Category Archive: Book Reviews

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‘Stasiland’: Anna Funder’s Oral History Masterpiece

Today, Germany continues to grapple with the difficult legacy of its ‘second dictatorship’ behind the Berlin Wall. In Anna Funder’s captivating work, ‘Stasiland,’ a detailed oral history of this life is combined with Funder’s own observations of post-reunification Germany. In this article, Lizzy Stott explores what makes Funder’s novel both a narrative and investigative success in reflecting how the East German past is by no means over.
AUTHOR LIZZY STOTT

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The Stories Behind Brit Bennett’s ‘The Vanishing Half’: Racial Passing in Twentieth Century USA

Brit Bennett’s novel ‘The Vanishing Half’ depicts the lives of two sisters, Stella and Desiree, within twentieth century USA. The trajectories that the twins take within the book reflect the complexities of racial identity and understanding at the time, especially surrounding racial passing. In this article, Eloise Gibson illuminates the histories of individuals such as Walter White to see the novel’s ability to represent the real people who experienced racial passing first-hand.
AUTHOR ELOISE GIBSON

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Historical Stories: Our Top Picks

The 2023-2024 York Historian Committee recommends our favourite historical fictional tales, from mystery novels, to medical television and queer film.

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Depictions of Cleopatra from Shakespeare to Netflix

Cleopatra VII, the last queen of Egypt proper, has gripped popular media and its creative imagination throughout history. In this article, Leon Corneille-Cowell and Isabel Davies explore various depictions of the ruler, for example, using her medieval depictions and modern television portrayals.
AUTHOR LEON CORNEILLE-COWELL AND ISABEL DAVIES

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To an Icy Grave: The Lost Franklin Expedition, its Legacy, and the Horror of an Arctic Death

The winner of our Halloween Writing Competition, Jack Rooney, details the tragic story of a crew tormented by disease, cannibalism, and the cold. Inspired by Dan Simmons’ novel ‘The Terror’, this article reveals the harsh historical reality of humanity’s own battle with their world.
AUTHOR JACK ROONEY

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Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin, by Timothy Snyder.

A review of Timothy Snyder’s ‘Bloodlands’.
AUTHOR: MÅNS AHLSTEDT ÅBERG

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A Million Years in a Day, by Greg Jenner (2015)

A review of A Million Years in a Day: A Curious History of Daily Life from the Stone Age to the Phone Age (2015), by Greg Jenner.

AUTHOR: VICTORIA BETTNEY

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1666: Plague, War and Hellfire, by Rebecca Rideal (2016)

A Review of 1666: Plague, War and Hellfire, by Rebecca Rideal (2016).
AUTHOR: JESS AYRES

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Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think about History, by Jim Cullen (2017)

A review of the third edition of Jim Cullen’s Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write, and Think about History.
AUTHOR: Victoria Bettney and others.

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“The King is Dead: The Last Will and Testament of Henry VIII” by Suzannah Libscomb (2015)

An interesting review of Suzannah Libscomb’s “The King is Dead” book, published last year.
AUTHOR: MAISY SZABO