Bright Young Things discussion

Nominate a work of non-fiction for the group to read in October 2017. It should be predominantly about the people, places or events between 1900 and 1945.

We have read it, in August 2014. It was terrific!

OK, I'll delete it. Thanks, Barbara.

So of course I had to trawl through all the discussions to find out what it was that Susan nominated and then deleted.

It was The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig and it was a wonderful book and a good discussion...

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Can I suggest Letters from a Lost Generation: First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends?

I can see some of you read Brittain's Testament of Youth a few years ago, this sounds like it gives an insight into the other side of the story through the letters from the men. On the other hand, you might feel it's too close in subject matter.

I removed it so as not to confuse the thread with titles which wouldn't be used. Good suggestion, Clodia.

Nigeyb wrote: "So of course I had to trawl through all the discussions to find out what it was that Susan nominated and then deleted.

It was The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig an..."

Thank you for saving me a search.

Roman Clodia wrote: "Can I suggest Letters from a Lost Generation: First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends?

I can see some of you read Brittain's Testament of Youth a few years ago, th..."

Looks interesting but may be hard to find for some of us.

EDIT: I've decided to withdraw my Teffi nomination

I read that a while ago, Nigeyb. My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks Susan. Your wonderful five star review makes me want to read it even more now.

EDIT: I've decided to withdraw my Teffi nomination

I feel like it's been a while since we're read a good disaster tale...

Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917 by Laura M. MacDonald

The events of the horrific Halifax explosion are well documented: on December 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc and the Belgian relief ship Imo collide in the Halifax harbor. Nearly 2,000 people are killed; over 9,000 more are injured. The story of one of the world’s worst non-natural disasters has been told before, but never like this.

In a sweeping narrative, Curse of the Narrows tells a tale of ordinary people in an extraordinary situation, retracing the steps of survivors through the wreckage of a city destroyed. Laura M. MacDonald weaves a panoramic chronicle of the astonishing international response to the explosion, telling of the generous donations of money and medical specialists made by the city of Boston, of how the number of horrific injuries to Halifax’s children inspired startling developments in pediatric medicine, and exploring the disaster’s chilling link to the creation of the atomic bomb.

Jennifer W wrote: "I feel like it's been a while since we're read a good disaster tale...

Curse of the Narrows: The Halifax Explosion 1917 by Laura M. MacDonald

The events of the horri..."

This is a MOST excellent book! You would never believe this could happen if it were fiction.

Sadly, very expensive in the UK. It is on kindle though.

I just saw the film based on this book. It wasn't the best film I've ever seen but it did leave me wanting to know more so I'm nominating...

The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

The story of Colonel Percy Harrison Fawcett, the inspiration behind Conan Doyle's The Lost World

Fawcett was among the last of a legendary breed of British explorers. For years he explored the Amazon and came to believe that its jungle concealed a large, complex civilization, like El Dorado. Obsessed with its discovery, he christened it the City of Z. In 1925, Fawcett headed into the wilderness with his son Jack, vowing to make history. They vanished without a trace.

For the next eighty years, hordes of explorers plunged into the jungle, trying to find evidence of Fawcett's party or Z. Some died from disease and starvation; others simply disappeared. In this spellbinding true tale of lethal obsession, David Grann retraces the footsteps of Fawcett and his followers as he unravels one of the greatest mysteries of exploration.

David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker. He has written about everything from New York City’s antiquated water tunnels to the hunt for the giant squid. His stories have appeared in several anthologies. He has written for the New York Times Magazine, the Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New Republic. He lives in New York with his wife and two children.

The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum.

A Jazz Age tale of chemistry and detection, poison and murder. In early twentieth-century New York, poisons offered an easy path to the perfect crime. Science had no place in the Tammany Hall-controlled coroner's office, and corruption ran rampant. However, with the appointment of chief medical examiner Charles Norris in 1918, the poison game changed forever. Together with toxicologist Alexander Gettler, the duo set the justice system on fire with their trailblazing scientific detective work, triumphing over seeming unbeatable odds to become the pioneers of forensic chemistry and the gatekeepers of justice. (from the back cover)

I've decided to withdraw my Teffi nomination - I'll probably nominate it another month instead


#toomanybookstoolittletime

The polls are up... https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/2...

...and the winner is:

Letters from a Lost Generation: First World War Letters of Vera Brittain and Four Friends by Mark Bostridge

Wow, just finished this! My review, if anyone is thinking of joining in the read next month:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Sounds wonderful Susan. I loved Testament of Youth. My review is here...

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I'd love to hear from someone who has read both so I can work out what more this adds.

I've read both: Testament when I was about the same age as Vera B, the summer before going to university so it was a particularly poignant read.

I read Letters when it first came out and loved that we hear the voices of the men (boys?) which offers a whole other perspective. Definitely worth reading even if you know Testament.

I've also read Vera's diaries published as Chronicle of Youth: The War Diary, 1913-1917 - much rawer than Testament which was written in retrospect.

I'm planning to hopefully re-read the letters next month.

Thanks Roman Clodia - very helpful