Blogs in August 2016

Sam Patch, the Famous Jumper 15th August 2016

In the 1820s, a fellow named Sam Patch grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, working there (when he wasn’t drinking) as a mill hand for one of America’s new textile companies. Sam made a name for himself one day...

Read More 

The Reluctant Spiritualist: The Life of Maggie Fox 30th July 2016

Here is the first authoritative biography of Margaret Fox, the world-famous medium and cofounder of the Spiritualism movement that swept America in the mid-1800s. In 1848, fifteen-year-old Maggie and her sister Katy created rapping sounds by manipulating their toe...

Read More 

Mount Allegro: A Memoir of Italian American Life 30th July 2016

Mount Allegro is an extraordinary memoir, a celebration of Sicilian life, an engaging sociological portrait, a moving reminiscence of a fledgling writer’s escape from the restrictive culture in which he grew up. Jerre Mangione’s autobiographical chronicle of his youth...

Read More 

The Misbegotten Son 30th July 2016

The shattering life of a charming, ruthless, and twice-convicted serial killer. The author delves into the psychology of Arthur Shawcross, who had characteristics of a pedophile, paraphile, misogynist, necrophile, and philanderer, yet still managed to charm a release out...

Read More 

The Lipstick Laws 30th July 2016

At Penford High School, Britney Taylor is the queen bee. She dates whomever she likes, rules over her inner circle of friends like Genghis Khan, and can ruin anyone’s life with a snap of perfectly manicured fingers. Just ask...

Read More