On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down by James Fell
On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down is a interesting compilation of a snarky and pointed way of incorporating tidbits from history into a daily routine. Fell has a great voice, and while some of the commentary that circles around the current historical aspects will be dated very quickly, there is still room for those moments to be captured from that contemporary angle. However, I'm just not sold that type of compilation, this gathering of tidbits, is best suited in this format. As many other reviewers have indicated, this is very much of its type and feels every bit the page-a-day calendar in which the delivery first found its footing. As interesting as the information is within, there is very little understanding that someone will sit down with this book, curl up on the couch, and dive in like a novel or even narrative nonfiction. So why isn't this printed as a large format book, something like a coffee table book? This needs large pictures, large pages, and a clear delineation of the expectations that this won't be read in a sitting, but rather spread out over the course of months to a full year. That being said, I definitely feel the pull and draw of this one and have already signed up for the daily newsletter as Fell's work continues.
I received this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This affected neither my opinion of the book nor the content of my review.