Blog Archives
History Waits To Be Heard
I was struck by both the depth and the conviction with which the author tackles the erasure of women from historical narratives in History Waits to Be Heard. The book travels across centuries and continents, unearthing stories of women who shaped civilizations, resisted empires, advanced science, and led revolutions, only to be minimized, misrepresented, or outright erased. Palmer’s central theme is clear: history is not just what’s remembered, it’s what’s chosen to be remembered, and the omissions are as telling as the stories that survive.
What moved me most about the book wasn’t just the wealth of historical content, it was the author’s voice. There’s a raw honesty to the writing, like someone peeling back the layers of what they were taught and realizing how incomplete it all was. Palmer doesn’t pretend to be an academic, and that’s part of the book’s charm. His writing is personal and curious and, at times, emotionally charged. I found myself nodding along when he described his frustration at learning how women like Esther Lederberg or Amanirenas were forgotten or intentionally erased. I’ve read a lot of historical nonfiction, and this felt different. It’s passionate. It’s angry in all the right ways. It’s hopeful too, in that Palmer believes rediscovery is possible, and that truly listening is a radical act.
What I appreciated most was how Palmer wove his own experiences into the narrative. He doesn’t just list historical injustices; he connects them to modern-day echoes. A forgotten queen here, a plagiarized scientist there, and then suddenly you’re reading about workplace dynamics or AI systems that still repeat the same erasures. That connection between past and present hit hard. It made me reflect on the voices around me that get overlooked, the stories we’re still not telling, and what that says about us. Some chapters felt a bit repetitive, and the structure leaned more thematic than chronological, but that didn’t bother me. It’s the kind of book that invites you to jump around, re-read passages, and look things up on your own. It made me want to learn more, and that’s a rare and valuable thing.
I would recommend History Waits to Be Heard to anyone who feels disillusioned by the way history is taught or told. If you’ve ever sensed that something important was missing from the stories handed down to you, especially about women, Indigenous people, or marginalized communities, this book is for you. It’s a good fit for curious minds, reflective readers, and anyone willing to unlearn and relearn. It made me want to listen more carefully to the past, and to the people around me.
Pages: 399 | ASIN : B0FCD1CZ6C
Our Global Crisis
Brian McLean’s Our Global Crisis is a sobering exploration of humanity’s impact on the environment and the systems that underpin our global society. Drawing comparisons between historical collapses of civilizations, like Rapa Nui, and the current trajectory of our interconnected world, McLean crafts a compelling narrative about the consequences of unsustainable practices and human shortsightedness. The book delves into topics ranging from overexploitation of resources, as illustrated by the extinction of the passenger pigeon, to the structural vulnerabilities of modern society, offering both cautionary tales and hopeful visions.
McLean’s writing is both educational and provocative. I found his account of the passenger pigeon extinction in the opening chapter especially haunting. The sheer numbers—billions of birds gone in mere decades—felt like a punch to the gut. This wasn’t just about pigeons; it was about how greed and the “tragedy of the commons” spiral out of control. He doesn’t mince words when connecting this loss to modern issues like deforestation and overfishing. At times, I felt overwhelmed by the grimness of it all, but his ability to weave historical anecdotes with modern parallels kept me riveted.
What really stands out to me is McLean’s ability to critique without partisanship. He doesn’t simply rail against “Big Oil” or blindly champion environmentalism. Instead, he dissects the failures of all sides; industry, policy, and individual inaction. McLean’s exploration of solutions in the latter chapters felt grounded and achievable. His vision for a society where humanity operates as thoughtful stewards of the biosphere resonated with me. I particularly enjoyed his reflections on the COVID-19 pandemic as a “litmus test” for global adaptability. While the pandemic highlighted our collective weaknesses, McLean also saw it as proof of our potential for rapid change.
Our Global Crisis is both a warning and an invitation to act. It forces you to confront uncomfortable truths about humanity’s flaws and responsibilities. But it’s also inspiring for those ready to face these challenges. I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in environmental issues, sustainability, or even just understanding the bigger picture of human existence.
Pages: 640 | ASIN : B0DJ689PHQ
Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea and the Strategy of Chinese Expansion
![Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea and the Strategy of Chinese Expansion by [Humphrey Hawksley]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51taeT6+jLL.jpg)
Humphrey Hawksley’s journalistic career, when paired with his fiction-writing expertise, make for excellent non-fiction writing. Asian Waters is a really comprehensive and digestible read, despite its extremely weighty content. Hawksley’s tone and choice of language remains simple yet informative throughout, despite becoming increasingly complex in terms of content matter. Hawksley also manages to maintain a sense of pace and excitement with his writing, as if it were a novel rather than a non-fiction guide, especially when delving into and combing through actual history, geography and social science.
Though there is a hefty scope to cover when it comes to the Asia-Pacific conflict, the South China Sea, Chinese expansion and the territory dispute associated, Asian Waters covers everything you would want to know about the topic without it feeling as if you are being overloaded with information.
You may be tempted to read it as an almanac for the specialist topic it covers, or perhaps as an academic accompaniment, but it also doubles up as a travel book and is arguably best consumed in this way. Asian Waters was fascinating in itself, just for my own interest’s sake, so I imagine that it would be particularly enlightening to consume whilst travelling the very area it covers.
The focus on political tension between the countries of the Asia-Pacific is unpacked with great skill and tastefulness, but without wavering on the hardy facts. This is where Hawksley’s experience as a BBC foreign correspondent is most prominent – his understanding of the dynamics at play remains at the forefront of his writing.
Asian Waters is not simply a retelling of the history and politics which have been at play for years, or solely the facts and information which led to the current situation. There is also vital contextualisation that allows the reader to understand where these issues sit at the time of reading, understanding how a Trumpian government impacts the conflicts, or how the relationship between Moscow and Beijing influence the rest of the world.
Asian Waters connects all the branches of knowledge and intellect to give a clear retelling of the reality, including social influence, historical action which has taken place, and the geographical layout that facilitates as much. As well as clarifying the past and contextualising the present, it focuses on the future. The book predicts how the implications of what has happened and is happening will affect what is to come for Asia.
Pages: 304 | ASIN: B07MXDFQK1
Dare to Be the Change
![Dare to Be the Change by [Metoyer, Annella]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51SsQrVIrCL.jpg)
Dare to Be the Change, written by Annella Metoyer, tells the story of Annella’s life and how she overcame adversities to be the change she wished to see in the world. Annella faces a world of segregation and judgement based on the color of her skin, but is determined to push through the racism and have people see her for who she truly is. This begins a world of firsts for Annella, from being the first colored cheerleader to the first woman of color to work in her local bank. Her life journey will inspire, and enlighten you as you learn what it takes to make a difference in the world.
Growing up in a small town of Louisiana, Annella lives in a time where racism was prevalent in the community. With society segregating everyone into two groups of “colored” and “white”, Annella struggles with her identity. This segregation continues throughout all of her schooling years; however, it was several teachers and adults in her life that showed her that she didn’t need to accept the injustice and inequality that society expected her to endure.
I admired the relationship Annella had with her parents and in particular the strength and support her father showed her throughout her life. Rather than allowing racism to control their lives, he would take a stance and voice his concerns about the unfairness of how children were treated due to the colour of their skin. He was also the instigator of her career as the first woman of color at a bank, forming the pathways of her strength and persistence for change.
Dare to Be the Change enlightens the reader with racial situations or expectations that show an unfair and unjust part of our history. Conditions such as separate school buses or being unable to enter a cafe through the front door if you were colored seem like a preposterous idea, but sadly they were the real-life situations that people had to endure every day.
Throughout the story, you can tell the author Annella Metoyer radiates a certain positivity and gratitude that I believe led her to achieve so many significant changes. There are times where she could have relished in the negativity, but instead, she talks about the positive people in her life that helped her grow and become more confident as a woman. Annella’s endurance and strength to stand up for what is right is a trait to be admired and one that we don’t often see in the world. Annella’s hard work ethic and ability to prove herself in her career is just one way she initiates change as she begins to show others that there is more to a person than the color of their skin.
I would recommend this to anyone looking for an inspirational story that will motivate you to be the change you wish to see in the world.
Pages: 91 | ASIN: B079QM5MNC
Finding Balance and Forgiveness through Chakras and Art
![Finding Balance and Forgiveness through Chakras and Art by [McCallum, Teresa]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/5148R30SynL.jpg)
Have you ever wondered what Chakras are and how they can impact your well-being? Teresa McCallum has written a book that is the culmination of years of research, personal experiences, and learning from experts. McCallum is a registered nurse that has spent many years working in the mental health field and has the educational background to back up her findings using these non-traditional methods. In Finding Balance and Forgiveness Through Chakras and Art you will discover what the seven Chakras are, where they are located, how to determine if it is blocked, deficient or in excess of energy and how to correct it so you can bring your body into balance. In addition to providing readers with information on the Chakras and how to balance them, she gives readers real life examples and stories. Many from her own life as a nurse, and her own personal experiences.
Walk through any book store or brows online and you will find thousands of self-help books.
One of the different aspects of this book over others on Chakras is the incorporation of art in all stages. Teresa McCallum offers up methods to incorporate specific forms of art for each Chakras to help you find balance. From working with clay to dance and performing arts, there are an abundance of suggestions on how to use art forms to focus your mind and body to heal your Chakras. There are examples of art, and there are diagrams and instructions for the recommended yoga poses. It is all organized with plenty of quick reference charts to refer back to. I particularly love the silhouettes drawings of the yoga poses, they are simple and uncomplicated and make it easy for me to see how the pose is done. For more complicated one there are instructions as well as recommended breathing techniques to go with them. I found most of the stories helpful in understanding the purpose of each of the Chakras, though a few felt drawn out longer than needed. You can tell the author has a great passion for helping others and the people she chooses to include in this book mean a great deal to her. Sharing of her personal struggles, especially her cardiac arrest, make her relatable because she shows how her life took such a drastic downfall and what she needed to do to heal.
Finding Balance and Forgiveness Through Chakras and Art is a great reference for those new or old to the study of Chakras and self-healing. It is inspiring to learn to detect all the symptoms in your body and trace them back to an origin. What I appreciate the most in this book, is that Teresa McCallum doesn’t promote ignoring traditional medicine and the advice of doctors. She encourages the use of Chakra balancing in addition to getting medical treatment when needed. It is refreshing to see that the two worlds can be combined. I recommend this book for anyone curious about Chakras and how this can improve their day to day life.
Pages: 160 | ASIN: B079P9B6Y6
Why Do We Quote
If you’ve ever found yourself wondering why exactly it’s so natural to quote another person, Why Do We Quote by Ruth Finnegan is a great place to start. This book is laid out much like a textbook and goes over the history behind quoting in a comprehensive timeline. The text is easy to read and peppered with anecdotes which is a far cry from many traditional textbooks. It proves itself to be a wonderful companion piece to any student who may be researching this area as well as informational for an average person to learn more. It’s a look at the subconscious process of quoting and how we are influenced by those around us and what we are exposed to. Quoting itself is something many take for granted and is a process that is so ingrained in our society that we barely realize what we’re doing most of the time. Finnegan will take us on a journey to find out why.
The professional layout of this book would have readers believing that they picked up something from a university or college course. Indeed, this book would be a welcomed companion in a variety of studies from English to the Social Sciences. While the content is dense, it is not too heavy a read. The rationalization that Finnegan provides allows readers to identify more with the subject matter, therefore absorbing and learning from it easier. The illustrations match the content well and there are proper citations for what is being used. This is very important for a book about quoting others. Improper citation would ruin any academic or professional credibility.
Although this is a study disguised as reading material it may indeed be too heavy for a non-academic to enjoy. This is not the kind of book you pick up just for fun: you need to be genuinely interested in the contents or else it will be a book you never finish. To that end, this book may not grab the casual reader. As long as you go into this book with the expectation to learn, you will not be disappointed. Finnegan carefully guides her readers on the history of quotation and gently teaches along the way.
If you are looking for education and a better understanding of how language works, this is a great piece to add to your collection. This comprehensive history of quoting complete with illustrations is a great piece to add to any student or academic’s library. It’s a fascinating study that is sure to grab the interest of those who enjoy this type of reading. Be wary of its length and don’t be afraid to pause while reading it. Finnegan writes in a way that is easy to put down and pick up. Her personal anecdotes also add flavor to something that might otherwise be dry and boring.
Pages: 348 | ISBN: 1906924333
LITERARY TITAN 