book thoughts: Rick Geary's Non-Fiction Graphic Novels

The Murder of Abraham Lincoln

Jack the Ripper

So, did text books pretty much ruin history for you?  All those boring pages and pages of names and dates, with the same old bits repeated year after year (found American, Revolt, Repeat) until you got out of high school?  Well, what if those history lessons had a bit more intrigue to them? 

Rick Geary's Graphic Novels are devoid of superheroes or dream masters.  Instead, Geary uses his talents as a writer and as an artist to tell the stories from history.  His main series - Treasury of Victorian Murder - covers such classics as the Assasination of Abraham Lincoln, Jack the Ripper, The Lindbergh Kidnapping and Lizzie Borden. 


                                                                                Researched and readable, these books are great primers for

J. Edgar Hoover: A Graphic Biography

The Lindbergh Child

someone who wants an accessible version of the facts before diving into a 500 page book on the subject.  Part True-Crime novel and part history lesson, Geary's black and white ink drawings are simple enough in their style that readers unfamiliar with the graphic novel format shouldn't feel overwhelmed. 

I for one had no interest in reading about Jack the Ripper, but Geary's book (which uses the primary source of a London citizen's diary from the time to frame the story) was so easy to read, that I did find myself wondering about the mystery afterwards. 

So next time you're struggling to find a book, ask a librarian for one of Rick Geary's graphic novels.  You'll be able to finish the thing in one sitting and afterwards you'll have some extra bits of knowledge floating around in your brain.  And who knows, you might ignite a passion for history that you didn't even know you had. 

Originally posted on orangerful.vox.com

TWEET TWEET: twitters from orangerful

• Had Panera for lunch, which was yummy, but now I have onion breath. Chewing gum before going out on the desk in 10 minutes *chomp chomp* #
• @DarthMarmalade that is BRILLIANT! I would love a "no laugh-track" option. Some of them are out of control (the "aaaaw" track is worse) #
• Want to read: The Dead Fathers Club by Matt Haig - tinyurl.com/c298uo #
• @feliciaday I sense a Fail Whale in the near future... #
• Got Wolverine? tinyurl.com/dmqqwu #
• @girly_scribbles Star Trek and Caprica...sounds like you might have OD'd on the geek today ;-) Looking forward to your thoughts. #
• Want to read: The Beast of Chicago: An Account of the Life and C... by Rick Geary - tinyurl.com/cpadtk #

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hey big spender

So...AD and I were talking tonight and...well...

We bought a Playstation 3.

I know, I know, I was gonna wait until Christmas and hope that Santa would bring it but NOW Santa can just bring me a giant bag of Blu-Ray movies LOL! This is also what comes of living right next to a Target store - you can just wander over and buy random stuff at odd hours.

I'm reviving my old playstation account while AD gives Killzone a try. Got to play Little Big Planet for a bit. Too cute! Once I've created my own Sackboy, I will take some photos and upload them.

We ended up buying the 80GB bundle, which came with a copy of Resistance and MotorCross. Then we bought Little Big Planet and Killzone 2. I've add Uncharted and Heavenly Sword to our Gamefly queue.

AD said it is sort of a belated birthday/anniversary gift. This is why we are an awesome couple. LOL!

So, if I'm sort of quiet the next couple of days, that is why. haha.