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Eric Hobsbawm is a must read for anyone who loves history. His analysis of the 20th Century begins with "The War to End All Wars" and ends with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Hobsbawm masterfully integrates history to highlight not only political, but economic, social and cultural trends, brilliantly intermixed with micro and macro analyses of events, ideas, ideologies and personalities. |
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If you are not an art historian, I suggest picking up a copy of the Illustrated Angels and Demons which provides visuals for those unfamiliar with the vast amount of art, artifacts and landmarks that the author uses to tell the story. Dan Brown's prequel to The Da Vinci Code has a little more grit than the book that put him on the literary map. Brown introduces his protagonist (Professor Robert Langdom) in this wonderful ride through the streets of Rome and the Vatican City. Angels & Demons is a true page-turner that keeps the heart racing as the story begins and ends in a 24 hour period of time. Be forewarned... Brown loves to intermix fact with theory, so be careful and remember: You are reading a fictional story. |
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Once again, if you are not an art historian, I suggest picking up a copy of the Illustrated Da Vinci Code which provides visuals for those unfamiliar with the vast amount of art, artifacts and landmarks that the author uses to tell the story. This is the book that launched lawsuits and boycotts across the world. Brown poses one of the oldest questions in the history of Western Civilization: Is the bloodline of Jesus Christ alive today? More non-stop action in a page-turning format that intermixes factual history with supposition. Brown's books are easy reads as chapters are broken into shorter section. The only problem that the reader has is putting down the book. |
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Go BU! Scott Weigart retells one of the greatest seasons ever in college sports. The 2008-09 Terrier fans entered the season with high hopes and they would not be disappointed. The Boston University Men's Hockey team won every tournament in which they participated including a thrilling National Tournament finals game in which BU scored two goals in the final minutes of play just to force overtime. The storybook ending? Read the book and find out! Another easy read filled with inside commentary from the coaches, players parents and others involved in this first-class athletic program. |
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A history of the world on a continental and millenial scale is presented by evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond. Diamond carefully presents his thesis that human beings developed different due to environmental factors and needs. Through individual case studies and period analyses, the author attempts to argue why Europeans came to dominate the globe. Key societal developments such as agriculture, domestication of animals, iron-smelting and writing are just a few arguments used by Jared Diamond to provide examples that prove his thesis in this Pulitzer Prize winning work. |
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No secondary or post-secondary educator should be without a subscription to Lapham's Quarterly. This periodical (four issues per year) uses NOTHING but primary sources or excerpts from primary sources as on commentary on various themes. From War, Economics and Religion to Education, Medicine and Crime, this collection of thematic sources provides a first-hand look at history from various perspectives. My favorites are the issues on War, Crime & Punishment and Religion. |
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O'Brien cleverly uses flashbacks and personal accounts of his experiences and those of his brothers "in country" to tell the common soldier's view of America's most controversial military engagement. The "things" they carried begins as a list of objects that soldiers in his platoon carried. However the reader is quickly drawn closer to these men as their "things" become more figurative and emotional baggage than common physical objects. At times the book is painful to read because it SHOULD BE but it gives the reader a feeling of fraternity to those who fought, died or lost something in Southeast Asia. |
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