Crimes Suspect, and an Unsolved Mystery from World War II – Eric Jaffe
On May 3, 1946, at the close of World War II, the International Military Tribunal for the Far East convened. Twenty-eight Japanese had been indicted for war crimes, the most prominent being General Tojo Hideki. Sitting behind Tojo was Okawa … Continue reading
The Heart of Everything That Is: The Untold Story of Red Cloud, An American Legend – Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
The Sioux called them Paha Sapa, the heart of everything that is, the center of the universe, a most sacred place. Today they are called the Black Hills. When treaty after treaty had been broken and these hills were threatened, … Continue reading
Thrice Told Tales: Three Mice Full of Writing Advice
How many ways can the Three Blind Mice nursery rhyme be retold and embellished? A lot! The mice take over this story and teach literary devices such as point of view, cause and effect, and ambiguity. It doesn’t seem like … Continue reading
Cotton Tenants: Three Families – James Agee, photographs by Walker Evans
In the summer of 1936 James Agee, then a staff writer for Fortune magazine, was commissioned to write an article on sharecroppers in Alabama. He and Walker Evans, a staff photographer, spent two months observing three families, chronicling every aspect … Continue reading
The Riddle of the Labyrinth: The Quest to Crack an Ancient Code – Margalit Fox
British archeologist Arthur Evans was convinced that Mycenaean society was too advanced to be without writing, but no firm evidence had emerged. Clues began to point him toward Crete, and he eventually chose Knossos, the seat of Minos’ empire, for … Continue reading
For Adam’s Sake: A Family Saga in Colonial New England – Allegra di Bonaventura
Joshua Hempstead of New London, Connecticut was a rather ordinary man and lived a rather ordinary life in the first half of the 18th century. But he did an extraordinary thing. For nearly forty-seven years he kept a diary, dutifully … Continue reading
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World – Matthew Goodman
Nellie Bly was a daring undercover reporter for Joseph Pulitzer’s New York newspaper, The World. She had exposed the dreadful treatment in an insane asylum, worked in a paperbox factory, sought treatment in a medical clinic for the poor, trained … Continue reading
The Lady and her Monsters: A Tale of Dissections, Frankensteins, and the Creation of Mary Shelley’s Masterpiece – Roseanne Montillo
The night of August 30, 1797, was stormy, with a dramatic display of thunder and lightning. It is fitting, then, that this night also saw the birth of Mary Godwin, for Mary Godwin Shelley led a stormy and unconventional life. … Continue reading
The Great Pearl Heist: London’s Greatest Jewel Thief and Scotland Yard’s Hunt for the World’s Most Valuable Necklace – Molly Caldwell Crosby
Joseph Grizzard was finely dressed, extremely intelligent, affluent, with a family and a nice home. He was also a master criminal, quietly controlling a large gang of jewel thieves. The unique pink pearl necklace proved to be irresistible. Scotland Yard’s … Continue reading
When America First Met China: An Exotic History of Tea, Drugs, and Money in the Age of Sail – Eric Jay Dolin
The winter had been one of the worst in recent memory. John Green, captain of the Empress of China, had wanted to sail from New York in early February but river ice had barred his way. Finally on Sunday, February … Continue reading
The Impossible Rescue: The True Story of an Amazing Arctic Adventure – Martin W. Sandler
I cannot begin to improve upon the summary provided by the publisher, so I will not try. The synopsis from the publisher: In 1897, whaling in the Arctic waters off Alaska’s coast was as dangerous as it was lucrative. And … Continue reading
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