The History Major in Navigating Indieworld Discussing All Things Indie

Dec 18, 2019 Miranda Reads rated it liked it

Shelves: received-to-review

People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.

Amanda Greene just moved into her dorm, she's starting her freshman year and (possibly) broke up with her boyfriend. Aces.

The next morning she wakes up and everything...is different. And also, not-different.

She's still in her dorm, surrounded by her things but there's something decidedly wrong about it all.

Something fluttered from the corner of her eye. It changed the quality of the light in the room, playing with

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Jan 13, 2016 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Clear your schedule, because you have no idea what you're getting into with this novella. Yes, as a novella, it is short. Won't take you more than a day to breeze through this book. And what a great way to spend a day. Seriously, you'll be glad you cleared your schedule. I was. And now I'm exhausted and enthralled and a bunch of other emotions that shouldn't exist at once in my being. That is the magic that is Cash. He's a genius at storytelling. In this installment, I was again reminded that he ...more

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Jan 03, 2016 M.M. Hudson rated it it was amazing

As I was a History major in college, I thought reading Michael Phillip Cash's newest novella book would be interesting. I was correct and wrong at the same time. Yes, his book was interesting but even more so down right thought provoking.

As usual, the author weaved bits of history into his book which you would expect from such a title but the history was a far cry from Long Island where many of his stories have taken place. The main character development was so craftily handled in such a way tha ...more

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Jan 06, 2016 Chris Meads rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult, science, paranormal, historic, horror, spiritual

Amanda Greene has had a fight with her boyfriend and goes over to her girlfriends drinking. Next thing she know, she wakes up in her dorm room with a new roommate and a history class she never signed up for. She finally goes and finds out her teacher is Aristotle! Amanda thinks it's a waste of time and wants to leave, but there is a dark stranger waiting for her outside the door.

What is this all about? What is really going on with Amanda? What's with the history lesson?

Michael Phillip Cash has d ...more

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Jan 13, 2016 Wanda Maynard rated it it was amazing

A unique title to go along with a wonderful, unique scary story. THE HISTORY MAJOR had me hooked from page one, because of the pleasantly puzzling way Michael Phillip Cash skillfully planned the outcome. It was so intriguing I couldn't wait to continue on to the next page, and then onto the next chapter, to see what might be around the next corner, or peeking through the thick shadowy fog. There was just enough suspense added to this fast-paced, page turner to lead this reader through darkened
A unique title to go along with a wonderful, unique scary story. THE HISTORY MAJOR had me hooked from page one, because of the pleasantly puzzling way Michael Phillip Cash skillfully planned the outcome. It was so intriguing I couldn't wait to continue on to the next page, and then onto the next chapter, to see what might be around the next corner, or peeking through the thick shadowy fog. There was just enough suspense added to this fast-paced, page turner to lead this reader through darkened passageways, and around shadowy corners to reveal scary unseen creatures or things that you might be afraid of in the dark.
As the tale unfolds Amanda, who had been fighting with her boyfriend, then had a wild party, is lying face down on the bed. Is she awake? Is she asleep? Is she dreaming, or is she dead? This wild ride will take the reader into the realms of the unknown, along with Amanda, who is about to find out something she might not want to know.
This one scene was a little too surreal to me, when Amanda noticed something sinister moving. Did she actually see it from the corner of her eye? Something shadowy and twinkling? Was it alive? Was what she saw actually happening, or was her imagination running wild? Suddenly movement by the window caught her attention. The banging on the window was so hard, I actually saw her eyes blinking very fast, as if she wasn't sure of what was happening. Then the window rattled with a metallic clinking sound as it heaved in and out as though it were breathing. Amanda looked toward the dark window to see if maybe she saw something flicker, but all she could see was total blackness. Then she saw an ugly face that made her gasp, and just as suddenly it disappeared. Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Was she just hearing things? Why couldn't she wake up from this crazy nightmare? Or is it a nightmare? And, where was that foul stench coming from? Then she heard a woman's voice tell her she was going to be late for her learning. Who was the person behind the voice, and what learning was this woman talking about? If you haven't picked up this great book and read it yet, now would be the time to do so. I loved it! ...more

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Jan 14, 2016 Pat Byrnes rated it it was amazing

Amanda Greene is having a bad day in Michael Phillip Cash’s novella The History Major. Being a college freshman can be stressful, but Amanda added a night on the town. Amanda wakes to a roaring headache and mass confusion. Things just don’t seem right, things are out of place, and her roommate isn’t who she remembered. She finally gathers herself to head to class, but upon looking at her schedule, her first class of the day is History. Amanda isn’t a fan of History, in fact, she hates History.

Mi ...more

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Jan 16, 2016 Gayle Pace rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery, suspense, fiction

Once again Mr. Cash has brought us another great read. This one is about a college freshman, Amanda Greene. Waking up with a hangover, from too much partying, and a big fight with her boyfriend, Amanda realizes things aren't as usual. The room isn't quite right. She has a new dorm mate that is rather peculiar. She discovers she is enrolled in classes that she wouldn't sign up for. She thinks she knows some of the people around her in her history class,but something isn't right and she isn't quit ...more

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Jan 23, 2016 Charles rated it it was amazing

Several seemingly disjointed plot lines have a common connection

The opening is one that many college students can related to, college freshman Amanda Greene wakes up after a night of heavy partying and a fight with her boyfriend with a sense of disorientation. She knows that she put down a lot of alcohol and at first she attributes the disorientation to the newness of her dorm room and the aftereffects of her binge drinking.
However, it does not take long before she realizes that her reality h ...more

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Mar 13, 2016 Barbara Ann rated it really liked it

I received a copy of this book in return for an honest non-biased review.

Hung over college student Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm to an unsettling situation. She vaguely remembers a fight the night before with her boyfriend, Patrick, and partying with her two best girlfriends who don't like him. But her room is at once familiar and strangely different; her roommate is someone she has never met. Finding her classroom schedule on the bed, Amanda is distressed to see a history class on it; Aman I received a copy of this book in return for an honest non-biased review.

Hung over college student Amanda Greene wakes up in her dorm to an unsettling situation. She vaguely remembers a fight the night before with her boyfriend, Patrick, and partying with her two best girlfriends who don't like him. But her room is at once familiar and strangely different; her roommate is someone she has never met. Finding her classroom schedule on the bed, Amanda is distressed to see a history class on it; Amanda hates history. She rushes to the Registrar building to drop the class, but the administrators tell her she must take the course. Amanda walks through the campus, which seems oddly different. Buildings appear and disappear, and she has the feeling of being stalked.

Resigned to her fate, Amanda is drawn to the history lecture, where she meets Nick and her professor who is dressed like Aristotle. His lecture is even stranger. He drolls on about Joan of Arc, Pope Alexander VI, Lucretia Borgia and other historical characters, but as he does so Amanda is drawn back into history interacting with and sometimes being attacked by them. Nick tells her, “They all hear what they have to hear.” Amanda's thoughts drift back and forth between the past and her own reality. She has flashbacks of her grandmother, mother, and abusive stepbrother, Wayne. How can there be a connection? Amanda hears the words, “People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them.”

What is real, what is fantasy, and how will Amanda deal with integrating both within her present life?

Elements of a thriller, paranormal, history and a psychological study combine to make this novella a compelling read. The first couple of chapters confused me, and I definitely disliked Amanda. As I got into the plot, I could not stop reading. Lots of interesting dialogue and colorful language engage the reader. Plenty of twists and turns keep the reader on edge; the ending caught me off guard. Recommended for teen and adult audiences as a thought provoking afternoon read.
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Sep 23, 2016 Reader Views rated it it was amazing

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (09/16)

In “The History Major” by Michael Phillip Cash, college student Amanda wakes up one morning, after a night of heavy partying; realizing things seem strangely different from yesterday. She barely recalls the night before, she just knows that she said things she shouldn’t have said to her boyfriend, and they broke up. Feeling totally off kilter, she finds herself in a history class that she was sure she never signed up for, with a teacher that looks Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (09/16)

In “The History Major” by Michael Phillip Cash, college student Amanda wakes up one morning, after a night of heavy partying; realizing things seem strangely different from yesterday. She barely recalls the night before, she just knows that she said things she shouldn’t have said to her boyfriend, and they broke up. Feeling totally off kilter, she finds herself in a history class that she was sure she never signed up for, with a teacher that looks like remarkably like Aristotle. Not a fan of history, Amanda is very upset at being in this class. When a friendly stranger named Nick seems to take her under his wing, she feels better, but she still wants to be back in what she knows to be her reality, so that she can mend things with her boyfriend.

When three heavenly beings, Archangel Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret visit Amanda, she realizes that things aren’t going to go back to normal. As the history lesson continues, Amanda finds herself thrown back into other lives, reliving moments that they experienced. This includes seeing things through the eyes of Joan of Arc and Lucrezia Borgia. Amanda doesn’t understand what they have to do with her and she is incredibly upset when these events trigger memories of abuse that she suffered at the hands of her stepbrother and the traumatic aftermath that followed when she finally reported him.

Slowly, Amanda begins to realize that reliving history can help heal her past. As she starts to understand the lessons set in place for her, she sees that healing from the trauma can help her move forward. She now has some decisions to make.

"The History Major: A Novella" by Michael Phillip Cash tells a unique tale. The author does a great job of taking us inside the mind of the troubled protagonist. Readers clearly see everything through Amanda’s eyes and are as confused as she is before she finally starts figuring things out. I would classify this book as a psychological horror because it utilizes elements of psychological suspense and fantastical horror. It is really a perfect blend of two genres. Fans of both will enjoy reading this novella and find themselves wishing it was a full-length novel! ...more

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Apr 24, 2017 Shelly Itkin rated it really liked it

When Amanda Greene wakes up she knows something is wrong. Yes, she had a huge fight with her boyfriend and winds up partying with her friends.
Checking her schedule she notices she is signed up for a class in history which she hates so why would she take it?
She tries to change her program and get rid of history but she cannot and so she is off to her first class. The building is one she never even knew existed on campus.

Amanda suddenly sees her professor dressed as a Greek person is it Aristotle ...more

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Jul 28, 2016 Keith rated it really liked it

I love this story! – 4.5 Stars

While there were some editing issues that should have been caught before publishing, Michael does a fantastic job of describing his scenes and developing his characters. Many times I felt like I was literally there, experiencing what Amanda was experiencing. The ending was unexpected. I kept thinking I knew what was coming, but I was pleasently surprised. If this did not have the problems with editing, I would have given it a solid 5 Stars.

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Apr 01, 2017 Christine rated it it was amazing

Right from the start of this novella, I became invested in the main character, Amanda. What in the world was happening to her? Amanda had choices to make and learning what those were, and how history helped, kept me turning the pages. An intriguing, well-written story.

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May 07, 2019 Sam (Rescue Dog Mom, Writer, Hugger) rated it it was amazing

I believe there will be several different interpretations amongst readers of this book. In my opinion, it's about one person's struggle with a major moral dilemma. I was worried about how the issue would be resolved and am very happy with the ending. ...more

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