The violent events that took place near what is now Walla Walla on November 29, 1847 served for at least a century as a creation myth for the state of Washington, a legend of heroic sacrifice to noble ideals. But the traditional story of the Whitman Mission and the attack on its occupants is just …
Historian Timothy Snyder has succinctly yet vigorously broken down in twenty short lessons the detailed steps we must take to resist the abuse of power by those claiming to be the majority voice. This is not merely in regard to the current political tone, but historically includes the misuse of authority to keep and marginalize …
One response to the complexity of explaining the Haitian Revolution is to narrow the scope, as Sudhir Hazareesingh does in Black Spartacus: The Epic Life of Toussaint Louverture by focusing on Toussaint. Despite his tinier canvas and his younger audience, Hale, in the tenth installment of his wildly popular series of graphic histories of thrilling episodes …
In the Don’t Eat the Dirt In Your Backyard Department, we have Steve Olson’s The Apocalypse Factory, which is about plutonium and Hanford and what’s still out there in Eastern Washington. Of course, this may be old news to long-time residents of this state, but if you’ve read Adam Higgingbotham’s Midnight in Chernobyl and Kate …
This is so much fun! I loved playing this game in school when I was a kid. The artwork is very reminiscent of the actual game, and the path tabs are a fun alternative to the choose your own adventure style. The colors are bright and inviting. –Brandi Stewart, Changing Hands in Tempe, Arizona From …
by Jhoti Roy for Literary Arts During a special broadcast on OPB Radio on Monday, June 22, 2020, the winners of the 33rd Annual Oregon Book Awards, selected by panels of out-of-state judges, were announced. ELOISE JARVIS MCGRAW AWARD FOR CHILDREN’S LITERATURE Cathy Camper of Portland Lowriders Blast from the Past LESLIE BRADSHAW AWARD FOR YOUNG ADULT LITERATURE …
As it says on the cover, there are cowboys in Compton, which has been known to resemble the Wild West on occasion. The Compton Junior Posse was founded in 1988, and it has been instrumental in preserving the historical legacy of the black man in the opening of the West during the later part of …
Here’s a cool book. Donald R. Prothero is going to tell us how the world came to be with The Story of the Earth in 25 Rocks. Each of the chapters in this book talk about an important discovery or realization in the history of geology, highlighting both a specific geological puzzle and the people who …
When an advance copy of Home Baked arrived at the store, I took it home hoping merely to escape into the iconic 1970s San Francisco setting. I never anticipated that this memoir would give me an in-depth education on both the history of the era and the politics surrounding marijuana. Home Baked tells the story of the underground, …
