Category Archives: History
C’mon, Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock -David Fantle and Tom Johnson
(Review and poem by Betty Jo Tucker) #CommissionsEarned Summer Stock, a movie I love, now a book on the making of. Ring cowbells and shout hooray What a great read to have today! Questions answered? Oh, yes indeed. Everything fans … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction
Tagged movies
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Not Too Late: Changing the Climate Story from Despair to Possibility – Rebecca Solnit & Thelma Young-Lutunatabua
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “Nothing is inevitable, and that’s crucial to remember in this fight.” Personally, I have felt both hopeless and helpless when it comes to preserving our planet and fighting climate change. Not Too Late convinced … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Politics, Social Justice
Tagged climate change, colonization, ecology, Indigenous peoples
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Russia’s War on Everybody: And What it Means for You – Keir Giles
(Reviewed by JD Jung) When I started reading Russia’s War on Everybody: And What it Means for You, I thought “I know all of this.”, as I considered myself relatively informed on the subject. However, I am so glad that … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction, Politics
Tagged cyber-crime, disinformation, espionage, media, military, murder, Putin, Russia, Soviet Union, war
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They Got Daddy: One Family’s Reckoning with Racism and Faith – Sharon Tubbs
(Reviewed by JD Jung) “This story would reveal parts of who I am, as a Black woman in America, by discovering who my grandfather was.” This was not her original intention though. She wanted to learn more about her grandfather’s … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Non-fiction, Social Justice
Tagged African American history, Alabama, memoirs, race relations, racism
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Hotel Splendide – Ludwig Bemelmans
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned The comical 1941 out-of-print memoir of author and illustrator Ludwig Bemelmans (1898- 1962) has just been re-released by Puskin Press. Bemelmans would later write the Madeline children’s book series. However, this memoir covers his few … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Immigration, Non-fiction
Tagged American History, humor, immigration, memoir, New York
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Uncle Charlie Killed Dutch Schultz: The Jewish Mob: A Family Affair – Alan Geik
(Reviewed by Don Jung) #CommissionsEarned There are a lot of family histories out there to read about, but this one is different. While Alan Geik’s parents were not directly in the mafia, many of their relatives and friends he met … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, History, Non-fiction, Our Best
Tagged Crime, gangsters, Mafia, Prohibition, WWII
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Dragged into the Light: Truthers, Reptilians, Super Soldiers, and Death Inside an Online Cult- Tony Russo
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “The world is always ending, the government is always trying to poison you, and the church doesn’t know the truth.” Furthermore, reptilians (aliens) disguise themselves as human and fight for the New World Order, planning … Continue reading
Posted in History, Non-fiction
Tagged conspiracy theories, contemporary culture, cults, New World Order
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Song Noir: Tom Waits and the Spirit of Los Angeles – Alex Harvey
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned My first introduction to Tom Waits was in Jim Jarmusch’s 1985 film, “Down By Law”. I found him quite enigmatic, and as a singer/songwriter was drawn to his authenticity. While reading Song Noir, I realized … Continue reading
Posted in Bios and Memoirs, Culture, History
Tagged beat generation, film noir, Los Angeles, music, songwriting
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They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency – Malcolm Nance
(Reviewed by JD Jung) #CommissionsEarned “We have something new in American history…a political party defined by the terror if feels for its own voters, that’s the Republican party right now” – George Will How was Donald Trump able to transform the Republican … Continue reading
Posted in American Politics, History, Non-fiction, Politics
Tagged anti-antisemitism, domestic terrorism, QAnon, racism, Republican party, terrorism, Trump
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