America in the years leading into WW2 went through astonishing twists and turns in the efforts of homegrown Nazis and Fascists, who worked with great coordination and sophistication to destroy Democracy and install authoritarian rule. Their primary tools were propaganda, misinformation, and overwhelming antisemitism, and their funding was largely from the Nazi regime. Among their …
Here’s Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor, written by Leon Carroll, Jr., and Mark Harmon. Hang on, Mark Harmon? Like the actor Mark Harmon? Let’s do a little due diligence here. Harmon has spent the last couple decades playing Leroy Jethro Gibbs on NCIS, a …
Perhaps I shouldn’t admit this. But every time I write a book, it’s only at the very end that I find out what it was actually about. Somehow, I’m surprised every single time this happens. I write middle-grade narrative nonfiction, which may seem like it’s straightforward. My books all stem from questions I have or …
Two true stories are told side by side here– that of the lead architect of the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago, and that of a serial killer who uses the fair to lure victims to his hotel. Elevating, yet creepy. Yet elevating. Oooh, but creepy. –Diana, Village Books, Bellingham and Lynden, WA It’s not quite …
This important graphic memoir manages to be both beautiful and heartbreaking. Known for his role on Star Trek, this book tells of his entire family’s story during the Japanese American internment in WWII. –sweet pea, King’s Books, Tacoma, WA “George Takei’s story reveals the important lessons of the WWII Japanese American Incarceration that still need to …
The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, the regional trade association for independent bookstores, just concluded its annual fall trade show this week. This means that the PNBA Board of Directors gathered, and when that happens, there’s a tradition of going around the room to introduce ourselves and something we’ve read lately. Below are the books that …
I have rather eclectic tastes in history books, drawn to singular events or individuals that I’ve had no prior knowledge of, rather than those of a broader historical scope. Oregon writer Bruning brings to life the story of P.I.” Pappy” Gunn, an aviator whose skills as a pilot/mechanic/engineer in the Pacific theater of WWII is …
As a World War II buff, I was thrilled to “discover” Blackett’s War by Stephen Budiansky. The first half of the book introduces the cast of characters, all of whom were real scientists. It also sets the background for why these men were approached by, or volunteered their services to, the British and American military forces. Patrick …
