Three Short Reads

In this newsletter I’m talking about three short non-fiction books I’ve just read on three very different topics. One tells stories from the early days of shipping on the Great Lakes. The second takes the reader on a tour of archeological treasures throughout Great Britain. And the third takes you by the hand and guides you through an understanding of the different types of non-fiction and what you as a writer might want to think about and do to write a non-fiction book.

Tragedy and Triumph on the Great Lakes by Richard Gebhart

This slim volume is a follow up of sorts to Gebhart’s earlier book Ships and Shipwrecks. Both are published by Michigan State University Press, and both tell stories from the history of shipping on the Great Lakes.

Gebhart has researched Great Lakes maritime history for four decades. He spent time as the director of the White River Light Station and Museum on Lake Michigan. His love of shipping on the Lakes comes through in the stories in this book. Gebhart is based in Detroit and most of the stories in this book have some connection to the city and the Detroit River.

The stories start in the 1850s with the Lady Elgin, a wooden sidewheeler that carried both freight and passengers. The Lady was 252 feet long, large for its era. Gebhart gives much of her back story before telling us of her tragic end.

From there we progress through time and place to the final chapter on the history of the barges and tankers that carried oil on the Great Lakes from the 1860s right up through the 1950s.

The book has a number of photos, and the stories are told with a fascinating level of detail that helps to pull you back to the time they took place.

RATING: Three and a Half Stars ⭐⭐⭐🌠

Rating Comments: Anyone who grew up in the states and provinces surrounding the Great Lakes and has felt the lure of the Lakes and the freighters that ply the freshwater seas would like this book.

NOTE: I read an advance copy courtesy of Michigan State University Press and NetGalley. The book will be generally available on February 1, 2024.

NOTE 2: The author doesn’t appear to have an author web page.

Secret Britain: Unearthing our Mysterious Past by Mary-Ann Ochota

This book, by a British anthropologist and TV presenter, is a well presented collection of essays on archeological sites around Great Britain.

The book is full of beautiful color photos. The stories cover objects ranging from the oldest tree (and oldest living thing) in Europe to stone circles, tombs and caves. They range in size from tiny figurines to interconnected henge monuments taking up a “vast ritual landscape”. A few of the objects are made of gold, but most are stone or wood. Some are Roman, others Celtic or Pict or Viking.

The essays tell the reader what is known about each of the sites, and there is a helpful map at the beginning of the book to help you get a sense of where the sites are located.

One of my favorites is St. Martin’s Church in Cambridge, which dates back to the 500s, and is built of reused Roman stone and brick. The Kentish king Aethelbert was baptized here by St. Augustine in the late 590s. The church has been continuously in use for over 1400 years.

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating Comments: A handsomely illustrated and edifying book filled with ancient objects found in Great Britain.

NOTE: I received a review copy courtesy of the the publishers Frances Lincoln and Edelweiss Community. The book was published on September 29, 2020 and is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers.

Non-Fiction for Newbies by Lauren Bingham

Lauren Bingham is a self-published author of a series of how-to books aimed at folks who’d like to be authors. This book is full of tips and ideas about how to write a non-fiction book.

The book is very practical, and Bingham’s style is very conversational. She walks you through some general tips about around choosing a topic to write about, determining your perspective on that topic, and a bit about research.

The book then moves into some of the different genres of non-fiction - biographies, histories, travel, self-help and how-to, with specific thoughts about how to approach each.

This is a quick read (that would fall into the “how-to” genre) and because of its conversational style it left me feeling like I was armed with enough info to go out and write my own non-fiction book. Or at least a book review…

RATING: Four Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating Comments: I found the author’s approach practical and energizing.

NOTE: I received a review copy courtesy of the author and LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program. The book was published on July 27, 2023, and is available on Amazon.