The Victorian Root Beer War

The Victorian Root Beer War

Hires Root Beer, from its debut in the mid-1870s, was sold as a refreshing beverage (with no medicinal expectations). The name, chosen by Charles H. Hires, to appeal to tough coal miners, who’d never find “root tea” attractive, ended up causing Hires Co. a bit of trouble with Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). Who knew that “beer” in a name, and the common knowledge that root beer extract was percolated with alcohol (though the finished drink had no more than a whole loaf of homemade bread), to cause banning of the beverage?

BOOK REVIEW: It Happened At The Fair

BOOK REVIEW: It Happened At The Fair

My honest evaluation of Deeanne Gist’s 2013 publication, IT HAPPENED AT THE FAIR, a Christian Historical Romance Novel set in 1893 Chicago’s World Columbian Exhibition. I present my Top 5 reasons for rating this title with 5 stars! Includes public domain photographs of the fair’s buildings, original Ferris Wheel, inside an exhibition hall, and more.

BOOK REVIEW: Fair Play by Deanne Gist

BOOK REVIEW: Fair Play by Deanne Gist

When a book and its characters linger in my mind months after I finished reading (or listening), I know it’s a keeper. Deanne Gist grabbed my full attention with FAIR PLAY. I savored every scene and chapter, often wondered where the story would go (a delicious kind of curiosity), and ultimately delivered one of the most satisfactory endings. 5 stars!