Episode 504: Microhistory

Welcome back to the show. We are so glad you are here, joining us for the book group discussion!

Each week we talk  about books and about different genres, and provide useful information for people who want to talk about books. There are so many books out there that it’s tough to be an expert on all of them. So we pick a new genre each week to chat about and hopefully provide you with some insight into what may be an unfamiliar genre! We want to help you find new books for yourself, and to be ready to share them with others.

This week we look at books on microhistory. 

Our returning Guest Host is Annie Larson from the College of St Benedict library.

Beverages:

Each week we like to connect the theme of our books with our beverages, and we each came prepared with our own drink to enjoy while we talk about our books. You are an important part of this book group, so if you don’t have a beverage go ahead and get one now. Each of our beverages will have a recipe or a link on our episode page, so you can try them yourself!

This week we are looking at small drinks to go with our microhistory theme. So we are trying out some shots. You can find all the recipes and a video for each on the website The Tipsy Bartender. 

Blue Scooby Snack

  • 1 Part Coconut Rum
  • 1 Part Creme de Bananes
  • 1 Part Blue Curacao
  • 1 Part Pineapple Juice
  • 1 Part Whipped Cream
  • Top with Whipped Cream

In a shaker with ice, combine equal parts blue curacao, coconut rum, creme de banana, pineapple juice and whipped cream. Shake well.


Strain mix into shot glasses and top with whipped cream.


The Jelly Fish

  • 1 1/2 oz. Sambuca
  • 1/2 oz. Irish Cream
  • Splash of Blue Curacao
  • Drizzle of Grenadine

Directions

  1. Pour sambuca into base of shot glass and add a splash of blue curaçao for color.
  2. Layer irish cream on top before drizzling grenadine inside.

Peanut Butter Cup Shots

  • 1 oz. Coffee Liqueur
  • 1 oz. Hazelnut Liqueur
  • 1 oz. Irish Cream
  • 3 oz. (90ml) Milk
  • Spoonful Peanut Butter
  • Garnish: Chocolate Fudge/Muddled Reeses Pieces

Directions:

  1. Rim edge of shot glass with chocolate fudge and muddled Reeses pieces. Set aside.
  2. In an ice filled glass combine coffee liqueur, hazelnut liqueur, Irish cream, milk and peanut butter. Shake well.
  3. Add a small amount of chocolate sauce to base of glass and strain mix inside.

Genre Discussion:

Wikipedia gives us the general definition of microhistory: “… a genre of history writing which focuses on small units of research, such as an event, community, individual, or a settlement.” These books give us a chance to dive into a smaller view of history, one that focuses on the lives or experiences of  everyday people or a closer look at a small piece of history.

“Rather than taking a bird’s eye view of history and nonfiction, microhistories work from the ground up by taking the minutiae of history — single events, objects or concepts — and using them to illustrate the moments and movements that shaped the modern world.”

“Some commonly used methods and interpretive microhistorical practices include:

  • Privileging “ego documents” (first-hand accounts) to explore historical actors’ experiences.
  • Tracking clues through multiple sources to discover hidden connections, like a sleuth following every lead to its smallest detail to see where those details unexpectedly collide.
  • Reconstructing webs of social networks.
  • Scaling an analysis down or up to highlight specific historical contexts and perspectives.”

Suggested Reading Resources:

Book Discussion

Now we are a little more familiar with this week’s genre, and we have enjoyed some of our special beverages, let’s get to the book discussion!

You can click on any of these links to go to Amazon.com for more information about the books we shared this week. If you buy anything while you are there, Amazon will give us a small percent of their profits from your purchase. Thanks in advance for helping to support the mission of CMLE – we appreciate it!

Conclusion

Thanks to Annie, for sharing this genre with us!

Thanks so much to you for joining us this week for the book group! It’s always better when you are here with us. Join us on Patreon, to get some behind-the scenes secrets after every episode. Official Office Dog Lady Grey appreciates your support. (She’s paid in treats, and a portion of your support goes directly to rewarding her for being such a good doggo!).

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Join us next week for more genre discussions!