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literacyluminary's reviews
971 reviews
Mona Lisa in Camelot: Jacqueline Kennedy and the True Story of the Painting's High-Stakes Journey to America by Margaret Leslie Davis
4.0
Jackie was glamorous, mysterious, magical, iconic. This was a wonderful window into a 6 month period of her life and her influence on fine arts.
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman
4.0
There are probably thousands of stories of people risking their lives, families and homes to save Jews during WWII. Add this story of the Zabinski's, polish zoo-keepers, who used their zoo and home to facilitate the Underground movement to save the lives of over 300 hundred Polish Jews. After the German invasion of Warsaw, the Germans either killed or removed all of the zoo animals. The empty zoo cages helped hide scores of doomed people, who were code-named after the animals whose cages they occupied. As much as it was a story about the zoo and the Zabinski's, there was a broader story about the Polish Underground, Warsaw Ghetto and the Warsaw uprising.
Prisoner of Tehran by Marina Nemat
3.0
The evil and brutality that exists in this world is mind numbing. And how anyone can survive it is equally astonishing. Thankfully, Marina Nemat did. And thankfully, she chose to share her nightmare with millions.
The Heretic's Daughter by Kathleen Kent
5.0
I was so close to giving up on this book. It evolved slowly at first, but the rhythm and pace quickened once the seeds of “witchcraft” were planted, to where I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The fictionalized story of Martha Carrier, a condemned “witch” during the Salem witch trials, and her family as told by her daughter Sarah, was truly extraordinary. How religious hysteria and superstition could turn neighbor against neighbor and brothers against sisters in order to “save your soul.” This was a great book.
The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why by Amanda Ripley
5.0
Wow! A must read for everyone. Do any of us pay attention to flight attendant demos? Do we know where the nearest flight of stairs is in a hotel? All the little things we could do to help us survive a disaster.
Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell
3.0
A quirky, funny and historical look at presidential assinations and their perpetrators.