Welcome to Litsy!

A lovely roundup of several lesser known figures from American history set alongside a few names you‘ll recognize. It could get a tad confusing as to who was being highlighted at times - there were some meandering tangents to follow - but good to remember those who helped settle, educate, and work to improve our country. It‘s a light read, with lots of personal asides from the author. Almost feels like YA nonfiction.

I learned much and feel more hopeful about peoples‘ ability & willingness to do good things when needed. I also loved Sharon‘s periodic cheeky commentary. 😉

#realhistory
@Librarybelle

I learned a lot of history that I wasn't previously aware of, and the diverse group of folks written about were very inspiring.

This book was well composed and entertaining (there was an incident with the whalebone piece of a corset). I thought it was written thoughtfully. There was also a little bit of the author's snark peppered occasionally throughout. It left me with a feeling of power and hope.

This was better as it went along. The last 2 sections were my favorites. The author pulls random people out of history that a normal person that doesn't know much history might not have heard of. I appreciate what the author is doing here.

#SheSaid @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Hello #SheSaid!

I hope you enjoyed this one. I‘m still behind, but am enjoying it and the tangents too. Please drop by the comments as you finish.

“… in order to keep the system of white supremacy humming like a well oiled machine, was important that everyone participate in it..” #systemicracism

Hello #SheSaid!

Sorry I‘ve been behind this month, but I hope you are all enjoying it. Hopefully I‘ll catch up sometime before too long. Stop in to the comments as you finish this week‘s section.

I follow McMahon on Instagram and really enjoy her take on politics. As a fellow history teacher and fan, I expected to like this more. The history teacher in me loved the figures she highlighted, her reflections on events, and her not-so-subtle connections to today's world. However, the English teacher in me struggled with the inconsistent voice and disjointed organization. It's a pick, but not a love. #SheSaid @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

I promised a picture to #SheSaid. This is my grand-nephew Oliver. He had to stay in the hospital a little longer under some lights to help his bilirubin levels improve, but he was finally able to come home.

Hello #SheSaid!

Sorry for the late post. I‘m at the hospital on baby watch! Been here all day waiting for my grand-nephew to make his appearance. I‘ll post pictures when he arrives. Enjoy the comments discussion! Maybe I‘ll catch up on this book by the end of the month. LOL…we will see!

“…Hope…is not a feeling but an orientation of the spirit…”
#hope #resistance

Brought this one to the park. Hoping to catch up. Will probably take a nap.

#SheSaid

I am captivated by these diverse, passionate, & dedicated heroines in American Women‘s history. If I had to choose among the 6 women & the Hello Girls, I would choose Clara Brown & Inez Milholland as my favorite heroines. But they all gave of their hearts, souls & lives to whatever cause they espoused.I am exhilarated by this education I am experiencing through this book. #SheSaid

Hello #SheSaid

I hope this month is treating you well…. I‘m still running behind on this book, but I‘ll get there soon.

Please drop into the comments as you finish this week‘s section.

repost for @Riveted_Reader_Melissa

Hello #SheSaid!

I‘m away at a wedding this weekend, so have not even started this one yet. But please jump in and comment as you finish today‘s section.

#BuddyRead

Hello #SheSaid!

I‘m away at a wedding this weekend, so have not even started this one yet. But please jump in and comment as you finish today‘s section.

Next up for #SheSaid!

Put in your library holds and interlibrary loans

Amazing. Looped together to be informative, but with a wonderful narrative to keep it interesting.

Love love Love this!

https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7513139

Twelve lesser known figures whose lives had great impact on American history, this was the perfect palate cleanser audiobook after some heavier listens. It held my attention, taught me things I didn‘t know, and reminded me that individual can make a difference, a timely reminder these days.

I kept seeing good things written about this book and they‘re all true! It looks at people who aren‘t necessarily remembered in American history, but who made major, notable impacts on some very familiar things. And McMahon is such a delightful audiobook reader that I would like to request she read all history audiobooks from now on.

“One of the most effective ways to stop cultural change is to create a moral panic around it. Moral panics have been around since this country‘s inception. Since then, moral panics have been used as a tool to subvert & dismantle movements that the dominant caste views as a threat.” A very relevant book for the current political environment. Reading the obstacles that many have faced & overcome in our history gives me hope.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ As the author introduced herself to the reader, I died laughing. Read it and you‘ll get it. Definitely set me up for a fab reading experience. The subtitle says it all. A brief history of 12 lesser-known Americans. This was well-written, fascinating, and important. And often times delivered in a funny way. Highly entertaining.

I listened to the book narrated by the author. Given recent political events, this was a timely read about everyday people who made significant impacts in seemingly small acts. It leaves me hopeful that history will repeat itself.

Nonfiction November was good for me — a lot of rich and famous along with some regular people from history and present day. I like nonfiction all year but I make it a special focus in November.

#NonfictionNovember

1. It changes! At the moment it‘s The Change by Garth Brooks.
2. One of the people profiled in this book is Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the poem that became America the Beautiful. All four verses. She made $5 for the original submission and subsequently gave away copies for free.

#two4tuesday

I think I‘m going to pounce on this one as soon as I get to the top of the hold list. #sundayfunday

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I love Sharon McMahon!I love her commitment to the truth of history,her writing style,her desire to give voice to the stories that have mostly been untold.This book‘s content and the way it was written is excellent!The only reason it‘s down one star is because I‘m a bad reader of story collections, & that is more what this feels like than an overarching narrative.The audiobook is excellent,&I‘m so appreciative of what Sharon has given us!

“Alexander Hamilton was going to die. And he knew it.”

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

Finished both of these in the last few days—one the October pick for the Mother-Daughter Murder Mystery Book Club me and @AmyK1 do, and the other a highly anticipated history book! I loved them both so much, to be honest. Recommend!!!

“The best Americans are not the critics, they are the doers. They are the people who went for broke when everyone else yelled to turn back. They are those who know that one becomes great because of who they lift up, not who they put down.”

Sharon tell us the stories of 12 ordinary Americans, who are not in the history books but should be, who did the next needed thing. And we are all better for it ❤️

This house sitting gig is working my last nerve, but there is nonetheless plenty of joy.
1. Presidential podcast bonus episode with the author of the tagged book as a guest. https://www.washingtonpost.com/podcasts/presidential/bonus--women-politics-and-t...
2. Rewatched Rings of Power S1 & all of S2 so far. E7 OMG! See comments.
3. One of the kitties.
4. I found a taker for my Sunday ballgame ticket.
5. Pond & sunset.
#5joysfriday