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tarheel99's review against another edition
4.0
Won on Firstreads. I liked this book quite a bit. Had very interesting stories and topics all the way through the book. Author really showed how much he cared about all of these unrecognized people and events throughout American history, and how much he felt they needed to be more than an afterthought. If there's a second volume to come in the future, count me in.
luvbug7554's review against another edition
4.0
Short stories telling little know historical footnotes. Written in a format like a letter to a fried.
verumsolum's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, light read through a bunch of historic sites from all over the United States and the people and stories behind them. I also appreciated the bite-size chapters, because I could easily pick this book up at any time and not worry about having a lot of context to remember (especially if I had last left the book at a chapter break)
bronwynmb's review against another edition
5.0
Won through Goodreads.
More like 4.5 stars, but I'll give it 5.
I really enjoyed this book. Carroll went around the U.S. traveling to places that were important to our history but have been forgotten and don't have markers. The book is broken down into sections based on what the event was; there is a section for medical history, technological history, graves/death history, preservation of history, and more. Some of these sections I enjoyed more than others. I didn't enjoy the medical section as much, but that is because I'm not very interested in it, not because it wasn't interesting. My favorite section was the historical preservation chapter where Carroll discusses the Dunlap broadsides, the Alamo, and more. The graves/death section was also very interesting, and had one of the saddest chapters in the book, in my opinion. (Also, the chapter on Philo Farnsworth was really interesting; I knew a little about him because of Warehouse 13, but that was it. It was great to learn more about him, and I really felt sorry for him overall.)
My only criticism of the book would be that the chapter headings don't always really reflect what the chapter is about. The place that the title is for may just be the jumping off point to discuss something else overall (e.g. The Leary Bookshop is just a way to talk about the Dunlap broadsides and the preservation of them, or lack thereof). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, all of the tangents Carroll goes on are fascinating, but I sometimes wished to know a bit more about the place that the chapter was supposed to be about. Another slight criticism would be that the quotes used at the beginning of each chapter didn't always make sense to me, but if I read them again it might become clear.
Overall, a very interesting book about things people should know more about. I would recommend this to everyone, especially those interested in American history or lesser known history.
More like 4.5 stars, but I'll give it 5.
I really enjoyed this book. Carroll went around the U.S. traveling to places that were important to our history but have been forgotten and don't have markers. The book is broken down into sections based on what the event was; there is a section for medical history, technological history, graves/death history, preservation of history, and more. Some of these sections I enjoyed more than others. I didn't enjoy the medical section as much, but that is because I'm not very interested in it, not because it wasn't interesting. My favorite section was the historical preservation chapter where Carroll discusses the Dunlap broadsides, the Alamo, and more. The graves/death section was also very interesting, and had one of the saddest chapters in the book, in my opinion. (Also, the chapter on Philo Farnsworth was really interesting; I knew a little about him because of Warehouse 13, but that was it. It was great to learn more about him, and I really felt sorry for him overall.)
My only criticism of the book would be that the chapter headings don't always really reflect what the chapter is about. The place that the title is for may just be the jumping off point to discuss something else overall (e.g. The Leary Bookshop is just a way to talk about the Dunlap broadsides and the preservation of them, or lack thereof). This isn't necessarily a bad thing, all of the tangents Carroll goes on are fascinating, but I sometimes wished to know a bit more about the place that the chapter was supposed to be about. Another slight criticism would be that the quotes used at the beginning of each chapter didn't always make sense to me, but if I read them again it might become clear.
Overall, a very interesting book about things people should know more about. I would recommend this to everyone, especially those interested in American history or lesser known history.
librarianonparade's review against another edition
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.
mrlzbth's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this one! It was a good read for summer, as there's a "history road trip" feel to the whole thing as Carroll travels the U.S. in search of sites where lesser-known historical events occurred. He picks a good variety of events and keeps things moving at a enjoyable pace. Highly recommended!
joyxrm1's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes this felt like a huge potluck dinner without a theme...lots of delicious flavors, but it didn't make a coherent meal. However, with that said I really enjoyed Andrew Carroll's historical mystery tour of little known or unknown sites. He has an engaging style and cares about the people that time has forgotten. My favorite chapters were on civil rights, science and medicine.
mynameiskate's review
3.0
This was pretty good. Probably even a 3.5 stars. It got a little rambly at times, but Carroll chose out-of-the ordinary stories and people. And I liked the way he wrote the history of a place, the biography of the person and his own experience together.
I also found his end notes/bibliography/acknowledgements unusual. He had a section for each story in the book which included all his thank you's and a relevant bibliography. This was super handy.
One thing that did disappoint me .. also in his end notes, he included teasers of the people and places that he didn't write about. Most of them were women. I wish he had included more women's stories in the main text of the book itself.
Overall .. if you like out-of-the-ordinary American history, you'll probably like this.
I also found his end notes/bibliography/acknowledgements unusual. He had a section for each story in the book which included all his thank you's and a relevant bibliography. This was super handy.
One thing that did disappoint me .. also in his end notes, he included teasers of the people and places that he didn't write about. Most of them were women. I wish he had included more women's stories in the main text of the book itself.
Overall .. if you like out-of-the-ordinary American history, you'll probably like this.
suggoiai's review
4.0
A good history travelogue. Lots of glimpses of hidden and forgotten history.
Of particular interest to me was the fight over the Alamo. Not the original battle, but rather the struggle over it's preservation. It made me realize why my grandad was so keen on taking me there when we went through Texas.
This book is an interesting read that balances history and personal stories about its discovery very well.
Of particular interest to me was the fight over the Alamo. Not the original battle, but rather the struggle over it's preservation. It made me realize why my grandad was so keen on taking me there when we went through Texas.
This book is an interesting read that balances history and personal stories about its discovery very well.
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!