The Armenian Genocide was the systematic of ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during World War I. The genocide lasted from 1915 to 1918, and around 1 million Armenians were murdered during this time. Religious differences between the Islamic Ottoman Empire and the Christian Armenians were a catalyst for the perpetration of genocide. Forced marches through the desert, massacres, robbery, and systematic rape were all tactics used in this genocide. Many more were forced to convert to Islamic practices, mostly the women and children. Despite all of the evidence that proves the Armenian Genocide was a true event, the government of Turkey refuses to admit this. It is extremely unfortunate that this is not recognized for what it is, though several countries do agree that it meets the criteria for genocide. It is equally unfortunate that this isn't widely taught in schools, because it serves as another red flag warning sign for many of the things that people across the world, including the United States, are facing today with forced religion and other genocidal tactics.

I have had this book sitting in my Audible for an obscene amount of time. This year has been very productive for finishing all these things I have bought and not started yet, and I keep thinking I hate that it took me so long to read something...this was one of those times. This book was highly rated, and I had high hopes for it. The Armenian Genocide is a very rarely mentioned topic, and I was certainly never educated about it. I only found out about it in passing through a podcast I listen to, and was interested to learn more. This book was full of well researched, historical information that was presented in an unbiased, straightforward way. If you are wanting to learn more about this topic, I would strongly suggest adding this one to your wish list. 

This is the personal account of Jim Davidson's experiences as a mountain climber. Davidson was climbing Mount Everest with his team on April 25, 2015 when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal. This earthquake and aftershocks caused several avalanches on the snowy mountain, cutting off the exit path for the climbers. Davidson and his team were stuck 20,000 feet above sea level in the snow for two days. This book details his experiences of that day, as well as how he worked through his fear and uncertainty about climbing again. He eventually returned to complete his adventure, which is more than I could have managed.

I remember this earthquake very well. The devastation it caused in Nepal was tremendous, with extremely old structures crumbling like dust. This earthquake killed almost 9,000 people and injured many more. Eighteen people who were also on Mount Everest that day wound up being included in the death toll. Mountain climbing is not something that interests me in particular, but I do enjoy a good natural disaster book. I thought this book was well written, and clearly described the events and feelings of that day. Obviously, historical facts were included, which I appreciated. If you are interested in that particular earthquake, mountain climbing, or are just a morbid person like I am, this may be a good book for you. I have had this one for a while, and I wish that I wouldn't have waited so long to read it.

 This book is a retelling of the mythological being, Circe. In this book, she is banished to an island by Zeus, where she perfects her witchy ways. A lot of well known mythological characters make an appearance in this book, which was fun.

I am genuinely interested in mythology, and I had hopes that I would like this book. This is not something that I would typically read, however a friend has convinced me to read this book and The Song of Achilles. I have to admit that I liked this more than I thought that I would, and I am grateful for that. This author has a nice way with words, and there are quite a few lines in this book that would make some very memorable quotes. I am really looking forward to The Song of Achilles now. 

 Nathan Fruedenthal Leopold and Richard Albert Loeb were both born in Chicago, Illinois. The former was born in 1904, and the latter was born in 1905. Leopold was exceptionally smart, studying several languages and other subjects. He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago, and planned to attend Harvard to study law. He was also very into birds, donating specimens to the Field Museum, as well as winning national recognition for his contributions to birding. Loeb was also exceptionally smart, graduating from the University of Michigan at age 17. He was into crime novels and read extensively. It is interesting to note these facts about these two, because they were both extremely smart and gifted in academics, came from wealthy families, lived in nice neighborhoods, and were college educated. A lot of times, people think that criminals are the underbelly of society, but this is a shining example of how that isn't strictly the case. As brilliant as these two were in academics, they found themselves taken with the idea that they were supermen, based on writings by Friedrich Nietzsche. Upset that the petty crimes they had been committing were not getting them enough attention for their amazing superhuman powers, they decided to commit the "perfect crime".

If you are unfamiliar with the Leopold and Loeb case, this book is very well researched and contains all the facts of the case. I had already listened to a couple of podcasts and watched an episode of some show about this case, but I still managed to learn a great deal about the two as individuals. It is very thought provoking to consider how people like this find themselves together and committing crimes, despite having every advantage in the world to be thriving members of society. This book is part of The Last Podcast On The Left reading list, so if you are one of the ones who follows that and needs one of those books...here you go. This book is also available to listen to on Audible Plus currently, though I found this copy at the library. I highly recommend this if you are interested in older true crime cases. 

 Daniel Alexander Payne Murray was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1852. He was born free in the era of slavery in the United States. His father was a Methodist preacher, and his mother was reported to be of Native heritage. He was educated in Maryland by prominent Black teachers, in both public and private schools. He received a really exceptional education, especially compared to his peers that were born and raised in slavery. He began working at the restaurant that served the Library of Congress, before joining the Library's staff in 1871. He eventually became the Assistant Librarian. He also had many other business dealings, increasing his wealth and societal rank exponentially. He became a leading authority on issues pertaining to Black people and slavery, was asked to speak on these issues many times in the post-Civil War era. This book goes into exceptional detail about his life and contributions to history. Also mentioned was the concept that Black people could not become wealthy or fit into elite society, often spouted by White Supremacists. This look into the lives of free Black people not only challenge, but disprove, those ignorant claims made by some people.

I have to be honest and say that I was absolutely unaware of a society of Black elite in the United States. I will admit that I am severely undereducated on United States history, because I found it boring, and especially on minority issues. I will also blame part of that on the lack of education I received on topics such as this from my Southern school system. I thought this was a wonderfully educational book, and I am very excited to explore this topic more. If you have other books on this topic to suggest to me, send me a message! The only real issue that I had with this book was that it seemed to meander off the main point at times. I have it on Audible, which could have been an issue strictly with that format. It has a lot of pages, and it is not a short listen by any means. When I read or listen to hefty books, I would really like it to not meander. Overall, it was a very good book, and I am pleased with it. 

 The Great Reform Act was passed in Britain in 1832. In passing this bill, the British Parliament introduced major changes to the electoral system that was in place in England and Wales. This Act gave representation to cities and expanded the amount of people that were able to vote in elections to include tenant farmers. This also was a shining moment for the women's suffrage movement in the targeting of language in laws that hindered women from being able to represent themselves and have a vote.

I knew nothing about this Act prior to reading this book, and the only reason I even got it was because of the author. I have always enjoyed Antonia Fraser's work, and this was no exception. Her work is always very meticulously researched and easy to follow, making it an enjoyable and educational read. I have a couple of other books of hers left to read, and I am very much looking forward to them as well. 

 SFC Dillard Johnson was a member of the Third Infantry Division during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He commanded a Bradley vehicle where, along with his crew, he was in heavy contact with enemy forces. After ending that tour of duty, he received a cancer diagnosis which he then had to fight. After recovering from his cancer diagnosis, he went back for another tour in Baghdad. He wound up earning a Silver Star, a Bronze Star, four Purple Hearts, a Presidential Unit Citation, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, six Army Commendation Medals, seven Army Achievement Medals, and numerous other awards.

His story is tense, emotional, and inspiring. I typically refrain from reading anything about the Iraq and Afghanistan situations for personal reasons that I am not going to get into here, but I found this book at the library and was drawn to it. This is a great book for anyone who is interested in the Third Infantry Division, Iraq/Afghanistan Wars, etc. 

 This book was slightly multi-faceted in that it discussed the specific case of a very recently deceased 14 year old street orphan. Living on the street during this time period was exceptionally tough and miserable, as there were not a lot of resources available for homeless people, not to mention the filth of the city. It also did a great overview of the whole concept and profession of body snatching. (I would like to say that has become less common in this modern age, but there was just an article out about a doctor who sold parts donated to science to oddity collectors, who when bedazzled and sold them.) Body snatching was exceptionally common during this period, due to the need of medical and science colleges who were teaching anatomy. Another term for body snatching that may be more familiar to some is grave robbing. Bodies would often be exhumed shortly after burial when the ground was easier to dig and the bodies weren't terribly decayed.

I picked this book up at the library while I was waiting on my girls to finish their event. I like historical crime books like this, and it reminded me of a Kate Summerscale book, so I thought I would try it out. This book was well researched, and painted a very grim picture of what like in 1800s London was like. I am glad to know that the quality of life has improved for many people, and that it isn't nearly as filthy as this book described it to be. Society has come a little way from living in absolute squalor, so that is a comforting take away from this book. I was familiar with the concept of body snatching, but I appreciated the detailed information that this book provided on the subject. The three body snatching men that were the focus of this book were interesting people to learn about as well. If you are into older crime cases or morbid history, give this book a try. 

The One Child Policy was adopted in China in 1979, continuing throughout 2015. The purpose of this policy was to curb the rapid population growth, which would ease the need for more resources. There were a few exceptions to this rule, such as if one had a dead or disabled child, where parents were allowed to have more than one child. If parents had more than one child before these rules were put into place, they were given a certificate exempting them from any legal recourse, but they also had to ensure that they would not have another child. Some areas also allowed families to have a second child if the first one was a girl, which led many to be placed into orphanages. In 2015, they increased the limit of children to two per family, though all limits have been removed at the time of writing this review.

I had been wanting to read this book for a while, and when I saw that it was available on Audible Plus, I figured now was as good a time as any to download and listen to it. It was really informative. I wasn't very knowledgeable about this, thought I had heard of it. All of the information related in this book was valuable to me. It was well written and easy to follow. 

 This is the personal memoir of the author, Ira Wagler, who was born and raised in the Amish religious community. He paints a very detailed picture about what life was like living in an Amish community, as well as what motivated him to leave it all behind. I remember watching the Breaking Amish show on television before, and I was really curious about the idea of Rumspringa. I was glad to see the author go more into detail about this rite of passage in this book. If you are looking for something that will teach you a little bit about what life inside the Amish is like, this may be a good one for you. It is also currently available to listen to for free on Audible Plus with your subscription.