Book Reviews

Search Book Reviews

Browse Content (p. 5)

In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Matthew Allison

In Search of Japan's Hidden Christians: A Story of Suppression, Secrecy and Survival

Dougill writes about the history of Christianity in Japan writ large, before focusing more precisely on the history of Hidden Christians and their existence today. There is much for both the casual reader and the academic to enjoy here, as...
Capital of Mind: The Idea of a Modern American University
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Sam Short

Capital of Mind: The Idea of a Modern American University

Nelson, the Vilas Distinguished Achievement Professor of Educational Policy Studies and History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, takes the title of his work from a quote by German economist Friedrich List. List, an advocate...
Alexander the Great: A New Life of Alexander
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Katerina Panagi

Alexander the Great: A New Life of Alexander

Alexander the Great's profound impact on Roman culture is undeniable, particularly when considering the fusion of Greco-Oriental influences during the Hellenistic era, which permeated Rome and, subsequently, Western Europe. His conquests...
The Regency of Anne of Austria, Queen Regent of France, Mother of Louis XIV
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Alexa Galue

The Regency of Anne of Austria, Queen Regent of France, Mother of Louis XIV

The Regency of Anne of Austria, Queen Regent of France, Mother of Louis XIV by Martha Walker Freer (1822-1888) is a beautifully written classic work that not only characterizes Anne of Austria but also places her in the broader context of...
The Problem of Immigration in a Slaveholding Republic: Policing Mobility in the Nineteenth-Century United States
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ by Sam Short

The Problem of Immigration in a Slaveholding Republic: Policing Mobility in the Nineteenth-Century United States

In The Problem of Immigration, readers are introduced to a familiar historical struggle between the states and the federal government regarding matters of constitutional interpretation. Slave states in the antebellum period perceived a government...
Fixers: Agency, Translation, and the Early Global History of Literature
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆ by Adam Manuel

Fixers: Agency, Translation, and the Early Global History of Literature

In this book, Zrinka Stahuljak, a medieval historian, professor at UCLA, and interpreter during the war in Yugoslavia, focuses primarily on the theory of translation. Through proposing the term "fixers," a term loosely based on its journalistic...
The Global Merchants: The Enterprise and Extravagance of the Sassoon Dynasty
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Burak Bulkan

The Global Merchants: The Enterprise and Extravagance of the Sassoon Dynasty

Centered around the story of the Sassoons, a Jewish family in Ottoman Baghdad that spanned two continents, this book is not only a family story but also a story of global trade and global capitalism. Although different members of the Sassoon...
Remapping Sovereignty: Decolonization and Self-Determination in North American Indigenous Political Thought
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Noah Zachary

Remapping Sovereignty: Decolonization and Self-Determination in North American Indigenous Political Thought

In Remapping Sovereignty, David Temin discusses how Native American writers, thinkers, and activists have posited alternatives to sovereignty as the primary form of modern political organization. Arguing that sovereignty conceals destructive...
Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Kelly Macquire

Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain

Buried: An Alternative History of the First Millennium in Britain by osteoarchaeologist Alice Roberts is the second book in her trilogy that unpacks Britain’s history through skeletal remains. Following Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain...
Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials
Book Review ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ by Kelly Macquire

Ancestors: A Prehistory of Britain in Seven Burials

Ancestors: A History of Britain in Seven Burials is a focused yet detailed look at the prehistory of Britain, particularly what burials, skeletons, ancient DNA, and human remains can reveal about the long-spanning time from the Palaeolithic...
Membership