The Stuff This is a survey of approximately one hundred books that have been banned or challenged, beginning with the fourteenth-century work, The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio, and ending with the 2021 book by Chinese author Ai Weiwei, 1000 Years of Joys and Sorrows. The entries are arranged chronologically. One or two pages are dedicatedContinue reading “Review of “Banned Books: The World’s Most Controversial Books, Past and Present””
Category Archives: book review
Review of “In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692”
The Stuff:Author Mary Beth Norton, Professor Emerita at Cornell University, writes that the Salem witch crisis took place in the midst of another crisis—the devastation of the First and Second Indian Wars (King Philip’s War) of the late seventeenth century, which wreaked havoc. Traumatized refugees fled south. While the “afflicted” people spoke of the devilContinue reading “Review of “In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692””
Review of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” by Irene Vallejo
The Stuff: In her preface, author Irene Vallejo asks: “Why did books first appear? What is the secret history of efforts to reproduce or destroy them? What was lost along the way, and what was saved? Why have some of them become classics? How much has succumbed to the jaws of time, the talons ofContinue reading “Review of “Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World” by Irene Vallejo”
Review of “The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of The Women Who Helped Win WWII” by Denise Kiernan
Plot: Most of those who helped develop the atomic bomb at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the Manhattan Project were unaware of what they were doing other than their jobs benefited the war effort. Because many men were gone with the wartime draft, many were women. The author seeks to draw on the experiences of variousContinue reading “Review of “The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of The Women Who Helped Win WWII” by Denise Kiernan”
Review of “The Haunting of Maddy Clare”
The Stuff: In 1920s London, Sarah Piper gets a call from the temporary agency that employs her. She must meet a man in a coffee shop for the details. Everything about this job screams no, but she is behind on the rent. Wealthy Alistair Gellis proposes an outlandish assignment. Sarah is to travel to theContinue reading “Review of “The Haunting of Maddy Clare””
Review of “The Measure of Reality: Quantification and Western Society 1250-1600” by Alfred W. Crosby
The Stuff: The author says in the first lines of his preface that this is his third book, “in my lifelong search for explanations for the amazing success of European imperialism.” Cyrus the Great, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and Huayna Capac were all “great conquerors,” but they were “homebodies” compared to Queen Victoria. HisContinue reading “Review of “The Measure of Reality: Quantification and Western Society 1250-1600” by Alfred W. Crosby”
Review of “The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty”
The Stuff: In April 1789, crew members of HMS Bounty mutinied in the South Pacific near Tofua and set their captain adrift in a launch with eighteen loyal crew members. Some of the mutineers would settle on Tahiti. Others would settle on uninhabited Pitcairn. Three would eventually hang. Some would receive pardons, and others wouldContinue reading “Review of “The Bounty: The True Story of the Mutiny on the Bounty””
…And the Spring Clean is Complete
This is my last group of books going to the library. The great spring clean is done. The book cases are not quite as full as they once were. But some nifty books found happy homes; a few went directly to friends. That made me feel great. And I got a chance to flip throughContinue reading “…And the Spring Clean is Complete”
Spring Clean #21
This group of books from the last shelf in my great clean-out of books. Of course, it will soon be covered in books from other parts of the house, but that’s a matter for another day. I have a chance to wipe the dust off in momentary triumph and rearrange the whole bookshelf. Yeah. TheContinue reading “Spring Clean #21”
Five More Books Off to the Library/Spring Clean #20
This is this week’s group of books going to the library. As always, lots of fond memories. I’m surprised I’ve had the Vonnegut book this long. I believe I read it sometime around 1990. The sad part of donating all these books is as fast as I clear off the shelves, they fill up againContinue reading “Five More Books Off to the Library/Spring Clean #20”
Reviews of Old and New Stories. Mostly Old 