Tag Archives: biography

Permanent Record

Posted on January 7, 2021 by smellincoffee

Permanent Record© Edward Snowden352 pages Nearly a decade ago we bore witness to magnificent acts of rebellion and alarm-calling, as dissidents like Julian Assange and Edward Snowden began exposing DC’s global surveillance state and abuses of power. DC acted with … Continue reading →

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Napoleon: Life and Legacy

Posted on October 22, 2020 by smellincoffee

Napoleon: Life and Legacy© 2011 Alan Forrest403 pages Napoleon is an unavoidable figure of European history, and enjoys no shortage of admirers even today. For years he dominated a continent, using native talents given abundant opportunities opened by the revolution … Continue reading →

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Harvard and the Unabomber

Posted on July 23, 2020 by smellincoffee

Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist Original title: A Mind for Murder © 2003 Alston Chase 352 pages Ted Kaczynski was hunted fruitlessly by the FBI for eighteen years, until finally being done in by his … Continue reading →

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American Terrorist

Posted on June 19, 2020 by smellincoffee

American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing ©  2001, 2015 Lou Michel & Dan Herberck 426 pages   During a recreation period one day, a prisoner in an adjoining cage poured his heart out to McVeigh, telling him … Continue reading →

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Uncle Tungsten

Posted on May 26, 2020 by smellincoffee

Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood © 2001 Oliver Sacks 352 pages No future scientist was ever better primed for the life than Oliver Sacks.   You may know him as a neurologist and the author of numerous books … Continue reading →

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An English shield-maiden and England’s army

Posted on April 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Time for two mini-reviews! First up, The Making of the British Army.   Retired brigadier Allan Mallinson  traces the history of Britain’s army to the creation of the New Model Army during the English civil war. Unlike armies of old, the … Continue reading →

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His Way

Posted on February 18, 2020 by smellincoffee

His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra © 1986 Kitty Kelley 576 pages His Way is a gossipy biography of Frank Sinatra,  one full of drama and interest, but more tabloid-like than serious.    Most biographies of Sinatra follow the same course:  … Continue reading →

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Love, sand cranes, and civil rights

Posted on February 14, 2020 by smellincoffee

This has….not been a good week for utilities in my neck of the woods. Because of heavy rains, flooding, and thunderstormy-drama,  I’ve been without phone and DSL service since Tuesday, and the library has had to close for one day … Continue reading →

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The Education of Henry Adams

Posted on August 23, 2019 by smellincoffee

The Education of Henry Adams © 1918 Henry Adams 324 pages   Who is Henry Adams, and why would anyone read about his education?    Personally, I discovered this book through a personal interest in his family; Henry’s great-grandfather was John … Continue reading →

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The Thinking Man’s Gangster

Posted on June 28, 2019 by smellincoffee

Meyer Lansky: The Thinking Man’s GangsterRevised and expanded reprint of Little Man: The Gangster Life of Meyer Lanksy 457 pages© 2019 Robert Lacey There’s no such thing as a lucky gambler. There’s only winners and losers, and the winners are the … Continue reading →

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