Review: 'Behind Every Great Man' by Marlene Wagman-Geller

Behind Every Great Man: The Forgotten Women Behind the World's Famous and Infamous by Marlene Wagman-Geller, 2015, Sourcebooks, $16.99, softbound, 356 pages. Cover: good. Category/Genre: history, reference. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.  


'First I thought of a colorful famous man,' writes Wagman-Geller, 'and if his wife dwelled in the shadows, I investigated. If her life was an intriguing one and shone light on a hitherto unknown aspect of her husband, she merited a chapter.' 

You'll find forty such women in this book: the wives and companions of Albert Einstein, Adolf Hitler, Richard Wagner, Gertrude Stein, Jim Henson, Sting, and more. 

There's considerable sadness in these pages as we read about women who endured their husband's relentless affairs, or lost their spouse and were left alone. Alice Babette Toklas, wife of Gertrude Stein, felt she was 'but a memory' of her beloved when Gertrude died. Other women felt the same way; Cosima Liszt, wife of Richard Wagner, stopped writing in her million-word diary when Wagner died. She even flung herself into his open grave at the funeral. 

A book that lets you look at the famous (and infamous) a bit differently.


If you like this one, try: Women Heroes of the American Revolution, by Susan Casey.  


You can find Marlene Wagman-Geller on GoodReads or Facebook, or you may contact her at her website here.

Revew: 'Women Heroes of the American Revolution' by Susan Casey

Women Heroes of the American Revolution: 20 Stories of Espionage, Sabotage, Defiance, and Rescue by Susan Casey, 2015, Chicago Review Press, $19.95, hardbound, 226 pages. Cover: not bad. Category/Genre: history. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.

This is a good book if you like history. It's put together from diaries, journals, letters, historians, writers of the time, and accounts by soldiers or families; some of the letters and other documents are included in the book along with Casey's narrative.

It isn't entirely clear whether all the stories are true or not – Casey says that separating fact from fiction or exaggeration was one of the hardest parts about writing the book – but she does tell you if the story is in question, and she offers information at the end of each tale as to where to go if you want to learn more.

There are some interesting stories in here: that of Phillis Wheatley, a slave who published a book of her own poetry that was about and for America; Lydia Darragh's spy ring (although her husband and sons played as big a role as she did); and Grace and Rachel Martin, who prevented papers from being delivered to British officers by pretending to be militiamen, are a few.

This book is part of the Women of Action series, a biography series that 'introduces young adults to women and girls of courage and conviction throughout the ages.'

 

If you like this one, try: Behind Every Great Man, by Marlene Wagman-Geller.


Susan Casey is an author, teacher, public speaker, and journalist. You can find out more about her and her books at: www.susancaseybooks.com. She has two Facebook pages for her books: Kids Inventing! and Women Invent!

Review: 'Almost Astronauts' by Tanya Lee Stone

Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared to Dream by Tanya Lee Stone, 2009, Candlewick Press, $24.99, hardbound, 133 pages. Cover: pretty cool. Category/Genre: reference/history. Where we got it: borrowed it. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.

This is the true and inspiring story of the Mercury 13 women, who were the first women ever to be trained as astronauts.

Without Randolph Lovelace, the doctor who put the Mercury 7 men through their testing, this likely would not have happened, at least not for a while. But Lovelace believed women are as capable as men, and he had a desire to prove it.

The first was Jerrie Cobb, a pilot who'd broken world records; she fared so well in the testing that it was thought she'd not only do well in space, she would excell there. After her came 18 other women, all pilots and go-getters, all fit. Including Cobb, 13 of the women passed the tests with flying colors.

In this book, you'll learn about some of the grueling tests all astronauts go through, and you'll learn how it was particularly hard for these women – not because they were weaker, but because of the negativity they had to face. One of them was filed divorce papers after testing, and another's boss demoted her.

If you want to read about real bravery and perseverence, try this book.

If you like this one, try: Women of the Wind: Early Women Aviators, by Wanda Langley.

For more about Tanya Lee Stone and her many books, check out her website at: http://www.tanyastone.com/. She writes non-fiction (often about women or African-Americans), teen fiction, and picture books. 

You can follow Tanya Lee Stone at: https://twitter.com/tanyaleestone or Like her on Facebook. 

You can buy Tanya's books via her website, on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books-A-Million.

Review: 'Women of the Wind' by Wanda Langley

Women of the Wind: Early Women Aviators by Wanda Langley, 2006, Morgan Reynolds Publishing, $26.95, hardbound, 160 pages. Cover: good. Category/Genre: Reference/History. Where we got it: borrowed it. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.

Between the historic first flights of Orville and Wilbur Wright and the breaking of the sound barrier by Chuck Yeager, there were many pilots willing to risk their lives flying the rickety, open-cockpit planes of the time. Some of those pilots were women; this book reveals the stories of nine of those women, some of whom set more than one record, some of whom died in flight, and all of whom serve as an inspiration, not only to women and young girls, but to the men and young boys who are interested in aviation.

Naturally, Amelia Earhart is in this book; but here you'll also find Harriet Quimby, the first woman to receive her pilot's license in the U.S.; Bessie Coleman, the first African American woman to fly a plane; Ruth Nichols, who used aviation to help people; and others.

Black-and-white photographs accompany the text, and each aviator gets her own timeline. 

If you like this one, try: Almost Astronauts, by Tanya Lee Stone.

Find Wanda Langley's books on Goodreads and PaperBack Swap; there's also a biography on Encyclopedia.com.

Review: 'Murphy: Gold Rush Dog' by Alison Hart

Murphy: Gold Rush Dog by Alison Hart, Illustrated by Michael G Montgomery, 2014, Peachtree, $12.95, hardbound, 176 pages. Category/Genre: historical fiction. Cover: excellent. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million. 


The second installment in the Dog Chronicles, Murphy takes us to Nome, Alaska, 1900, where abused sled dog Murphy escapes his cruel master, Carlick. All Murphy wants is a home, and maybe bacon. 

Then Murphy finds Sally and her mother, who are just arriving in Alaska. Murphy instinctively befriends the pair, and the trio become a family. 

But life in Alaska is hard; while Sally delivers mail to earn enough to stake a claim, Mama struggles to provide for the family by typing in an office. The family has no house, only a tent on the beach -- but when the snows come, they will need a house, or they will have to leave Alaska. 

Desperate to stay in Alaska, Sally takes Murphy and goes to stake a claim, facing deadly predators and storms. If she can only find enough gold to buy a house, the family can stay. But Carlick and the claim jumper he works for have other plans . . . 

This is an exciting book with history woven in, all told from a dog's point of view. More history is included in the back of the book, as well as a list of books for further reading. The black and white illustrations add further interest and are a pleasure to look at. 

For ages seven to 10. 

If you like this one, try: Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I, by Alison Hart. 

Don't forget the other stops on the tour:

Today: The 4th Musketeer

Friday: Sally's Bookshelf .

Review: 'The Civil War' Edited by Ruchir Shah

The Civil War: The American Civil War -- 1861 to 1865 Edited by Ruchir Shah, 2007, EZ Comics, $ softbound, 33 pages. Category/Genre: history. Cover: decent. Where we got it: editor. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million. 


Aiming at younger readers, this book is an attempt to get people interested in history. It goes over the main points of the Civil War (for example, the invention of the cotton gin made it easier to make cotton cloth, which increased the demand for cotton, and therefore, the demand for slaves). 

With a plethora of colourful pictures and a concise re-telling of this period of history, the book is likely to appeal to its core audience. If you or a young person you know is struggling with learning about the Civil War, you may want to try this book. 

If you like this one, try: Suggestions? 

Review: 'Cross River Traffic' by Chris Roberts

Cross River Traffic: A History of London's Bridges by Chris Roberts, 2005, Granta Books, $27.00, hardbound, 196 pages. Category/Genre: history. Cover: quite nice. Where we got it: prezzie. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble. 


Central London has seventeen bridges crossing the Thames. This book explores the history of the current bridges and that of the bridges that came before them. It also examines why these crossings are situated where they are, as well as looking at the effects the bridges have on the communities involved. 

Black-and-white photographs by a variety of London-based photographers punctuate the book, which includes lots of intriguing stories. Here you will find tales of suicides, terrorist plots, ghost stories, and of course, sex. 

There are appendices, which contain extra information relating to the Thames and the builders of the bridges. 

This book was written by someone with a true love of London and its history. If you want a book that takes a look at a part of London that is usually ignored, you'll want to try this one. 

If you like this one, try: Suggestions? 

Review: 'Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I' by Alison Hart

Darling, Mercy Dog of World War I, by Alison Hart, Illustrated by Michael G. Montgomery, 2013, Peachtree, $12.95, hardbound, 162 pages. Category/Genre: adventure. Cover: engaging. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million.


This book is written from the point of view of a dog named Darling, who lives in Cosham, England during World War I. Darling is a mischievous dog, and gets into all sorts of trouble with her friend Rags, the terrier next door. She doesn't care about the war or hard times, or anything except running free. 

But Darling's family can't afford to keep her any more, and one day they give her away to become a war dog, helping the troops. Because the British army can't afford to keep dogs who don't give them anything in return, any dogs who don't do well in training must be put down. All Darling wants to do is escape and run home. 

Things have changed drastically for the fun-loving Darling, and things change even more when her trainer is injured and it's up to her to find help. Soon she becomes a mercy dog: a dog trained to seek out the injured soldiers on the battlefield and bring the medics to them. 

This is a true adventure story, with lots of angst and dramatic action. It's interesting to see history through the eyes of a dog, and to learn how dogs actually served during war time.   

Written for ages seven through ten.  

If you like this one, try: the forthcoming Murphy, Gold Rush Dog.

Don't forget to check out the other sites on the tour!

Sally's Bookshelf - www.sallysbookshelf.blogspot.com.

Review: 'The Other Side of Free' by Krista Russell

The Other Side of Free, by Krista Russell, 2013, Peachtree, $16.95, hardbound, 251 pages. Category/Genre: adventure. Cover: not bad. Where we got it: publisher. Where you can get it: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million. 


Charles Town, 1739: 13-year-old slave Jem lives with his adoptive Aunt Winnie, the town's most powerful conjure woman. One night, Aunt Winnie wakes Jem and sends him away with a stranger named Phaedra to go to Fort Mose in Spanish Florida. There they will no longer be slaves, but will pledge allegiance to the Spanish and promise to fight the English army for them.

But not Jem; Phaedra says he's too young to fight. There are other escaped slaves in Fort Mose, too, such as Big Sunday, whose half-Indian son Domingo visits them sometimes. 

There's also Reynard, a French trader who befriends Jem and trades with him for the wooden whistles Jem carves. Jem also has another friend: Omen, the owl he saves from a murder of crows. 

Then new slaves come, with news from Charles Town: a rebellion has started, and some white women and children were killed. The English will track down the rebels at any cost, and have put a heavy price on the head of any rebel returned to Charles Town. 

Jem aches to join the Spanish militia and be seen as the man he thinks he's become. But Jem has a lot of growing to do yet, even though he doesn't know it. He learns along the way, making mistakes as he goes, and finally begins to understand something about the people around him. 

This is an unusual coming-of-age story told from a historical point of view. 

Written for ages 10-14. 

If you like this one, try: Suggestions? 

Don't forget to check out the other sites on the tour!

Kid Lit Reviews (www.kid-lit-reviews.com).