The Gunpowder Plot refers to a conspiracy to blow up the House of Lords and King James I, on November 5, 1605, by some English Catholics that were led by Robert Catesby. One of his co-conspirators was Guy Fawkes, a man who had ten years of military experience, and who was the one that was in charge of the explosives. Fawkes was discovered guarding thirty six barrels of gunpowder, and was tried and sentenced for his failed assassination. This date is now known as Guy Fawkes Day, and is celebrated with fireworks, which is kind of...ironic.

I won't get into many of the details and background of how this plot came to be and what happened with the rest of Catesby and Fawkes' cohorts, but the story is very interesting. I am in the United States, so this was not something that was ever mentioned in any of my classes. I remember briefly reading about it once I started my World History major, but nothing as in depth as this book goes. I personally really like the work of Antonia Fraser, which is always properly researched and entertaining to read. I always learn a lot from the books that are written by her, and this one was no exception. I hate that I took forever to get around to reading this one. 

The Rwanda Genocide occurred from April to July of 1994. Around half a million people (possibly more) identifying as Tutsi (as well as some Twa and Hutu that were sympathetic) were murdered by Hutu militias. There were also a lot who were injured horrifically from machete attacks that were meant to kill but did not. There was a lot of sexual violence that occurred as well, to both women and children. A lot of this was brought about the civil war and ensuing power vacuum. The trauma that the country experienced was deep, and lasted far longer than the 100 days in which the genocide took place. Many are living with post traumatic stress as well as physical impairments from wounds.

I did a little googling while reading this book, and as recently as 2018, more mass graves were discovered. Two, in fact, were found near the Kigali Genocide Memorial. Scholarly estimates say around 600,000 people were killed, but many believe the number is closer to 800,000. It is terrible to think about these people laying in unidentified graves, their families not knowing what happened to them or where they are. Some are being identified through DNA efforts, and some from clothing remnants or personal effects. There are still visible effects from the genocide, such as bullet holes in buildings and physical scars on people, which serve as constant reminders of the horrors that so many faced.

The author of this book traveled all over Rwanda as a foreign correspondent. His efforts to convey the trauma of a people were done in a way that makes the reader understand the motives behind this genocide and the horrors the people lived through. I doubt a lot of us think about what it must take to recover from genocide, and focus on infrastructure. People often fix roads, power grids, and buildings as essential and visible signs of recovery. The political and governmental structures also must change, which is not something in the forefront of a lot of minds. Plus, how does the government handle thousands of people who have suffered and lost loved ones? The book was really well researched and well written, giving a decent picture of what Rwanda was like both pre and post genocide. There is a lot of information about key figures in Rwanda and their efforts to rebuild. This book is currently available on the Audible Plus catalog, which was nice because it was in my Wish List and this allowed me to use my credit on something else. I very much enjoyed this book, and it was a great compliment to the other books I have read on this subject. I am always happy to learn more. 

Dexter Filkins is an American journalist who made a name for himself covering the Iraq War and Afghanistan War for The New York Times. Of course, this book has a lot about the attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001 by Al Qaeda. This book also covers a lot about the rise of the Taliban and a lot of the things that the author witnessed while serving as a war correspondent overseas. The quality of writing in his articles and this book is well above par. He has a way of conveying experiences and information in a way that grab you emotionally and mentally.

Some of the things he writes about in this book are absolutely horrific, but nothing that is unheard of by this point. We have been watching coverage of military and political actions regarding Taliban and these wars for over twenty years. (This is insane to think about, because I was in eighth grade when the attacks happened, and have seen/lost friends and loved ones due to these wars.) I think the shock value of what the Taliban does has worn off, and now it is just an "of course they are doing that" type of thing, and that is scary and sad. The author does a great job relating his experiences in a way that makes them believable and readable. It had a lot of points that really make one think about things.

 Before he was a President of the United States, John F. Kennedy was Jack. A rich boy from a rich family with a lot of siblings. He got into a lot of mischief with his siblings, cousins, and friends. He never wanted to be bored or have a dull moment in his life. Of course, his life had several tragedies in it, including the death of his brother and sister. This book goes into what Jack was like, before he was President. The book actually only devotes a couple of chapters to his career as President, which is not what I was expecting when I got this book.

I got this book a while back at my favorite used bookstore. I finally got around to reading it, and I was expecting the book to be heavily focused on his presidency. It did have some information in it about the Cuban Missile Crisis that I did not know, so it was worth the read for that alone. A lot of this information I had already read about in other books, because family dynasties are one of my favorite book topics. I think it was a good refresher book. If you are interested in Kennedy, this book was well researched and written in a way that was not boring at all to read. A lot of people shy away from nonfiction because of that, but this one was written in, what I would consider, a fast paced manner. 

 Henry Knox was born in Massachusetts in 1750. He left school at age nine to support his family after the death of his father. He was very keen, reading as many books as he could get his hands on, and even teaching himself French. Despite his brilliant mind, he became involved in local street gangs, where he learned the art of fisticuffs. He was a witness to the Boston Massacre, which left an impression on him. He stated that he attempted to diffuse the situation, and ultimately wound up testifying at the trial on behalf of the British soldiers. Knox eventually opened his own bookshop, which was frequented by British and British supporters.

One of the biggest things that Henry Knox did during the American Revolution involved the siege of Boston, which this book focuses heavily on. Knox snuck himself and his wife out of Boston during that time, joining up with the militia and building fortifications. He was also very adept at organizing cannon fire, and when the need for cannon arose, he was put in charge of fetching cannon from the capture of Ticonderoga and Crown Point. The logistics of such a feat were impressive, and the results of getting the cannon back to where they needed them the most were supremely important to the war and the historical record.

This book was exceptionally educating to me. As a world history major, I am not very well versed in United States history, and have been trying to supplement my education with various books on the topic. I did know a small amount about the Siege of Boston, and I do recall the use of captured cannon from Ticonderoga, but I had honestly never heard of Henry Knox or knew that he was essential in this feat. The whole thing was truly impressive, especially in a time where people had to move things via horse and wagon. I would like a more comprehensive biography than this one, to be honest, but it was a really good starting place for learning about one of the Founding Fathers that aren't as frequently mentioned. The book was decent, I have no complaints. 

This book is one of the two newer books in the Killing Series. The focus of this book is obviously about the global war on terror, with a beginning point of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. Obviously, terror groups have been around much longer than that, but that is the jumping off point for this book. The book is written with a focus on facts, but it is written somewhat like a novel with the descriptive detail, making it easy to read and not boring. It is also around 300 pages, so pretty quick to get through.

I checked this book out at the library, because I was given the entire set for Christmas one year and didn't want to buy the two newest ones. I know that Bill O'Reilly is a controversial figure, and I probably say that in every review that I do about this series, but I do genuinely like this series of books. I do not like most, if not all, of the things that the author has said and done publicly, but I do believe in reading what you want and taking what you read with a grain of salt. I did learn a decent amount of information about ISIS that I did not know, as well as a few other things, so the book was not a waste for me. If you are a reader of this series, you will probably like the book. I did appreciate that fact that politics were largely left out of this book, because we can all use a short break from the nonsense going on around here politically.

 MS-13, also known as Mara Salvatrucha, is a well-known criminal entity that originated in California. The gang was formed in the 1970s and 1980s as a way to protect immigrants from Salvador. A lot of these immigrants came into the United States without proper documentation, and claimed asylum because of the civil war going on in their home country. Unfortunately, a lot of those claims went without acceptance, and, as a result, they faced a lot of racial discrimination from both the legal immigrants and the residents of the country. Over the years, gang members have evolved from a protection unit to a mainstream criminal organization. Deportation is common for members who are arrested for crimes, resulting in the spread of the gang to other countries. In fact, the gang is found all over the United States, Mexico, Central America, and Canada.

To become a member of MS-13, you are beaten for thirteen seconds by several people. Nearly all of the new members are minors, which is sad enough, but a lot of those are pressured into joining. A lot of the time, they are simply afraid to say no out of fear for their families. There have been several cases where entire families were executed in very violent ways because of something the gang did not like. This gang is extremely violent. They are known for vicious attacks on people for any number of reasons, especially those in rival gangs. They are also known for both femicide and infanticide, killing women and children of any age for whatever reason. This book touches on a lot of that brutality, but I did some supplemental internet research and it was staggering. I have a few other books on this topic in my wish list, and am looking forward to learning more about this.

This particular book focuses on Operation Devil Horns, a criminal investigation into MS-13 that lasted four years. This operation used two gang members, Edwin Ramos and Roberto Acosta, as inside informants to find out information about murders and other activities. The objective was to use RICO statues to dismantle the gang. While that was not successful in the long term, they were able to make over two dozen arrests. These two informants provided a deep look into the structure of the gang and the members, which helped law enforcement. Insider and personal accounts are always important to the historical narrative, but also to those of us who are just curious about things we do not know about.

This book is currently available on Audible Plus for those who are interested, but the physical copy is less than 300 pages. To be such a short book, it was packed with information about this gang. I am aware that there has been graffiti in my city that is attributed to MS-13, but I did not know a lot about the gang before reading this book. If you are looking to learn more information about MS-13, this is a good starting point. People become involved in gang activity for many different reasons, and it would be great if we could find ways to combat that without shouting from the rooftops that people from other countries should not be allowed into the United States, as though this country wasn't overtaken by Europeans to begin with. It's a two sided case in which the bad gets more publicity than the good, resulting in the negative impression of a certain demographic of people as a whole...and also just letting everyone know how some people feel about anyone who is not white. The whole situation is unfortunate for a lot of reasons. As far as this book goes, it was very informative about MS-13 and this operation to take them down. 

Li Cunxin was born into a family of seven children and terrible poverty in 1961, in China. Mao Zedong was the ruler of Communist China at this point, and the author really wanted to serve the Communist Party in some capacity. He ultimately wound up joining the Youth League of the Communist Party, where he was chosen to attend the Beijing Dance Academy by Madame Mao, Mao Zedong's fourth wife. Cunxin attended the school, where he endured training each day for sixteen hours a day. He eventually graduated at the top of his class. He went to the United States to study dance at the Houston Ballet, where a LOT of drama happened. I do not want to spoil the book for those who are interested in reading it, but the author really went through a lot when he got to the United States. His dance career was very lucrative and entertaining to read about.

I picked this book up because it was in the Asian history section, and I didn't have a lot of books about Asian history at the time. I love ballet, so I thought that I would like this book, and I did! I loved learning about the author and his career. I am glad to see that he was successful and has lived a good life. Apparently, there is a movie about this, and I would like to see it now that I have read this book. Aside from the interesting ballet moments, it was very interesting to see how one's political ideas change and evolve over time. Exposure to education and other thought processes can have impacts on people, and I have always been interested in that as well. I was very pleased with this book selection. 

 Pierre Berton was born in 1920 in Yukon, Canada. His father had relocated to Yukon during the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush. Berton worked in Yukon mining camps when he was old enough to work, and having had that experience, meeting miners, and having a miner father, this book is filled with first hand knowledge of the Gold Rush and mining experience. The Klondike Gold Rush occurred between 1896-1899. Something like 100,000 people flooded into the area once news of the discovery of gold reached them. This book is filled with accounts and stories of life of prospectors in this area, and I am certain it was a miserable time. It was crowded and conditions were unfortunate between the weather and just general living conditions. There was a lot of death in the Klondike, from the harsh living conditions, accidents, and the journey to get there. I am certain I would have not wanted to be a prospector, nor would I want to be a sex worker or travel there to marry a prospector in those times. It really amounts to hard living.

I bought this book quite some time ago and my local used bookstore. I hadn't really read much about the Gold Rush, other than what was mentioned briefly in elementary school history. (I am sure that other states learned more about it, but it wasn't very talked about in my brief US History class or in Tennessee History.) I didn't choose the US History path when I entered college for history, so my education on this topic was fairly limited. This particular book was written by a Canadian, so it was very interesting to compare the experiences of their Gold Rush to what I knew about the California miners. The book was slightly repetitive at times, however it was not boring or a dry factual telling. It was entertaining and educational, and certainly worth the read. I couldn't beat the price point either, since I got it for fifty cents. If you are interested in the Gold Rush, check this out. Personal accounts are so valuable to the historical narrative. 

 Scott Thorson was born in Wisconsin in 1959. In 1976, Thorson was introduced to a celebrity performer known as Liberace. Liberace hired Thorson when he turned eighteen to be a personal assistant, and also incorporated him into his shows. Thorson was costumed and drove Liberace onstage like a chauffer in a Rolls Royce. Thorson and Liberace entered into a sexual relationship fairly quickly, and there was even bizarre talk of Liberace adopting this adult man with whom he was in a sexual relationship. Thorson and Liberace had significant issues in their relationship, such as drug addiction on Thorson's part and infidelity on Liberace's part. Thorson is adamant that Liberace was the one who got him started on drugs, especially after he received plastic surgery to make his face look more like Liberace's. That was extremely weird behavior, in my opinion. The relationship lasted from 1977 to 1982, when Thorson was fired by Liberace and they broke up. Thorson famously filed a massive multi million dollar lawsuit against Liberace for palimony and did a press tour for this book.

Liberace himself was a very...interesting character. He was born in 1919 in Wisconsin, and began playing piano at the age of four. Both of his parents played instruments, as well as one of his siblings. In his 20s, he briefly played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which I thought was very neat. He started branching out and doing different things with his performances and stage shows, ultimately adding massive costumes and unique pianos. He appeared on all kinds of different talk shows, much like celebrities do today when they are on their press runs. (I say this as though this happened a long time ago, but it really wasn't since I was born in 1988 and I refuse to think of myself as a back in the day person.) Liberace was touted as a sex symbol, and women loved him...the problem was, he was interested in men. He didn't like to admit that he was gay, suing the Daily Mirror for libel. (In his defense, the Daily Mirror is vile and continues to be.) He also carried on about women, dismissing his lack of marriage and children as simply "not finding the right one". Betty White famously came out and said she was used as a cover for him at events and in the media so people would stop talking about him being gay, but he certainly was gay. He wound up dying from AIDS complications at the age of 67, not too long after he and the author of this book called it quits. If you are interested or live close to Las Vegas, there is evidently a Liberace Museum that houses his costumes and other items, and I would really love to see that.

This book is currently available on Audible Plus to listen to for free with your subscription if you are interested. It is also $10 on Kindle. It isn't a very long book, so it doesn't take a lot of time to read, and I appreciated that since it is helping me meet my massive reading challenge goal I set for myself this year. I looked up pictures of the author of this book both before and after his plastic surgery...and he should not have gotten the plastic surgery. That whole situation was so bizarre to me. He has also had drug problems off and on throughout his life, and I think he probably would not have had drug problems if he wasn't given all manner of things to lose weight for that insane plastic surgery, and then fed full of stuff afterwards. (I also found, in the courses of Googling, that there is a movie entitled Behind The Candelabra, and it is currently available to watch on HBO MAX, and I am going to watch that tonight!) He has found himself incarcerated for various crimes and in bed with some seedy characters. I highly recommend searching up current information about the author if you choose to read this book. As far as the book itself is concerned, I thought it was very entertaining and informative. People are often interested in celebrity stories, and I have to admit that it is one of my guilty pleasures. I wasn't very familiar with Liberace, other than knowing the name, but this book and the other articles and things I read in preparation of this review absolutely generated an opinion of him. Of course, every relationship has two sides, and the truth lies somewhere in the middle. I believe that the author was truthful in relating his personal experiences, and probably pretty factual based on the things I have subsequently learned about Liberace. I felt like this book was definitely worth the time it took me to read it, especially since it was less than 300 pages.