This column, featuring Omaha Public Library's staff recommended microhistories, appeared in the May 12, 2024, edition of the Omaha World-Herald (NE). It is also available at Omaha.com (opens in a new tab).
Recommended Reads: Omaha Public Library staff recommend microhistories, nonfiction books
Omaha Public Library wants to help readers find new books — or at least books new to them. Our employees recommend reading based on different writing genres, themes or styles. This week, staff have suggested some of their favorite microhistories, nonfiction books that dive deeper into a tightly focused or niche topic. Find these books and more at your local branch or omahalibrary.org, opens a new window.
“The Arsenic Century: How Victorian Britain was Poisoned at Home, Work, and Play” by James C. Whorton. Whorton’s work is both captivating and unsettling, providing a detailed yet concise historical narrative about the poison and its once widespread presence — showing up anywhere from your wallpaper to the pantry. — Elizabeth Evenson-Dencklau, learning and strategy specialist
“The Barbizon: the Hotel That Set Women Free” by Paulina Bren. Bren explores the Barbizon’s history from 1827 through its present day iteration as luxury condominiums. The hotel witnessed generations of young women from 1920s flappers to 1930s “Gibbs Girls” to Mademoiselle magazine’s College Guest Editors. Sylvia Plath, a College Guest Editor in 1953, based her novel, “The Bell Jar” on her experiences at the Barbizon. — Theresa Jehlik, strategy and business intelligence manager
Brief Histories of Everyday Objects
“Brief Histories of Everyday Objects” by Andy Warner. As a person who enjoys a spontaneous Wikipedia deep-dive on the seemingly mundane, this graphic novel delivers with both history and humor about the objects we see every day but may not think about. Warner takes the reader through blips of time, using playful dialogue to highlight interesting moments in the history of objects from toilets to coffee beans to post-it notes. — Shan Cashin, library specialist at the Milton R. Abrahams Branch
“The Emperor of all Maladies: A Biography of Cancer” by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Cancer has affected nearly all of our lives in some form or another, but what do we know about its history and evolution of treatment throughout the centuries? At times heartbreaking, at times graphic, at times hopeful and inspiring, this thoroughly encompassing biography of an illness is deeply informative. Readers will be inspired to learn what advancements have been made since publication. — Emily Beasley, assistant branch manager at the A.V. Sorensen Branch
“A Kim Jong-Il Production” by Paul Fischer. In 1978, actress Choi Eun-Hee and director Shin Sang-Ok were abducted and taken to North Korea. In 1986, they sought asylum in the U.S. Embassy in Austria. In between, they were pressed into service in North Korea’s film industry and produced seven films at the whim of Kim Jong-Il. A fascinating cultural history overall, I’m particularly fond of this title for its history of the production of “Pulgasari” (1985), an odd and unforgettable kaiju movie. — Mark Sorensen, collection development librarian
“Mr. Humble and Dr. Butcher” by Brandy Schillace. I don’t know that any review I can write will beat the book’s subtitle, “A Monkey’s Head, the Pope’s Neuroscientist, and the Quest to Transplant the Soul.” A compelling study of Dr. Robert White, a groundbreaking neurosurgeon whose desire to overcome the bounds of death led him to ethically complex and controversial experiments. — Sorensen
“On Trails: An Exploration” by Robert Moor. Moor takes readers on journeys literal and figurative as he embarks on a grand adventure walking the full length of the Appalachian Trail; an experience that later leads him to dive deeper into types of trails, their origin stories and maintenance and how they evolve over time. “Something miraculous happens when a trail is trailed,” he writes, highlighting everything from physical and chemical trails forged by animals in the wild, those paved by humans, and others in between (such as herding routes developed by sheep and farmers). Your wanderlust may be piqued as you learn more about potential paths to follow worldwide and those yet to be forged. — Courtni Kopietz, marketing manager
“Prairie Forge” by James J. Kimble. You could fill a library with histories of WWII, but don’t overlook this richly researched study of the 1942 Nebraska scrap metal drive. Nebraskans pulled together and pitched in to gather a tremendous amount of metal to support the needs of wartime production. Give this a read, and I’m willing to wager you’ll think about the piano collection for years. — Sorensen
“Worn on This Day: The Clothes That Made History” by Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell. This book covers a year and gives a day-by-day story or tidbit about an article of clothing. Some items were worn by famous people while others were worn by ordinary people caught up in extraordinary events. Ranging from the year 79 to 2018, the author details the significance of each item in the context of world history. — Jehlik
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