The Arthur G Dozier School For Boys (also known as the Florida School For Boys) was established in Marianna, Florida, in 1900. The school was segregated, with one area for black boys and one area for white boys. Boys were sent here for a number of reasons, some of which were legitimate and some were not. Boys who got up to nonsense like petty theft, fighting, skipping school, etc were sent here. Others were boys whose families didn't want them. Some were sent there by "officials" who thought they should go for stupid things like smoking. While at these schools, education was not really a thing. They were beaten mercilessly, forced into physical labor, raped, locked in solitary confinement for days or weeks on end, and kept from speaking to their family members. They were also kept in shackles sometimes. It was extremely overcrowded.

There was a cemetery on the grounds, known as Boot Hill Cemetery. Boys that died while at the school were buried here. (In some cases. They were also hired out to farms to perform what was essentially slave labor and those that died at the farms were not returned to their families or the school in a lot of cases.) The official claim was that around 30 boys were buried there, mostly due to illnesses and the ones who died in a fire. (Those that died in the fire were white boys who were chained to their beds while the guards went into town to live it up. Horrific.) Extensive forensic investigations were carried out by the author and her team in 2011 when the school was officially closed and plans were in the works to sell the property. Many family members wanted to know what happened to their loved ones who never came home. Some were told they died of illness and some were told they ran away. Others who knew for sure that their family members were buried there simply wanted the remains returned to them to be buried elsewhere and not sold with the property. The forensic investigation was a really complicated process, not helped along by the fact that the town was extremely racist and wanted to ignore or forget about the terrible things that were done to people by themselves or their elders. This woman had way more patience than I would have in dealing with these obtuse and irritating people in this town. (At one point they said the investigation was going to kill tourism, but I have no idea why anyone would want to visit this town if the people that live in it behave the way that so many of them did.)

I bought this book on accident, originally thinking it was a book about Native residential schools. I was slightly disappointed, but I had never heard about this place or these boys. I learned a great deal from this book about how one conducts forensic archaeology projects, and how important it is to remember things that happened in OUR COLLECTIVE HISTORY and not bury or dismiss it. This book was also really infuriating. The attitudes of many of the local townspeople were disgusting and made me want to throw bricks at them. The hiding, lying, run around, and gossiping was disgraceful. The treatment of CHILDREN in this "school" was beyond cruel and abhorrent. Even if they were "bad" kids, they did not deserve to be treated the way they were and damaged physically and mentally for the rest of their lives. I also have to say that I am a born and raised Southerner (I wish I wasn't, because I do not belong here) and this book really solidified the stereotypes that people have of the South. People in the South cannot seem to imagine why people think so negatively about them, but I mean....come on.... I can certainly see why. I also encourage you to look up interviews on YouTube or the news given by men who were incarcerated in this place as children. It is horrific and heartbreaking. This book is a must read. 

 I never knew there were nurses trapped on Bataan during World War II. During my education, my focus was on European history with a specialization in World War II, so I did not read a whole lot about the Pacific Theatre. This book was very good. I learned so much about nurses during World War II from this book, and certainly about the horrible conditions they faced on Bataan. These personal accounts from these women who struggled under the assault and then who struggled in the jungle and under Japanese occupation was so moving. I highly suggest this book for those who are interested in the Pacific Theatre. 

 This next installment from Joseph Pistone, who went undercover as Donnie Brasco, was not as good as the original book. It was still engaging enough to be a good read, but it was not the best. 

 I got this book because I had read both Beautiful Boy and Tweak. It was an interesting continuation about relapse and recovery. Living with an addiction does not end the day you decide to get sober. It is an ongoing process, and a lot of times people slip up and get back into old habits and mind sets. I really enjoyed this book and seeing were Nic was at in his life. 

 I bought this book thinking that it was about the tsunami that damaged the Fukushima nuclear facility in Japan, however it is actually about the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. The earthquake that triggered this event was a magnitude 9, which is amazing to consider. We do not get many earthquakes in the region I live, and the ones we do get are a 1 or 2 on the scale and I have never felt one. This tsunami hit many countries directly with up to 100 ft high waves, and affected many others due to trade disruption, aid needs, and environmental impact. Nearly 230,000 people died as a result of the tsunami. Many people were swept away and drowned. The author was on vacation for the Christmas holiday with her parents, husband, and two sons. This book touches on the moments she noticed the wave coming, the experiences she had during the ordeal, and her journey to heal from it in the years following. I cannot imagine going through a natural disaster event like that and seeing so much destruction and dead folks laying around. This wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be, but it makes me feel bad to say that about someone who is baring their trauma for the world to read. It was worth the four dollars I paid for it, and it was a fairly short book that I read while washing laundry. 

 I got this book on Audible. I really enjoyed it, especially since I couldn't sleep last night. I had only read a few paragraphs about Waterloo in history class, so this was very informative to me. It was well researched, and contained a lot of information about various figures during this event. I felt that it was very comprehensive, and I look forward to reading more work by Bernard Cornwell that isn't fiction. 

 The title of this book clearly states what the content is about- eating disorders. I'm not sure how much more of a warning you need to know that it may trigger things if you have issues with eating disorders. If you are buying a memoir of eating disorders, it is a logical assumption that the author is going to talk about the experiences that they had while hiding it, dealing with it, etc. I bought this book because I have a friend who struggles with Bulimia. I found it very insightful and a great learning tool to get an idea of the things that my friend thought and felt. This wasn't my personal favorite book of the year or anything, but it was very informative. 

 WASP stands for White Anglo Saxon Protestants, which I recall briefly reading at some other point prior to this. This book takes a historical dive into the concept of the WASP, and how they impacted the world around them. The book delves into the WASP in Pre and Post World War II eras, and how their status in society changed. Until the middle 20th Century, WASPS were prominent in all of the staple businesses and industries, such as railroads, banks, utilities, and major manufacturing. Most of these types were of European decent, and often clashed with the heavy Catholic presence in certain major cities. In the post war era, the availability of education and job opportunities helped put an end to the traditional WASP control. It was really interesting to follow the journey of this affluent group of people over the years, and compare it to modern times. Currently, WASP has been reborn to mean White Affluent Schooled Persons. If you are interested in race and social classes, this might be a good book for you to check out. I got this on Audible, and it was a LONG listen. 

 I got this book on Audible, and it started off being extremely slow and annoying. It got better after I sped up the reading. This book was actually really interesting. I have no idea why I thought it was about people migrating across for Manifest Destiny, but nevertheless, it was very interesting. I never really thought much about people moving from the south to the north as a migration. I gained a new appreciation for the issues and struggles that people of color went through during this time period. I honestly never learned a lot about it until now. I would highly recommend this book. 

 Ron Chernow is one of my favorite historians. I enjoy all of the books that I have read of his thus far. I got this book on Audible, and it was a LONG listen. This book goes into one the most well known families that seemed to have a hand in everything. There were plenty of family talents and interests besides banking. Several members of the family sat on boards across all businesses, and were involved in many charities. During World War II, they were involved in the war effort and in trying to help out German Jew friends and relations, even as their bank and assets were taken over by the Nazi regime. I really learned a lot about this family and all of the key players.