2024 Reading List
Format: Kindle
American Child Bride: A History of Minors and Marriage in the United States
By Nicholas L. Syrett
“Most in the United States likely associate the concept of the child bride with the mores and practices of the distant past. But Nicholas L. Syrett challenges this assumption in his sweeping and sometimes shocking history of youthful marriage in America. Focusing on young women and girls–the most common underage spouses–Syrett tracks the marital history of American minors from the colonial period to the present, chronicling the debates and moral panics related to these unions.”
Format: Kindle
The American Census: A Social History (Second Edition)
By Margo J. Anderson
I am fascinated by the political and social reasons behind the creation of documents we use as family historians. The U.S. census is one of our most frequently used documents, but how often do we think about WHY certain questions were asked? What was happening in the country? Which party was in power, and how did the answers benefit them politically? What were the current social concerns? How did technological advances affect the census? These questions – and more – are answered in Anderson’s book. If you are a census nerd like me, this book will be an interesting and enjoyable read!
Format: Kindle
I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer and Changed Crime Fighting Forever
By Barbara Rae-Ventner
I was in high school in southern California when the man monster now known as the Golden State Killer began his crime spree. More than 40 years later, the man who thought he got away with it all is finally behind bars, thanks to Investigative Genetic Genealogy (IGG) and the tenacious Barbara Rae-Ventner. In the book, Rae-Ventner describes the techniques used to find him, as well as unidentified persons/bodies and other violent criminals. This is a must-read for anyone with an interest in IGG.
Format: Paperback
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
By David Grann
This book was gifted to me by the amazing Gena Philibert-Ortega, who said it was an important book that I NEEDED to read. And of course, she was right! Killers of the Flower Moon is an incredible- and horrifying – story about the murders of members of the Osage Tribe in the 1920s and how that mystery was eventually solved despite government screw-ups and coverups. You may have seen the movie but you need to read the book. I couldn’t put it down!