Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

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| style="padding:15px;" | [[File:BeautifulLittleFools.jpg|250px]]<br>
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| style="padding:15px;" | [[File:TheBlackbirdGirls.jpg|250px]]<br>
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'''Beautiful Little Fools'''<br>
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'''The Blackbird Girls'''<br>
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'''Author:''' Cantor, Jillian<br>
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'''Author:''' Blankman, Anne<br>
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'''[https://amzn.to/3GSL8fb Buy at Amazon] | [https://bookshop.org/a/15682/9780063051263 BookShop.org]<br><br>'''
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'''[https://amzn.to/3IZ74qY Buy at Amazon] | [https://bookshop.org/a/15682/9781984837370 BookShop.org]<br><br>'''
 
'''Time Period:''' Modern Age <br>
 
'''Time Period:''' Modern Age <br>
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'''Time Frame:''' 1918-1923<br>
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'''Time Frame:''' 1986<br>
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'''Geographic Area:''' North America <br>
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'''Geographic Area:''' Europe <br>
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'''Country:''' United States<br>
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'''Country:''' Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan<br>
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'''Topics:''' Jazz Age, LGBTQ+<br>
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'''Topics:''' Chernobyl Disaster, Communism, Soviet Union <br>
 
'''Genre:''' Fiction <br>
 
'''Genre:''' Fiction <br>
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'''Reading Age:''' Adult<br>
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'''Reading Age:''' Upper Middle Grade<br>
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'''Format:''' Book<br>
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'''Format:''' Chapter Book<br>
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'''Published:''' 2022
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'''Published:''' 2020
 
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! style="font-size:120%; background:#fb607f; text-align:center; padding:5px 0;" | Content Warning
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| style="padding:15px;" | child abuse, death, genocide
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'''''[[World History|World History]]''' > [[Modern Age Booklist|Modern Age]] > Cold War''
  
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'''''[[American History|American History]]''' > [[Modern Age Booklist|Modern Age]]''
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'''NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER'''
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'''A SYDNEY TAYLOR MIDDLE GRADE HONOR BOOK'''
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 +
Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments in underexplored history.
  
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'''USA Today bestselling author Jillian Cantor reimagines and expands on the literary classic The Great Gatsby in this atmospheric historical novel with echoes of Big Little Lies, told in three women’s alternating voices.'''
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On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own?
  
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On a sultry August day in 1922, Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his West Egg swimming pool. To the police, it appears to be an open-and-shut case of murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby.
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Told in alternating perspectives among three girls--Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941--this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.
  
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Then a diamond hairpin is discovered in the bushes by the pool, and three women fall under suspicion. Each holds a key that can unlock the truth to the mysterious life and death of this enigmatic millionaire.
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==Emily's Review==
  
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Daisy Buchanan once thought she might marry Gatsby—before her family was torn apart by an unspeakable tragedy that sent her into the arms of the philandering Tom Buchanan.
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I am always looking for middle-grade fiction about history topics that don't get a lot of air time. This is definitely one of those books. This is a story about the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster, told from the perspective of two girls whose fathers both worked in the plant. Valentina is a Jew and is ostracized because of it. Her family is very careful to not stand out, to not do anything that might draw attention. Oksana has been raised to hate Jews and frequently bullies Valentina at school. She is desperate to win her father's approval. When the nuclear plant explodes, the girls are thrown together and forced to leave the city on their own to escape the dangers of radiation poisoning.  
  
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Jordan Baker, Daisy’s best friend, guards a secret that derailed her promising golf career and threatens to ruin her friendship with Daisy as well.
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This is a story about friendship, about learning that things you were taught your whole life were lies, and about overcoming challenges and tragedy. These girls go through so much over the course of the story, but in the end, you are left with the hope that things will get better.  
  
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Catherine McCoy, a suffragette, fights for women’s freedom and independence, and especially for her sister, Myrtle Wilson, who’s trapped in a terrible marriage.
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There is also a side story set during World War II about a Jewish girl fleeing the invading Germans that is harrowing to read about.  
  
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Their stories unfold in the years leading up to that fateful summer of 1922, when all three of their lives are on the brink of unraveling. Each woman is pulled deeper into Jay Gatsby’s romantic obsession, with devastating consequences for all of them.
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I absolutely loved this story. I'm always fascinated with Russian history, particularly Jews living in Russia. Reading about life in the Soviet Union is always eye-opening. I adored the two girls and their friendship and relationship with Valentina's grandmother. I found the parts about being Jewish in the Soviet Union fascinating as well. This was an unputdownable book for me, and I can't wait to pass it on to my kids!
  
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Jillian Cantor revisits the glittering Jazz Age world of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, retelling this timeless American classic from the women’s perspective. Beautiful Little Fools is a quintessential tale of money and power, marriage and friendship, love and desire, and ultimately the murder of a man tormented by the past and driven by a destructive longing that can never be fulfilled.
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Because of the difficult topics included, I'd recommend this book for ages 12 and up.  
  
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==Emily's Review==
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==Other Similar Books==
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I absolutely loved this book. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite classics, and I think this made me love it even more.
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Other suggestions on the subject of the '''Chernobyl'''.
  
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In this novel, we get to explore the lives of the women in the story - Daisy, Jordan Baker, and Catherine. Getting their perspectives gives the story so much more depth. People that seemed unlikeable in the original become sympathetic characters. The author puts a feminist spin on the story, and we get a much more realistic view of Jay Gatsby, who gets presented in a very negative light, but it feels completely real and natural to the story. To be fair, I always felt that the majority of the cast of characters in the original story were presented in a pretty negative light, but somehow Gatsby comes off as being a hopeless romantic. I appreciate what the author did in this story, showing how powerless women often were and how men, particularly wealthy men, just assume they can get whatever they want, be it materialistic things or people.
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{{#ask: [[Category:Books]] [[Topic::Chernobyl]]
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| ?Author = by
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| ?Country =
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I also enjoyed that the author gave us a bit of a murder mystery, asking the question, "Who really killed Jay Gatsby?" What felt very cut and dry in the original novel, again, get's flipped on its head in this version of the story. I felt it was a natural conclusion that made complete sense in the scope of the story.
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Other suggestions on the subject of the '''Soviet Union'''.
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Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this take on Gatsby and I am desperate to read everything Jillian Cantor has written.
 
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==Other Similar Books==
 
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Other suggestions on the subject of '''Jazz Age'''.
 
  
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{{#ask: [[Category:Books]] [[Topic::Jazz Age]]
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{{#ask: [[Category:Books]] [[Topic::Soviet Union]]
 
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Revision as of 12:48, 13 March 2022

History book by book logo.jpg
Welcome to History Book By Book,
Reading your way through history... one book at a time...

> We are currently recommending a total of (1,100) books, divided into (65) specific booklists on this website.

First Time Here? Check Out: Frequently Asked Questions | How Do I Use History Book By Book (HBBB)?

General Outline

Prehistory Booklist (4,500,000,000-6000 BCE)

  • Stone Age (2,600,000-3300 BCE)

Early Civilization Booklist (6000-3000 BCE)

  • Ancient China (6000-220 CE)
  • Mesopotamian Civilization (3500–500 BCE)
  • Indus Valley Civilization (3300–1900 BCE)
  • Bronze Age (3300-1200 BCE)
  • Ancient Egypt (3100-30 BCE)

Classical Age Booklist (3000 BCE-400 CE)

Early Medieval Booklist (400–699 CE)

High Middle Ages Booklist (700-1399 CE)

  • Vikings (790–1100)
  • Aztec Civilization (1345–1521)

Renaissance Booklist (1400-1599 CE)

Enlightenment Booklist (1600-1699 CE)

Age of Revolutions Booklist (1700-1839 CE)

Industrial Age Booklist (1840-1899 CE)

Modern Age Booklist (1900 CE - present)


See also: American History | African American History | Indigenous American History | Jewish History


List of All Booklists

Other Booklists

Why is HBBB a thing?

I am a list maker. I love organizing booklists, to-do lists, checklists of all kinds. I spend a great deal of my time researching books for my job and I’ve often found it frustrating that there isn’t one reliable resource where I can find an organized timeline of literature. So I’ve created one. I’ve set out to create a resource that will guide you on a literary adventure through history.

You can find books here on just about every time period or historical topic and for any age level. I’ve done my best to research and vet each title to ensure that this list is filled with living books. I’ve noted content warnings when necessary and my daughters and I have reviewed many of the titles recommended. This has been and will continue to be a labor of love, as we continue to build this website and update these book suggestions. I hope you find it helpful!

Thanks and Happy Reading, Emily

Emily's Favorites

History book by book.jpg

Book Suggestions Published in 2022


See also: 2021 | 2020

Featured Weekly Book Suggestion - 3/14/2022

Modern Age
TheBlackbirdGirls.jpg

The Blackbird Girls
Author: Blankman, Anne
Buy at Amazon | BookShop.org

 Time Period: Modern Age
Time Frame: 1986
Geographic Area: Europe
Country: Ukraine, Russia, Uzbekistan
Topics: Chernobyl Disaster, Communism, Soviet Union
Genre: Fiction
Reading Age: Upper Middle Grade
Format: Chapter Book
Published: 2020

Content Warning
child abuse, death, genocide

World History > Modern Age > Cold War

NATIONAL JEWISH BOOK AWARD WINNER A SYDNEY TAYLOR MIDDLE GRADE HONOR BOOK

Like Ruta Sepetys for middle grade, Anne Blankman pens a poignant and timeless story of friendship that twines together moments in underexplored history.

On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky. A reactor at the nuclear power plant where their fathers work--Chernobyl--has exploded. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life. Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life? Would you risk your own?

Told in alternating perspectives among three girls--Valentina and Oksana in 1986 and Rifka in 1941--this story shows that hatred, intolerance, and oppression are no match for the power of true friendship.

Emily's Review

I am always looking for middle-grade fiction about history topics that don't get a lot of air time. This is definitely one of those books. This is a story about the Chernobyl Nuclear disaster, told from the perspective of two girls whose fathers both worked in the plant. Valentina is a Jew and is ostracized because of it. Her family is very careful to not stand out, to not do anything that might draw attention. Oksana has been raised to hate Jews and frequently bullies Valentina at school. She is desperate to win her father's approval. When the nuclear plant explodes, the girls are thrown together and forced to leave the city on their own to escape the dangers of radiation poisoning.

This is a story about friendship, about learning that things you were taught your whole life were lies, and about overcoming challenges and tragedy. These girls go through so much over the course of the story, but in the end, you are left with the hope that things will get better.

There is also a side story set during World War II about a Jewish girl fleeing the invading Germans that is harrowing to read about.

I absolutely loved this story. I'm always fascinated with Russian history, particularly Jews living in Russia. Reading about life in the Soviet Union is always eye-opening. I adored the two girls and their friendship and relationship with Valentina's grandmother. I found the parts about being Jewish in the Soviet Union fascinating as well. This was an unputdownable book for me, and I can't wait to pass it on to my kids!

Because of the difficult topics included, I'd recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

Other Similar Books

Other suggestions on the subject of the Chernobyl.

Other suggestions on the subject of the Soviet Union.

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