Tag Archives: history

The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter by David Colbert

The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter by David Colbert: The name is somewhat misleading; this is a cute mini-encyclopedia of the real mythological roots of many aspects of the Harry Potter books. While I didn’t learn a whole heck of a lot of new information, I would definitely recommend this book to any Harry Potter fan, especially younger ones. The writing is friendly without being dumbed down, the articles are short but concise, and the breadth of information is impressive. If nothing else, it instilled in me a renewed interest in mythology, and the extensive bibliography and notes provide a good jumping-off point for further research.

On note: the copy I read was written between the releases of Goblet Of Fire and Order of the Phoenix, and thus is it full of spoilers from the first four books and contains a sprinkling of (sometimes misguided) predictions for the latter three volumes. There is a revised version, but I don’t know if it covers the entire series. Keep that in mind when reading.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh

Fermat’s Last Theorem by Simon Singh: Most people are familiar with the Pythagorean Theorem which describes a right triangle: a^2 + b^2 = c^2. However, what you may not know is that Pierre Fermat claimed back in the 1600s to be able to prove that a^n + b^n = c^n has no whole number solutions for n > 2. Trial and error suggests this to be true, but for over 350 years, no one could prove it. This is the story of the equation and those who worked towards the eventual solution in the early 1990s, from Pythagoras through Andrew Wiles, who published the final proof. His proof is complicated enough that I suspect Fermat’s proof was flawed, but it makes for a surprisingly engrossing read all the same. There are tons of names and personal stories in this book, and though they often feel tangential, every single person discussed has great bearing in one way or another on the solving of Fermat’s Last Theorem. One doesn’t usually equate mathematics with drama or suspense, but both are present here. Definitely recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in math or history.

Note: The UK version of this book, which I have, is titled Fermat’s Last Theorem. The American version is called Fermat’s Enigma. There is also another book called Fermat’s Last Theorem which was written by Amir D. Aczel. Confusion abounds.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Brush Up Your Mythology by Michael Macrone

Brush Up Your Mythology! by Michael Macrone: Oddly enough, this book appears to have been originally titled “By Jove!”, which would have been far more fitting. Though you will learn (or relearn) a number of famous tales, the purpose of this book is not to function as a primer, but rather to describe the Greek/Roman mythological roots of common English words and phrases. And in that capacity it does an excellent job, covering terms from the obvious (dionysian) to the obscure (syringe), with a healthy peppering of amusing commentary interspersed. If you’re a fan of language or mythology, this is a fun read.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: This is really two books. One is the story of Daniel Burnham and the construction of the World’s Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago world’s fair. The other is about serial killer H. H. Holmes. Other than time and place, the two stories have almost nothing in common, but this doesn’t distract from the book as a whole. This is nonfiction written like a novel, with vivid details and memorable characters. I was completely sucked in, perhaps all the more because I knew it was true. I never realized just how much modern popular culture stems from this fair. The story of Holmes was fascinating as well, to the point where I’m kind of surprised I’d never heard of him. Definitely recommended to anyone with an interest in this time period.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

1776 by David McCoullough

1776 by David McCullough (unabridged audiobook read by the author): I take partial responsibility for my opinion of this book, because I really ought to have known better. I knew it would cover a pivotal year in the American Revolution, but what I did not realize was that it would focus exclusively on the military aspect. The Declaration of Independence is almost an afterthought while each battle, march, and strategy is described in painstaking detail. I did learn a lot about George Washington as a person, which was cool, but overall I was kind of bored. It didn’t help that the author’s voice was a tad dull and droning, making him easy to tune out.

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen (unabridged audiobook read by Brian Keeler): Though the title sounds like a rant on education in general, this book deals specifically with what history textbooks get wrong, using a dozen textbooks as examples. It’s no mere quibble. In the very first chapter I learned that Woodrow Wilson was a flaming racist and Helen Keller was a radical socialist, neither of which were even hinted at during my schooling.

It’s a little depressing in spots. I’m young enough that much of my history class dealt with how white people have done nothing but screw things up – whenever white people meet non-white people they bring disease, abuse, enslavement, and death. This book taught me that it’s actually much worse than I knew. For example, the Pilgrims were grave robbers, the North during Reconstruction was almost as bad as the South, and white people managed to get Indians to fight most of their wars for them the first couple centuries they were here.

It’s not all bad. There is, for instance, a chapter on anti-racism immediately following the one on racism. (For all history textbooks ignore the effects of racism, they also ignore racial idealism.) After several chapters on correcting common myths and omissions, the author follows up with not only reasonable justification for learning history in the first place, but also ideas for improving curricula without suggesting there is a One Right Way to teach history. It’s a fascinating read, and for all the negative reviews I’ve read, very easy to figure out which parts are facts and which parts are the author’s opinions. I certainly do not agree with everything in this book, but it gave me quite a bit of food for thought. More importantly, it instilled in me a curiosity about American history – something my teachers were never able to do.

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