PositiveBooklistHerman expertly and delicately weaves Scandinavian history and its impact on and assimilation into communities on almost every continent over the centuries into one extremely well-researched and engaging tome. An historian with Norwegian ancestry, he provides a thoughtful, comprehensive, and multidisciplinary discussion of how the Scandinavians, through raids, exploration, conquest, and settlement changed the socioeconomic, cultural, and religious aspects of numerous societies ... Amid tales of adventure and rich descriptions of the places the Vikings journeyed to, Herman includes extensive archaeology and DNA evidence to support his investigation of many facets of Norse languages, mythology, and cultures, creating a fresh and wholly engaging reassessment of the legendary Vikings.
Marta McDowell
PositiveBooklist\"In this richly illustrated volume, McDowell delicately unwinds the jungle that was Dickinson’s psyche and chronicles one year in the life of her garden. Throughout, McDowell illuminates the interrelatedness between Dickinson’s pursuit of botany and gardening, her focus on her family, and her never-ending desire to write. Dickinson admirers will find much that is new and affirming here, while this will also delight all who love plants and readers who enjoy unusual approaches to biography.
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Sherrod Brown
PositiveBooklist... well-researched ... Brown discusses with sincerity and honesty ... In this refreshing and well-conceived work, Brown recounts political battles, tough choices, dirty tactics, key compromises, successes, and failures ... With a depth of political knowledge and understanding only participation in Congress can impart, Brown has created an uplifting set of senatorial profiles that counters the negativity of this time of political divisiveness, lies, corruption, hatred, and intimidation with factual accuracy, respect, admiration, and appreciation.
Charles Postel
RaveBooklistHistorian Postel provides an excellent example of how broad topics can be researched and discussed with a balanced, rational perspective while also subtly drawing important, often new parallels between past and current situations ... Postel moves beyond the usual in a holistic approach that includes all persons disenfranchised due to class, race, location, or other socioeconomic factors during a time in which equality was finally a matter of law, though the laws governing its practice were often manipulated to suit those in power ... Informative and timely.
Michael Dobbs
PositiveBooklistDobbs transforms an extremely painful, violent, and devastating event into a narrative of survival, compassion, and perseverance ... Dobbs excels at showing the interrelatedness of Kippenheim, Nazi Germany, and the U.S. while maintaining a chronological narrative. While his language can be academic at times, the overall and always timely message is clear and simple: countries must be supported and held accountable as they take in and protect refugees, and we must all learn from the past. Through the stories of various families told from multiple points of view, the reader learns how difficult decisions were made and how, no matter the circumstances, devotion to the survival of family and faith was vital. With a deeply moving conclusion, Dobbs’ account is highly recommended for all readers interested in WWII, the politics of hate, genocide, the plight of refugees, and society’s responsibilities.
Philipp Blom
MixedBooklistIntriguing ... Drawing on in-depth, well-rounded research and a chronologically and thematically structured narrative, the book leads the reader through those drastic shifts, covering many aspects of life though never definitively determining whether the climate change of the era caused most of its social and cultural alterations or if these upheavals were caused by many factors, including the deep freeze. Blom attempts to provide correlations between this climate crisis and our own escalating struggle with its opposite, global warming, but his analogies fall flat. There is also a lack of introduction to the post-medieval period in which the Little Ice Age began. Still, this is a well-written, informative, and fresh look at a relevant and instructive climate disruption and will appeal to readers interested in European and environmental history as well as our own climate challenges.
Dave Cullen
RaveBooklist\"Cullen, the author of the groundbreaking Columbine... brings his eloquence, expertise, combination of deep research and concision, and unbiased perspective to yet another mass school shooting, revealing its deepest layers and resonance ... This moving, defining, and important account of an essential and vital youth movement dedicated to change and saving lives belongs in every public and school library.\
Joyce Lee Malcolm
RaveBooklistMalcolm does for Benedict Arnold what Ron Chernow did for Alexander Hamilton, reexamining and redeeming a complex historical figure. Though Malcolm’s tome is not as lengthy as Chernow’s, she does an excellent job of transforming American history’s best-known villain into a war hero who loved his country so much that he gave his heart, soul, and body to the American cause during the Revolutionary War ... This adventurous, entertaining read will appeal to a broad audience, and book clubs will thoroughly enjoy this game-changer, a multilayered reassessment of a long misunderstood American.
