India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent (Audrey Truschke)

In India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent, author Audrey Truschke offers a brisk, yet comprehensive journey through South Asian history, providing an accessible and intelligent account of the region's vast and diverse past. The book’s timeline spans from the Indus Valley civilization through the modern era.

Throughout the book, Truschke refers to India in the context of the Indian subcontinent, which includes modern Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, parts of Afghanistan and Burma, as well as nearby Sri Lanka. She emphasizes the region's pluralism, noting India was and is a multiethnic region that has spent more of history in smaller regional states than larger nation-states. She integrates both textual and material evidence, drawing from a range of sources to present a multifaceted view of the subcontinent’s rich history. 

From a general history perspective, Truschke shares India’s history with relative fairness and balance, albeit with some frank commentary woven in at times. On the whole, Truschke's India serves as a solid resource for those seeking an introduction to South Asian history from a scholarly perspective.

MY RATING: 4

Mark Twain (Ron Chernow)

Ron Chernow’s Mark Twain is an exhaustive and nuanced portrait of one of America’s most iconic figures, Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Chernow traces Twain’s evolution from a mischievous child in Missouri to a global literary celebrity and cultural critic. This biography is meticulously researched, drawing from a wealth of personal letters, unpublished manuscripts, and historical records, providing readers with a comprehensive understanding of Twain's multifaceted life.

Chernow explores Twain's early career as a riverboat pilot, his rise as a humorist and author, and his later years marked by personal tragedies and financial mishaps. The biography also critically examines Twain's complex views on race, his evolving political consciousness, and his relationships with family and friends. 

Excluding the index, the book checks in at over 1,030 pages. At times, the granular detail of all things Twain borders on overkill. As someone who has read Hamilton and Washington cover to cover, I felt Chernow at times was stretching and adding too much author analysis where none was necessary. Despite this, the depth and breadth of Chernow's research makes the book a valuable resource for readers interested in a very, very thorough exploration of Twain's legacy. 

MY RATING: 4

Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery (Richard Kreitner)

In Fear No Pharaoh: American Jews, the Civil War, and the Fight to End Slavery, author Richard Kreitner explores the wide range of perspectives within the 19th-century Jewish community in regard to faith, slavery, and the Civil War.  The book profiles six Jewish individuals who had varied and prominent roles in mid 19th Century America: Judah Benjamin, a lawyer and Confederate leader; Morris Raphall, a rabbi who defended slavery; Isaac Mayer Wise, who advocated for neutrality; David Einhorn, an abolitionist rabbi; August Bondi, a revolutionary and Union soldier; and Ernestine Rose, a feminist and atheist abolitionist. These case studies illustrate the complexities between faith, identity, and political ideology.

Kreitner delves into the broader context of Jewish life in America, highlighting the challenges of assimilation and the pressures to conform to prevailing societal norms. He effectively demonstrates that, much like their non-Jewish counterparts, Jews were not monolithic in their views on slavery, with some supporting it, others opposing it, and many grappling with the ethical implications of their positions. Kreitner also devotes significant time to discussing how Jewish Americans were perceived in American society and the varying ebbs and flows of antisemitic behavior by Americans throughout the country in the middle of the 19th Century.

Fear No Pharaoh is a significant contribution to books on Jewish history and its relationship and views on American slavery.

MY RATING: 4

Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America (Will Bardenwerper)

Will Bardenwerper’s Homestand: Small Town Baseball and the Fight for the Soul of America explores how the decline of minor league baseball in rural America mirrors broader societal shifts. Through the lens of the Batavia Muckdogs, a team from upstate New York, Bardenwerper delves into themes of community, identity, and the impact of corporate decisions on local life.​

The Muckdogs were among 42 minor league teams contracted by Major League Baseball in 2021. Despite losing official affiliation as a minor league team, they found new life by joining a collegiate summer league under local ownership. Bardenwerper immerses himself in the community, attending games and engaging with fans, to capture the essence of small-town baseball and its significance beyond the sport itself.​ The author’s time in Batavia in 2022 coincides with the Muckdogs’ run to the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League title series, and the book captures a number of moments in both the town and the team over a few months.

Homestand serves as both a tribute to the enduring power of community through the author’s personal storytelling, as well as a critique of the forces that threaten to erode it. Bardenwerper’s work is a timely reminder of the importance of preserving local institutions and the connections they foster in an increasingly corporate world.

MY RATING: 4.5

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival (Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour)

Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock’s Wildest Festival by Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour is an engaging oral history that captures the 1990s alternative rock scene through the lens of the groundbreaking music festival, Lollapalooza. Conceived by Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction as a farewell tour for his band in 1991, the festival evolved into a cultural phenomenon, introducing audiences to bands like Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, and the Smashing Pumpkins.

Drawing from over two hundred interviews with artists, promoters, and industry insiders, the authors provide an in-depth look at the festival's inception, its innovative traveling format, and its role in promoting political and cultural advocacy. They also take the reader behind-the-scenes with plenty of hilarious stories of the crazy things that happened on tour. 

The book also highlights the challenges faced during the festival's peak and its eventual decline due in part  to competition from other events like Lilith Fair and Ozzfest. Another factor of the tour’s decline was a sort of identity crisis in terms of festival lineups. From an indie-oriented Sonic Youth in 1995, Metallica was selected in ‘96 before organizers pivoted Lollapalooza towards its conventional alternative roots in ‘97 (plus the inclusion of Snoop Dogg). 

Overall, Lollapalooza offers a comprehensive and entertaining account of the festival's impact on alternative rock and its lasting influence on the music industry. It's a must-read for fans of '90s music and those interested in the evolution of live music festivals. 

MY RATING: 5

What to Expect When You're Dead: An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife (Robert Garland)

In What to Expect When You’re Dead: An Ancient Tour of Death and the Afterlife, author Robert Garland offers an engaging exploration of the afterlife, effortlessly combining humor, religion, and philosophy. Garland delves into the various cultural, historical, and religious perspectives on death, offering readers a broad view of how it has been conceptualized across time. The book doesn’t claim to provide definitive answers on the afterlife (if one even exists) – it merely encourages readers to consider a multitude of possibilities while emphasizing that the mystery of death is both universal and uniquely personal.

One of the key arguments Garland makes is that the concept of an afterlife has been shaped by human imagination and fear. He examines various traditions, such as the Christian view of Heaven and Hell as well as the ancient Egyptian beliefs in the afterlife, and even the modern scientific perspective on death. He suggests that these views often reflect societal values and the need for reassurance in the face of mortality.

Garland also critiques the way death is often sanitized in modern society, where it is largely removed from daily life. He points out that death is a part of human existence that many people are uncomfortable facing. As a result, there is a tendency to avoid or even deny the inevitability of our mortality. This denial leads to a superficial understanding of death, which Garland argues diminishes the richness of life and the potential for a more profound approach to living. Garland discusses how death is often framed as something to be feared, but in many cultures, it is viewed as a transition, not an end. 

Garland concludes by suggesting that while the afterlife remains an unsolvable mystery, how we approach death can shape how we live, encouraging readers to contemplate their own beliefs about mortality. What to Expect When You’re Dead is an enjoyable exploration of the hereafter, both as it is viewed now as well as in historical context.

MY RATING: 4.5

Walking Europe's Last Wilderness (Nick Thorpe)

In Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness: A Journey Through the Carpathian Mountains, author Nick Thorpe explores Eastern Europe's often-overlooked landscapes, framed through an ambitious journey through the Carpathian Mountains. The book blends natural terrain, human geography, and cultural history into a captivating series of stories of people and place. Thorpe’s journey takes him through several countries that the Carpathians cut through, including Romania, Poland, and Hungary. These countries have at one time or another dominated their neighbors or have been dominated by other powers such as Russia.

One of the book’s greatest strengths lies in its detailed portrayal of the diverse geography and humanity that the Carpathians comprises. His descriptions are grounded in personal encounters and historical context, providing insight into how the land has shaped and been shaped by the people who live in it. Besides the Carpathian Mountains, the Danube and several other rivers traverse through this landscape as well, which provide their own sets of history to the region; the Romans at one time used the Danube as a quasi-frontier for its empire. 

The book shines when it delves into the environmental challenges facing these landscapes. Thorpe is attentive to ecological tensions and the impact of modern development on what he describes as “Europe’s last wilderness.” The Danube Delta, in particular, is rendered as a fragile, biodiverse ecosystem at the mercy of both geopolitical and environmental forces.

Geography here is not just background but actually integral to the narrative. From shifting borders to cultural enclaves isolated by terrain, Thorpe reveals how geography and history are inseparable. He encourages readers to consider not just where places are, but what they mean in a broader European context. For those interested in physical landscapes and the cultural forces that define them, Walking Europe’s Last Wilderness is a rewarding and enlightening read.

MY RATING: 4.5