Scan barcode
cardiganoptional's review
4.0
Enjoyable book about little known facts and places in American history. I would definitely recommend having this as a coffee table book, something you could pick up and read a little bit of every once in a while. I checked it out from the library and trying to force myself to finish all 500 pages in a limited amount of time was a little rough. Also, I was dying for some pictures! I know many of the places aren't there anymore or look different now, but the author kept referring to taking picture at each place he stopped, and I just really wanted to see some of them!
uberbutter's review
4.0
I love history. I read history, I study history, I have my degree in it, I've volunteered at my local history museum for 6 year (which, to my surprise, the museum is listed in this book as a special thanks along with the curator and my old professor). I'm that gal that stands at any given spot and wonders "What happened here? Who was here? Stood here before me?" This book was for me. I enjoy learning about the "little" facts, the forgotten past. The stories were informative and fascinating. And I'm slightly jealous of the author's journey to find more history. I wish there had been some pictures added in. The author writes quite frequently about photographing sites and I would have loved to see them, even if the original historical building/event/person was no longer. I would love to see him write another book in the same vein!
stephang18's review
3.0
The author travels across America to find unmarked spots where significant historical events occurred. Two problems: the author is somewhat of a coward and the spots he picks tend to show the bad and ugly side of American history.
librarianonparade's review
4.0
I picked this up because I, like Carroll, am a self-proclaimed history nut and it looked like a fun little romp through some forgotten episodes in America's history. 'Forgotten' is not perhaps the best word to use - if all the people and places mentioned in this book were truly forgotten, there would be no way for anyone, let alone the author, to know about them at all. 'Neglected' is perhaps a better term, or 'bypassed'.
There's no great depth to this book, but it was a lively, engaging read, and it brought to light some interesting places and people from America's history. For example, whilst I knew that the 1918 Spanish flu didn't originate in Spain, I didn't realise it actually originated in America and was transferred to Europe by American troops in WW1. I didn't realise that Al Capone's older brother was a federal agent, or that electronic television was invented by a 14-year-old ploughing his family's farm, or that an African-American woman named Irene Morgan refused to give up her bus seat some 11 years before Rosa Parks famously did.
It's the kind of book I found myself reading aloud to people, reciting facts preceded by an surprised 'did you know?'... A light holiday kind of read. I only wish I'd saved it for my actual holiday.
There's no great depth to this book, but it was a lively, engaging read, and it brought to light some interesting places and people from America's history. For example, whilst I knew that the 1918 Spanish flu didn't originate in Spain, I didn't realise it actually originated in America and was transferred to Europe by American troops in WW1. I didn't realise that Al Capone's older brother was a federal agent, or that electronic television was invented by a 14-year-old ploughing his family's farm, or that an African-American woman named Irene Morgan refused to give up her bus seat some 11 years before Rosa Parks famously did.
It's the kind of book I found myself reading aloud to people, reciting facts preceded by an surprised 'did you know?'... A light holiday kind of read. I only wish I'd saved it for my actual holiday.
katiescott's review
4.0
I am so thankful that I won this book from the goodreads first reads program! I enjoyed reading about the forgotten and unknown history detailed in this book. Mr. Carroll did an excellent job of selecting locations and events that raised questions about the importance of maintaining history. I think this book is a must-read for any history-buff, although it is definitely enjoyable enough that anyone would enjoy (and learn from) reading the stories Mr. Carroll shares.
stackwoodlibrary's review
5.0
Fabulous, I highly recommend this.
Visit the website too to learn more:
http://hereiswhere.org/
Visit the website too to learn more:
http://hereiswhere.org/
darlenemarshall's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this, not just for the history, but for the entertainment value. While I knew some of the tidbits featured by Carroll, many of the stories were new to me. For a US history geek, this is a wonderful experience.
I liked it so much I returned the library copy and bought a copy for myself and my husband to enjoy at length.
I liked it so much I returned the library copy and bought a copy for myself and my husband to enjoy at length.
manogirl's review
3.0
ARGH. If this book had been two sections shorter, I'd have loved it. But it got old. Fast. Don't get me wrong, this is one of those "chock full of repeat-out-loud facts" books. There are fascinating historical tidbits from the whole of America's history in here. But it just gets monotonous. It's almost like a short story book. Non-fiction short stories. And well, I don't love short stories.
More...