Spring is springing! If you set a reading goal for the year, how much progress have you made? I didn’t set a reading goal (#doctoralstudentlife), but I’m reading when I get the chance.
The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II – Denise Kiernan
The Girls of Atomic City explores the world of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Built entirely for the Manhattan Project, the town sprang up in a few weeks and house tens of thousands of people. This book tracks the lives of women from across the project, most of whom signed up not knowing what was going on. It’s a really well-written narrative that weaves the different stories throughout the book.
Catherine Parr: Wife, Widow, Mother, Survivor, The Story of Henry VIII’s Last Queen – Elizabeth Norton
Henry VIII’s final queen stars in this book. While Catherine Parr is remembered as the wife who survived, her life included a lot more drama than four years as Henry’s wife. This book tracks her from a young bride in northern England to the queen who revived Anne Boleyn’s Reformist court. It’s a good read for fellow Tudor fans.
The Warrior Queens: The Legends and Lives of Women Who Have Led Their Nations in War – Antonia Fraser
Boudica stars in Antonia Fraser’s exploration of women in war. Her story forms the base of the book and pops up throughout the narrative. The lives and stories or other queens from across different cultures and eras show how women have led in war. Something to keep in mind: this book is a bit older and was published while Margaret Thatcher was Prime Minister in England.
A Season of Splendor: The Court of Mrs. Astor in Gilded Age New York – Greg King
Fans of Downton Abbey will love this book. You’ll step back in time to the height of the Gilded Age and the world of the upper crust. The detail is incredibly rich, and I could really visualize the houses, parties, and overwhelming excess of 19th century New York. My only quibble is that the title is misleading: Caroline Astor really isn’t the main character. A lot of the stories and information aren’t related to her.
Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton – Tilar Mazzeo
And we’re back to the Revolutionary Era with a biography on Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton. She led an interesting life before Alexander dropped in, growing up on the New York frontier during the French and Indian War. Eliza and her sisters also had a front row seat to the Revolution because their father was General Philip Schuyler. This book details her life, her now famous marriage, and her widowhood after Alexander’s deadly duel with Aaron Burr.
What have you been reading lately?
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