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After the Fact: The Surprising Fates of American History's Heroes, Villains, and Supporting Characters
by
Owen J. Hurd (Goodreads Author)
This book picks up where traditional histories leave offNa OWhere Are They Now?O meets History 101. Lingering on the scene long after the smoke has cleared and the spotlights have moved on, it uncovers the telling details of history's most compelling subplots.
Paperback, 272 pages
Published
August 7th 2012
by Perigee Trade
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*I received this book for free through GoodReads First Reads!*
I was excited for this book from the moment I read about it! As the title implies, this book takes you through what happened to some of America's well known heroes, villains, and supporting characters after the events that made them part of our history. I am a history buff, so this concept was fascinating to me.
I found the whole book incredibly informative and thoroughly entertaining. I loved the format and Hurd's writing style. In th...more
I was excited for this book from the moment I read about it! As the title implies, this book takes you through what happened to some of America's well known heroes, villains, and supporting characters after the events that made them part of our history. I am a history buff, so this concept was fascinating to me.
I found the whole book incredibly informative and thoroughly entertaining. I loved the format and Hurd's writing style. In th...more
Full disclosure, I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.
The concept is a simple one: Take famous people and stories and explain what happened after the event that made them/it famous. The author accomplishes this well, if a bit simplistically, giving the rest of the story for people like James Cook, Paul Revere, Wyatt Earp, and Lou Gehrig.
It's a good light read, perfect for someone with a passing interest in history, though not necessarily for history buffs as everything is k...more
The concept is a simple one: Take famous people and stories and explain what happened after the event that made them/it famous. The author accomplishes this well, if a bit simplistically, giving the rest of the story for people like James Cook, Paul Revere, Wyatt Earp, and Lou Gehrig.
It's a good light read, perfect for someone with a passing interest in history, though not necessarily for history buffs as everything is k...more
*I received this book for free through GoodReads First Reads*
This was a quick read and was pretty interesting. It was quite fun to learn about the parts of history that people often leave out, forget, and just do not ever discover. I am a history buff, so these stories were quite fascinating and often surprising. Some of the sections were very fun, very interesting and quite entertaining. My favorites were the sections on Watergate and WWII.
The organization of the book is chronological, which is...more
Nov 27, 2012
Michael Ireland
added it
I love these kind of books - he rest of the story....
Aug 21, 2012
Janet
added it
Loved this read! Fascinating slants on history untold.
Who knew? From this book, I kearned that Evaline Ness, Caldecott medalist for Sam, Bangs and Moonshine, was Elliot Ness' 2nd wife!
This book picks up where traditional histories leave offNa OWhere Are They Now?O meets History 101. Lingering on the scene long after the smoke has cleared and the spotlights have moved on, it uncovers the telling details of history's most compelling subplots.
Brilliant concept hampered by simple writing that made for a boring read.
I really enjoyed this book! If you are looking for a David McCullough type book, this one isn't for you. If you enjoy reading about history that is easy to understand and has some good shock factor and humor, then this book is perfect. I really had to bit my tongue to not spout off interesting things I learned in this book to everyone around me while I was reading it.
There are so many historical characters out there- I hope another book is in the works!
There are so many historical characters out there- I hope another book is in the works!
Interesting and succinct enough that it wasn't a chore. Very nice writing, too, for non-fiction. It's interesting to see some of America's most recognized events within the framework of the lives of those who lived them. Did you know that Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame killed himself? Or that Abraham Lincoln's wife was an obsessive compulsive shopper? This book also confirmed my previous opinion that Christopher Columbus was a jerk.
This is an interesting non-fiction account of what happened to many famous figures in American History after their 15 minutes of fame. The account goes from the American Revolutionary War to the Nixon administration. It's a pretty good review of several common knowledge moments in American history and was also instructive as a vocabulary builder for me!
This was an easy read but fun to discover "the rest of the story." Many of the news makers in history really had the spotlight for a brief moment. We tend to view their lives as a whole by those headlines. This book gives condensed but interesting information about how histories characters filled the rest of their time.
Interesting info for sure. Not the best writing quality I've seen. At points I had to reread several times before I realized what was trying to be said. Wondering how they chose the people they did? Many of the "Loose Ends" were more interesting than the key figure in the chapter.
Little snapshots of people and events in history and what happened 'after.'
May 13, 2013
Bookewyrm
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A Chicago-area resident for thirty-eight years, I live in the Andersonville neighborhood with my wife and son.
I've always been interested in history and literature, making my living one way or another through the written word: as an editor for several book publishers, freelance writer for corporations and non-profit organizations, and most recently as an author.
I recently finished my second book...more
More about Owen J. Hurd...
I've always been interested in history and literature, making my living one way or another through the written word: as an editor for several book publishers, freelance writer for corporations and non-profit organizations, and most recently as an author.
I recently finished my second book...more
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