PositiveLibrary JournalBlain uses extensive primary sources (including excerpts from Hamer’s speeches, and accounts of her experiences of sexual assault and medical trauma) to illustrate how Hamer \'turned her pain into political action.\' Blain effectively conveys the racism and sexism Hamer faced in her fight for equality and liberation and shows how it impacted her relationships to both the civil rights movement and the women’s liberation movement; she also establishes the modernity and contemporary relevance of Hamer’s proto-intersectional politics ... This excellent introduction to Hamer and her life is well-contextualized; recommended for all readers.
Jeff Guinn
PositiveLibrary Journal... an excellent history of a defining moment in U.S.–Mexico relations, especially as the author explains the complexities of the Mexican Revolution (1910–24) in engaging detail ... This book brings into focus the several key players, including Mexican revolutionary general Pancho Villa and activist–turned–Mexican president Venustiano Carranza. Showing the tensions among different factions, Guinn creates a fast-paced narrative with twists and turns throughout ... A thorough overview of an often-overlooked period in history that helps put present-day U.S.–Mexico relations into context.
Margaret MacMillan
PositiveLibrary JournalThose interested in military history, and the idea of how we make, prepare, and enable war, will enjoy this thought-provoking read.
Svenja O'Donnell
PositiveLibrary JournalAt turns touching and surprising, O\'Donnell\'s work offers an honest look at how strength, weakness, and resiliency can shape who you are and who you become. Consulting both primary and secondary resources to support her narrative, O\'Donnell conveys an understanding of the day-to-day challenges facing young women in the late stages of the Third Reich ... A welcome addition to World War II memoirs.
Dionne Searcey
PositiveLibrary JournalSearcey is a powerful writer who is aware of her privilege and honest about her mistakes. Her personal story relates the sacrifices she made as a journalist while also trying to keep the family unit together ... Recommended for readers who enjoyed the memoirs of journalists and writers Marie Colvin, Clarissa Ward, Martha Gellhorn, and Anne Garrels, and anyone wishing to learn more about social and political life in West Africa.
Andrew Wiest
PositiveLibrary JournalUsing oral interviews, letters, diaries, and other primary resources, Wiest provides a compassionate look at how the conflict impacted these individuals to the present day. Although specific to this Vietnam experience, readers will appreciate the common threads that run through the sacrifices of military duty during conflict ... Although there are plenty of other works that discuss the home front, the uniqueness here lies in the cohesive yet distinctive experiences of the Charlie Company itself, offering a deeper understanding of the soldiers through the actions of their wives during their year away ... Historians, military spouses, and those impacted by Vietnam will find this work sensitive, familiar, and uplifting.
