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Elektra: A Novel
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Kelly Macquire

Elektra: A Novel

Elektra by Jennifer Saint is a novel retelling numerous popular tales from Greek mythology, including Paris of Troy stealing away Helen of Sparta, the Trojan War in response to this disrespect to Menelaus, and the aftermath of Agamemnon's...
The Donkey and the Boat: Reinterpreting the Mediterranean Economy, 950-1180
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Richard Tuttle

The Donkey and the Boat: Reinterpreting the Mediterranean Economy, 950-1180

Primarily aimed towards scholars who have an interest in the economies of the Mediterranean region during the Middle Ages, Chris Wickham’s newest publication, The Donkey and the Boat: Reinterpreting the Mediterranean Economy, 950-1180, is...
The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Shankar Chaudhuri

The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company

According to Dalrymple, corporate greed drove EIC’s ambitions in India. With little accountability, company officials such as Robert Clive accumulated enormous wealth through graft, extortion, plunder, and other means. Meanwhile, EIC's ill-fated...
My Name Is Henry Bibb: A Story of Slavery and Freedom
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Manushree A

My Name Is Henry Bibb: A Story of Slavery and Freedom

The deeply poignant children's novel My Name Is Henry Bibb takes readers on an engrossing journey through the unique life of Henry Bibb, an African American man born into slavery in the early 19th century. This novel, based on Bibb's true...
Obeah, Race and Racism: Caribbean Witchcraft in the English Imagination
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Ashleigh C. Onfroy

Obeah, Race and Racism: Caribbean Witchcraft in the English Imagination

Obeah, Race and Racism: Caribbean Witchcraft in the English Imagination is a historical account of how the practices of Obeah by enslaved Africans came to be perceived, feared, recognised, and even utilised by European captors. This book...
Going Underground: Race, Space, and the Subterranean in the Nineteenth-Century United States
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Omari Averette-Phillips

Going Underground: Race, Space, and the Subterranean in the Nineteenth-Century United States

The word “underground” conjures many ideas in our minds. Those of us skewed toward an understanding of 19th-century U.S. history inevitably think of the Underground Railroad. In Going Underground: Race, Space, and the Subterranean in the...
Irregular Unions: Clandestine Marriage in Early Modern English Literature
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Reisa Rogovein

Irregular Unions: Clandestine Marriage in Early Modern English Literature

Katharine Cleland's study of clandestine marriage in Irregular Unions: Clandestine Marriage in Early Modern English Literature enhances readers' understanding of such marriage by showing its literary importance. As Cleland argues, the three...
Caravaggio: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Zhihui Zou

Caravaggio: A Reference Guide to His Life and Works

Launched in 2018, Rowman & Littlefield's book series Significant Figures in World History contains academic encyclopedias of famous people in history, ranging from Catherine the Great to Nelson Mandela. These titles all conclude a chronology...
Women and the Crusades
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Zhihui Zou

Women and the Crusades

Between the 11th and 16th centuries, the idea of 'crusading' was dominant in Europe. Helen J. Nicholson's new book reminds us that crusading during this time had a much broader implication than trying to capture Jerusalem. Any journeys or...
Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Cameron Ruff

Pox Americana: The Great Smallpox Epidemic of 1775-82

Since its original publication in 2002, Pox Americana has become a hugely influential scholarly work. In this book, Elizabeth A. Fenn argues that while the American Revolution changed political and military conditions throughout the world...
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