One of my goals for CBR 10 was to take part in one of the Book Club Reads. When this title popped up as the book choice I felt pretty neutral about it; the description, for whatever reason, didn’t intrigue me at all. At the same time, it didn’t sound boring so I figured I would give it a shot. Man, oh man, thank you CBR voters who knew way better than me. I am so glad I read this book. This may end up […]
What comes first: the movie or the book?
I have to admit that I have not yet seen the movie, although I heard about it before I knew there was a book. I was planning to see the movie when it came out on DVD and now it has, except now I worry about what the movie does to the book. It’s a dilemma. Hidden Figures is a good book, and a fairly easy read. For a book about mathematicians, it’s not too technical, but it has enough detail about the math and […]
Vignettes of inequity
One of the difficulties of studying history lies in the inherent tendency of people to not see themselves as playing a small role in a larger story. We are all the center of our own universe, after all, so it’s hard to remember that everything isn’t actually revolving around our own brilliance. Our actions are our own, but they make up a part of the larger trajectory of human progress. In studying history, the goal is to compose these fine details into a larger picture […]
At Home in this Nation We’ve Made
When I was in 5th grade, we were assigned a “President’s Pack” to complete. It was a just a bunch of worksheets with facts about the Presidents, but it was enough to get me hooked. Ever since, I’ve been completely fascinated by the lives of U.S. Presidents. I’ve never cared as much about their political accomplishments–I wanted to know more about their families and their day-to-day lives. This is exactly what The Residence is about, and I found it completely enjoyable. Kate Andersen Brower used […]