Abby Epplett, Historian

Disclaimer:  I received this book from Goodreads to review. I recently finished the book Growing Up Getty: The Story of America’s Most Unconventional Dynasty by Vanity Fair writer James Reginato, published this year by Gallery Books , an imprint of Simon & Schuster . At about 270 pages of well-written text, plus a substantial bibliography and a large family tree, this book bridges the gap between gossip column and biography to create a sometimes compelling, sometimes pandering narrative about this ultra wealthy clan. The book is divided into four sections, explaining the rise of Jean Paul Getty as an oil baron and savvy businessman, and the subsequent lives of his descendents, many of whom are politically and socially today. Reginato has a special focus on the children and grandchildren of J. Paul Getty II , the oldest son of his fourth marriage (Getty I was married five times), and the family of Getty II’s younger brother, Gordon . This section of the family includ...

I recently finished reading the book Beautiful News: Positive Trends, Uplifting Stats, Creative Solutions by David McCandless , also the author of Information Is Beautiful , also called The Visual Miscellaneum (2010), and Knowledge Is Beautiful (2014), both of which I own and frequently reread. The book was published by Harper Design , an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers focused on “stunning, gorgeously produced illustrated, award-winning books”. I purchased my copy from Barnes & Noble. The charts and diagrams featured in Beautiful News originally appeared on the website, Information Is Beautiful , named for the first book in the series. As with his past books, McCandless is unmatched in his ability to transform raw data into gorgeous, colorful, and understandable images. His techniques range from the classic word cloud, bar charts, and maps to complex multipage spreads. Even the table of content and index are precisely designed. Picking favorite charts i...

Disclaimer: I received this book from Goodreads to review. I recently finished reading Slaves for Peanuts: A Story of Conquest, Liberation, and a Crop That Changed History , the debut book of journalist Jori Lewis published by The New Press , a nonprofit publisher with a focus on social justice. Slaves for Peanuts fits the bill, describing the role that peanuts have in slavery, colonialistion, and evangelism in Western Africa — especially modern Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Gambia — during the mid to late 19 th century. The book follows the lives of multiple figures important to the area while tracking local events, along with those in France and its other colonies. Reverend Walter Samuel Taylor , a missionary with the Paris Evangelical Missionary Society, appears throughout the book as a brave but chronically ill man who hid former slaves in his home until their could receive freedom papers, all while fighting the racism and anti-Protestantism of the French g...

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Old York Historical Society in York, Maine. The society owns and maintains several buildings and historic properties that I saw on my trip, including their Museum Center, Jefferds Tavern, York Corner Schoolhouse, the Old Gaol, and Emerson-Wilcox House.

During my three-day trip of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire area, I visited Portsmouth Historical Society and its John Paul Jones House, which are a members of the New England Museum Association (NEMA). While John Paul Jones (JPJ) was mentioned at the American Independence Museum in Exeter, New Hampshire and appeared in a novel written by Sarah Orne Jewett of Berwick, Maine , whose house is preserved by Historic New England (HNE), I admittedly did not know much about his life. The details were less glamorous than many 18 th and 19 th century biographies made it out to be.

I recently finished reading Stuff You Should Know: An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things written by Josh Clark, Chuck Bryant, and Nils Parker. This book was published on November 24 2020, and will soon celebrate its second birthday. I read the Barnes & Noble edition of the book, which contains twenty-seven standard chapters plus a “bonus” chapter about Superman and is 293 pages long. The book based on the similarly named podcast “Stuff You Should Know” , or SYSK, which debuted in 2008 and is now distributed by iHeartRadio. Red podcast icons indicate when a topic mentioned in the book has an accompanying podcast episode, which are listed at the back of the book. Both the book and podcast cover a wide range of topics in history, culture, and science. I enjoyed every part of this book. The writing style is light and easy-to-read, with plenty of “dad jokes” and silly footnotes. Most chapters are fun read-aloud material for the whole family. The illustration...

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts . Reinventing Membership for a Hybrid Future During the first session of the day, speakers Brendan Ciecko of Cuseum and Kathleen Porter of the Trustees spoke about their efforts to promote online and virtual programming for cultural organizations during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how this shift changed the way museum will interact with members in the future. Ciecko emphasized the changes made by other cultural organizations, relating the findings of the Cuseum study to a...

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts Session 1 Who Was Mary Duncan? Accessing New Narratives at Historic House Museums Danielle Bennett , a graduate student at CUNY Graduate Center , and Jan Williams , the Executive Director of Buttonwoods Museum , also called Haverhill Historical Society, discussed their efforts in turning tours in Haverhill from “Old Dead Rich White Guy History” to a more inclusive narrative. Several women are featured in the new Buttonwoods tours. One story features Hannah Duston ,...

From November 2 through November 4, I attended the 2022 Annual NEMA ( New England Museum Association ) Conference as a General Scholarship Recipient , which I received thanks to “ Connecticut Humanities and the Connecticut Office of the Arts ; MassHumanities ; Mass Cultural Council ; Vermont Humanities ; and NEMA Annual Appeal donors. After two years of attending virtually, the 104 th edition of the conference was back in-person at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield, Massachusetts Keynote Session: Becoming Good Ancestors: A Sense of Oneness Before the keynote, NEMA Executive Director Dan Yaeger began with opening remarks about the last time the conference had gone on hiatus, which was during World War II when some museum workers were drafted. He introduced the new Value Statements and Mission Statement, which highlight the need for equitable treatment of all people, dismantling oppressive structures within the museum world, addressing the global climate cri...