Tag: nonfiction

Book Reviews

Who Cooked the Last Supper? Review

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Who Cooked the Last Supper? by Rosalind Miles

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

As a lover of books with strong female leads, whether historical fiction or fantasy, I decided to give Rosalind Miles’ Who Cooked the Last Supper? a chance. Good thing I did because the book gave me a whole new knowledge of the horrors and struggles women faced throughout history.

Miles explores the roles of women from the beginning of time to the current state of the female sex. It was interesting to read about the days of the Great Goddess before man created a monotheistic, male-led religion and women’s influential role before men came to “conquer” us. It is shocking and, quite honestly, horrifying to see how women were put down because of male insecurities—seen as monstrous demons instead of the beautiful givers of life they used to be. I rolled my eyes many times while reading due to the absolute idiocy of female oppression discussed in the book. It was appalling to read how women were treated in the past and still to this day.

What I appreciate the most from Who Cooked the Last Supper? is the new information I gained. I never completely understood or even heard of how men tried to control women using their minds and body, such as through the terrifying practice of genital mutilation. I also love that Miles didn’t focus on one group of women but wrote about women worldwide. She could have easily only mentioned white American women, but she didn’t. Although, I would have liked more discussion on the dual struggles women of color faced because of sexism and racism.

Miles had an amusing and entertaining way of using sarcasm and irony to get her point across. I enjoyed that immensely. What other way can you get through a book about women’s depressing and infuriating oppression without using sarcastic humor to lighten up the reading experience? Even though the book discussed the wins women were rewarded for their strength and perseverance, the losses would have swallowed me whole if there wasn’t some form of humor in Miles’ writing.

Who Cooked the Last Supper? was an informative read that I recommend to anyone interested in learning more about women’s history in the world.

Book Reviews

Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic Review

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Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic by Mark Blake

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Mark Blake’s Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic is a biography based on the legendary lead singer of Queen. The biography looks into the singer’s childhood and life before he reinvented himself into the icon Freddie Mercury, his years before Queen became a band, and of course, the years Queen was together.

The biography was relatively short. I would have loved more information, but the author made up for that with his passion for Queen’s music. It was evident throughout the entire book that Blake was an honest fan of Queen. He handled every stage of Mercury’s life with care. He did his best to represent who Mercury was as a human being and artist. I loved that the book wasn’t just a list of facts. It told a story and kept it interesting with antidotes from Mercury’s life. A Kind of Magic features multiple quotes from the people closest to Mercury, such as Queen band members Brian May, Taylor Roger, and John Deacon. Blake even included quotes from the man himself. It felt like I was getting the authentic version of Mercury’s life and not a fictitious tale of the many rumors surrounding the legend.

As a music lover, it’s nice to read more about the recording process of one of the greatest bands in history. I also loved how Blake described in much detail each Queen album’s musical aspects. The pictures featured in the biography were stunning! I had never even seen some of those pictures before, which was a delightful surprise.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Freddie Mercury: A Kind of Magic. However, I hope to find another book that goes even further into the musical genius that is Freddie Mercury. It was a tad more basic in the overview of his life than I had expected. Still, Blake’s sensitivity and love for the book’s subject made it enjoyable.

Book Reviews

A History of Opera Review

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A History of Opera by Carolyn Abbate and Roger Parker   

Rating: ⭐️⭐️/5

I bought A History of Opera over a year ago because I work for an opera company and I thought I might as well learn more about opera itself. This was a slow read for me. Have I enjoyed other music history books more than this one? Yes. Was it a bad book? No.

There was a lot more music analysis in A History of Opera than I thought, but I should’ve expected that because music history always involves at least some music analysis. I did like learning a bit more about the opera giants that I’ve heard so much about in school and work, such as Mozart, Verdi, and, of course (unfortunately), Wagner. I also liked that the book encompasses the very beginning of opera’s formation to the present-day struggles of composers writing new operas and the museum culture of opera. I would have liked a bit more storytelling regarding the actual history of opera, but overall it was an okay read.

If you love music history and music analysis/theory and are interested in opera, you will enjoy A History of Opera.

Book Reviews

A People’s History of the United States Review

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A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn  

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

This book has to be the best historical, non-fiction book I have EVER read. I truly enjoyed every second of it. The book doesn’t repeat what we learn in school, where the elite, white political and economic leaders are the stars and heroes. No. This is a story about the real people of this country: the African Americans, the Native Americans, the poor lower class, the workers, the immigrants, and the liberated women. The author wanted to “awaken a greater consciousness of class conflict, racial injustice, sexual inequality, and national arrogance,” and he did just that.

I love that I learned something new within each chapter. I liked that Zinn didn’t go into detail about battles and war leaders in the Revolution, Civil War, or World Wars, but instead discussed the citizens in the US that were most affected by the violence. I also appreciated that Zinn showed the ugly truth instead of hiding it, such as the slaughter of Native Americans by the “great” Christoper Columbus, the hypocrisy of our founding fathers, and the US’s everyday actions that embraced the corporations and the rich but left the poor and oppressed to suffer.

A People’s History of the United States is a book I highly recommend to anyone who loves history and wants to see from a different point of view than what is pushed on us throughout our schooling.

Book Reviews

The Lives and Times of the Great Composers Review

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The Lives and Times of the Great Composers by
Michael Steen 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I’m not going to lie. This book took awhile to get through but I felt particularly accomplished once I finished it. I love that the book didn’t analyze the composers music, but instead gave us a look into their lives in regards to what was happening in history. Steen discusses multiple composers such as Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Rossini, Tchaikovsky, and Schubert. Most of the composers got their own chapter filled with juicy details about their personal lives and careers. And it’s sad to say that most of these composers did not have happy endings.

If you are looking for a book that goes into the music analysis, this isn’t for you. This book is more for those that love history and are curious to find out what a day in the life of was like for some of the most legendary composers of the 16 century all the way to the early 20th century. Great book for music history lovers!

Book Reviews

A People’s History of the World Review

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A People’s History of the World by Chris Harman 

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

I enjoyed this book even though it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I would have liked more expansion on certain key points in world history such as the world wars or slavery but I understand that the book wasn’t written to spend hundreds of pages discussing only a few important moments. I really liked reading from a different point of view on issues and events because the author introduced a entirely new understanding of why things happened they way the did in the past.

A good read for anyone who likes history. Also great for anyone who wants to learn more about the economics that shaped history.