The Excellent Subtitles of Historical Nonfiction
I can’t resist a catchy title, especially when it’s one of those formulaic yet dramatic subtitles that publishers love to slap onto narrative nonfiction. You know the ones I’m talking about – the ones that use words like “astonishing,” “murder,” “madness,” and “obsession,” like the synopsis to an overly enthusiastic soap opera. Kim Ukura has already shared a few of her favorite “murder and madness” titles, but there are many, many more dramatic titles to be explored. Here are a few more to add to your list:
Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America’s Soul – Karen Abbott
In the early 1900s, Minna and Ada Everleigh opened the infamous Everleigh Club on the south side of Chicago – an upscale, world-famous brothel that sparked a huge culture war between the madams, the politicians, and the Progressive Era reformers of the time. The entire story is infused with the lavish and gritty details of Chicago at the turn of the century, as well as a huge cast of colorful and outrageous characters. If you enjoyed Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil or Devil in the White City, this is a fantastic title to add to your reading list as well.
The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York – Deborah Blum
Part history, part true crime, part scientific discovery, The Poisoner’s Handbook tells the story of chief medical examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler, who set out to end an era of undetectable murders and unsolvable crimes. As each of their bizarre cases unfold, we get to see how Norris and Gettler’s research paved the way for modern forensic chemistry and revealed other toxic chemical threats lurking in the city.
Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga – Pamela Newkirk
Without a doubt, this is the darkest and most disturbing title on this list. Pamela Newkirk’s sobering research tells the story of a young Congolese man who was brought to America in the early 20th century and displayed as an exhibit at both the St. Louis World’s Fair and the Monkey House at the New York Zoological Gardens. The words “spectacle” and “astonishing” are not used lightly here. Until the publication of this book, Ota Benga’s existence had been virtually erased from American history by the people who exploited him, but Newkirk creates a compelling narrative about this shameful event in American racial and scientific history.
This is the periodic table we should have learned about in science class. Using stories of science, mythology, finance, and the arts, Sam Kean weaves together seemingly-impossible stories about the Periodic Table in this bizarre, yet fascinating scientific history. Why did Gandhi hate iodine? Why is it dangerous to store rare elements in the Congo? And why the hell should we care about molybdenum anyway? The book is broken up into 19 amusing and easily digestible chapters, so it’s a perfect read for those of us who hated science in high school.
