Skip to content

history

Fruit of Knowledge. The Vulva vs. The Patriarchy (by Liv Strömquist)

We’re all familiar with the story of Eve being held responsible for the fall of humanity. Not only did Eve commit the first sin, but she also influenced Adam to do the same, leading to their expulsion from Eden. Naughty girl, Eve. However, humans haven’t always lived in a patriarchal culture. In fact, in many ancient cultures, God was a woman, and menstruation was seen as sacred. The author of this book cleverly explores the condition of being female throughout history, with a focus on… Read More »Fruit of Knowledge. The Vulva vs. The Patriarchy (by Liv Strömquist)

The Five (by Hallie Rubenhold)

This book is not about Jack the Ripper, who has already gained a lot of notoriety. This book is about the lives of his victims. Their names were Polly, Annie, Elizabeth, Catherine, and Mary Jane. I felt overwhelming sadness while reading it, and this was due to the deplorable conditions in which these women lived. There was clearly a great deal of research behind this book. It was heart-wrenching and enraging to learn that just over a century ago, women were considered less important than… Read More »The Five (by Hallie Rubenhold)

A Londra con Virginia Woolf (by Cristina Marconi)

By accompanying the reader on a journey of discovery through the places that were part of Virginia Woolf’s life, the author offers an interesting glimpse into her existence. The writing is engaging to the point that it gave me the feeling of taking a real journey through time, reliving the atmosphere of London in the early twentieth century. I also greatly appreciated the intelligent use of quotes within the text. Well-structured, well-written, and well-researched, this beautiful book provides a passionate read that I highly recommend.… Read More »A Londra con Virginia Woolf (by Cristina Marconi)

Virginia Woolf (by Quentin Bell)

I immersed myself in the pages of this intimate and comprehensive portrait of Virginia Woolf, one of the most celebrated writers of the 20th century. The author, Quentin Bell, had a close personal relationship with her – he was her nephew. Divided into two parts, the first covers Woolf’s childhood, adolescence, and goes until she was 30 years old. While this section contains undoubtedly valuable background information on Woolf’s upbringing and later years, I found it to be a bit slow-paced. The second part of… Read More »Virginia Woolf (by Quentin Bell)

Culinaria Hungary (by Aniko Gergely)

Hungarian food is much more than goulash and paprika. It’s a rich cuisine that you can learn about through the pages of this book. While presented as a cookbook, I think that the recipes could have been a bit more detailed. For example, when I tried making one of them, Paprikás Csirke (chicken paprika), I felt I needed more instructions as they seemed too vague, perhaps more aimed at experienced cooks. What I found enriching was that I learned a lot about Hungarian culinary traditions… Read More »Culinaria Hungary (by Aniko Gergely)

Maria Montessori (by Grazia Honegger Fresco)

Maria Montessori is more well-known and appreciated abroad than in Italy. There are many books about her biography written in English that seem to be very well read and reviewed. In fact, her teaching method, which focuses on the individuality and autonomy of the child, is still incredibly popular today all over the world. This book, full of references to facts and events, covers Maria Montessori’s entire life: her years of training in which she was one of the first female doctors in Italy, the… Read More »Maria Montessori (by Grazia Honegger Fresco)

Love Letters of the Great War (edited by Mandy Kirkby)

With this book, I took a glimpse at some private correspondence that was exchanged during the WW1. Lots of different strong emotions were given voice by these letters, so sometimes I felt like I was intruding on the privacy of those who wrote and received them. My favourite one was written by the primary school teacher Marin to his wife Marguerite. A few months after Marin had joined the army in 1914, Marguerite gave birth to their first child, a daughter. His letter is just… Read More »Love Letters of the Great War (edited by Mandy Kirkby)

The Mind in the Cave (by David Lewis-Williams)

What is art? The word art is used today to describe a wide variety of things from prehistoric cave paintings to those apparently nonsensical installations you find in modern galleries. Music and literature are also art but here we’re going to consider visual art only. Is visual art made to be looked at? Is it made for spiritual purposes? Is it made just as a creative outlet? Does art have as many meanings as the artists who make it? Should art be beautiful or just… Read More »The Mind in the Cave (by David Lewis-Williams)

Sapiens

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari)

I was really looking forward to reading this book and I had high expectations given that there had been a lot of hype around it. Not only did it not disappoint, but it also even exceeded my expectations. The author, Yuval Noah Harari, is simply a genius. He’s a university professor of history in Israel, so the book is written by somebody who has qualified knowledge. He has made an entire course about the history of humankind too which is available for free on YouTube.… Read More »Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (by Yuval Noah Harari)

A Wartime Memoir: Hungary 1944-1945 (by Alaine Polcz)

This is an autobiographical and historical account of the terrible experiences that the author went through during the Second World War in Hungary. It’s narrated in retrospective which I particularly appreciated as I could get to know the author’s thoughts from a point of view after the fact as well. It’s a raw, sad and often overwhelming read. It was difficult not to pause every few pages to take a break, breath and reflect on how horrifying war is. At a certain point, when I… Read More »A Wartime Memoir: Hungary 1944-1945 (by Alaine Polcz)