Posts
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
I thoroughly enjoyed John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed (2021). He can take the most obscure topic (Diet Dr. Pepper) and make it so interesting and relevant, and, very often, humorous. Also, he has the most beautiful prose – I just love listening to him.
The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon
Sharon McMahon, host of the podcast Here’s Where It Gets Interesting, debuts with a compelling blend of biography and history that sheds light on little known figures who made a difference. The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Foun
American Sherlock by Kate Winkler Dawson
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI (2020) by Kate Winkler Dawson recounts the life and career of Edward Oscar Heinrich (1881-1953), one of the founding fathers of forensic science in the United States.
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Organizational psychologist Adam Grant (Think Again, 2021 and Originals, 2016) returns with a readable, engaging work on potential, success, and talent.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
The Feather Thief (2018) is a fascinating combination of true crime and natural history which reads like a novel. Its author, Kirk Wallace Johnson, was on a fishing trip when his guide told him an anecdote about an unusual heist: the 2009 theft of hundreds of dead birds from a British natural history museum.
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
For the last twenty years, record executive and producer Rick Rubin has significantly shaped the course of hip hop, rock, and popular music, among other music genres. Thanks to his impact on the industry, he was named as one of Time's "100 Most Influential People in the World."
Brave the Wild River by Melissa Sevigny
In 1938, Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter were the first botanists to run the river rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon to Lake Mead. At the time women in science were a rarity. While botany was considered acceptable for women, it was news-making and controversial for women to go on the actual expeditions to collect plant samples.
Hangry by Mike Evans
Local Chicagoan, Mike Evans, founder of the startup 'GrubHub', brings us his inspiring story in Hangry (2022). He details the grit and determination it takes to be an entrepreneur and build up your business, but along with success comes burnout and disillusionment.
Broadcast Hysteria by A. Brad Schwartz
On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles’s radio program Mercury Theatre on the Air broadcast a radio play based on the H.G. Wells novel War of the Worlds. The original novel, set in 1890s England, told the story of a Martian invasion of Earth.
Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan
Jim Gaffigan, in the book, Dad is Fat (2013) expounds on the challenges of having his hands full with 5 children. His fertile wife gets pregnant just looking at babies, while Jim wonders if he will be a good father. To his astonishment he rises to the challenge and finds that having children can be a rewarding experience. He muses on people who sit around all day and j
A Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
Many people associate the Ku Klux Klan with the South. But in Timothy Egan’s compelling and infuriating history, you’ll learn about the rise of the Klan in the 1920s Midwest, particularly Indiana.