Upstream Reviews Presents…!
What youtube channels, sites, and books are you thankful for this year?
Time flies, doesn’t it? Fall is fading into winter quickly, we’re seeing snow in some locations, and in general it is getting colder even if there are occasional warm days. Furthermore, while we have Thanksgiving to look forward to, Christmas is right around the bend! (Insert your favorite Mariah Carey meme here.)
But let us focus on what we are most thankful for this year. What youtube channels, websites, and books are you glad to have now more than ever? Here at Upstream, we thought we would compile a quick list of some of the sites, channels, and books that we are more thankful for.
So grab your warm beverage of choice, scroll through the list, and see if there is something here you like or wish to share over the coming holiday season. And don’t forget to tell us – what are you most thankful for this year?
YouTube Channels
Youtube seems to have everything, but finding what you want can be a chore. Here are some channels that might be worth looking into further, such as Appalachia’s Homestead with Patara. See if her advice is what you can afford!
$1 Stock Up Budget Preps!
Need some worldbuilding advice? Try TRILL’s channel. He has lots of good insights to share:
BETTER Worldbuilding : Warrior Societies & CULTURES
Gothix has some good thoughts, here and elsewhere. Be sure to check out her channel and her movie!
Painful Debate Exposes Why We Can't Rely on Humans to Establish Morality!
Sites & Links
Seeking sites that will give you more than clickbait? Here are a few we think you’ll like, starting with Letters from the Wasteland by JD Cowan:
https://wastelandandsky.blogspot.com/
History Diaries looks back at the past from an interesting perspective:
https://historydiaries.blog/
Then there’s Unplanned: Stories of Resilience, which is worth following for the positive perspective it provides:
https://unplannedstories.com/
Author Carlos Carrasco keeps readers on their toes and informed through his site:
https://carlocarrasco.com/
Then go check out Jaglion Press for fun and good books:
https://jaglionpress.com/blog/
Non-fiction Books
Need a book for the non-fiction fan in your life? Are you facing a devastating pre-term diagnosis, or know someone who is? Do you want to give your young daughter a primer on self-defense? Take a look at the books below and see which ones might be most useful for you or those you know in these or other situations:
God is a Man of War by Stephen De Young
Infanticide. Holy war. Divine wrath. Violence in the Old Testament has long been a stumbling block for Christians and skeptics alike. Yet conventional efforts to understand this violence―whether by downplaying it as allegory or a relic of primitive cultures, or by dismissing the authority of Scripture altogether―tend to raise more questions than they answer. God Is a Man of War offers a fresh interpretation of Old Testament accounts of violence by exploring them through the twofold lens of Orthodox tradition and historical context. Father Stephen De Young examines what these difficult passages reveal about the nature of Christ and His creation, bearing witness to a world filled not only with pain and suffering―often of human making―but also with the love of God.
Carrying to Term: A Guide for Parents After a Devastating Prenatal Diagnosis by Jane Lebak
Every year, thousands of expecting parents start prenatal testing to find out if it’s a boy or a girl…and instead learn the baby is going to die. Anencephaly. Trisomy 18. Potter’s sequence. They’re called “incompatible with life.” But they’re not incompatible with love. Many doctors recommend immediate termination, but more parents are carrying their babies for as long as possible, often without guidance. Carrying to Term: A Guide for Parents after a Devastating Prenatal Diagnosis addresses every aspect of the longest (and shortest) months of your life. From emotional issues to spiritual struggles to funeral-dress shopping while you’re still seven months pregnant, Carrying to Term offers strategies for parents struggling just to make it through the day. You can forge a best-case scenario out of a worst-case scenario. You can bond with a baby who hasn’t yet been born. Parents have learned to make memories in brief windows of time, and you can too. Author Jane Lebak carried to term with Emily Rose, diagnosed with anencephaly at 22 weeks, and has been active in the infant loss community ever since. Based on her experiences and those of the CTT forum she moderated, the guide offers practical options for doing what parents do best: loving their babies.
Hands Off! Self-Defense for Women by Major W. E. Fairbairn
Originally published during the Second World War, Major Fairbairn’s Hands Off! shows the emancipated woman how to deal with any unpleasant situation which would immeasurably increase their efficiency in the War Effort. The methods of self-defence explained and illustrated were especially selected for use by women, taking into account their disadvantages of weight, build and strength. They are all practicable, and many were originally worked out in answer to the question what should I do if I were attacked like this? Amongst the twenty measures advocated are: Wrist Hold – Being Strangled – How to Apply the Chin Jab – Bear Hug – Waist, Coat, Hair and Belt Holds – Umbrella Drill – Car Hold Up – Give Me a Light. They are all as valid today as they were seventy years ago.
YA and Middle Grade Novels
The state of education is in sad array these days. Why not counter that issue with some good fiction to whet young readers’ appetites for the real study of history? Consider the books below and see which one might fit best under the Christmas tree for the child in your life this year:
Rush Revere and the American Revolution by Rush Limbaugh and Katheryn Adams Limbaugh
The American revolution has begun—and Rush Revere, Liberty the horse, and the time-traveling crew are ready to ride into the action!
Join us on this incredible time-travel adventure!
Liberty, my wisecracking horse, our old friends Cam, Tommy, Freedom, and I are off to meet some super-brave soldiers in the year 1775. Yep, that’s right. We’ll be visiting with the underdog heroes who fought for American independence, against all odds—and won! But not before eight very real years of danger and uncertainty. Be a part of Rush Revere’s crew as we rush, rush, rush into a time when British rule had become a royal pain, and rebellion was in the air. We’ll be on hand to see two lanterns hung in the Old North Church, prevent a British spy from capturing Paul Revere, and grapple with danger at the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill.
The extra special part of this trip is that right here in the twenty-first century, Cam’s dad is a soldier fighting in Afghanistan, and Cam has been pretty angry that he is away. Visiting with exceptional American heroes like Dr. Joseph Warren and George Washington, racing along after Paul Revere on his midnight ride, and seeing the Declaration of Independence signed make Cam see his own dad in a new and special way.
But don’t worry. Along with the danger, excitement, and patriotism, there will still be time to stop for a delicious spinach, oats, and alfalfa smoothie. No, wait—that one’s for Liberty. The kids and I voted for strawberries.
Now let’s open the magic portal to the past!
Rebel Heart (Engines of Liberty Book 1) by Graham Bradley
For centuries the British Empire has ruled territories the world over, maintaining its grasp on its far-flung colonies by way of magic and brute force. Any successful attempt at rebellion is short-lived, as the rebels do not have the benefit of wizardy on their side.
The most recent attempt at secession happened in the New World in 1776, some two hundred years ago. General George Washington nearly succeeded at rallying his countrymen in a military revolt against the Crown. But disunity and infighting ultimately brought them down, and Washington was executed in a public spectacle.
Most people gave up. But not all.
The cleverest and most driven survivors went to ground. They learned from their mistakes. They planned, they plotted, they tinkered and they toiled. They began to develop new weapons and machines that would level the playing field. With technology at their fingertips, anyone could stand toe-to-toe with a British mage and come off conqueror.
The uprising has been a long time coming. The arsenal is as large as it's going to get. Now all the "technomancer" army needs is soldiers, young patriots like Calvin Adler, who has had enough of the mages pushing him around.
Freedom beckons, if he will but pay the price in blood, sweat, and tears.
This is the New Revolution.
Great Battles for Boys The American Revolution by Joe Giorello
Does your son understand the meaning of “freedom isn’t free?”
He will, after reading Great Battles for Boys: The American Revolution.
From Concord and Lexington to Brandywine and Yorktown, the stunning battles show young readers how ragtag colonists took on the world’s mightiest military of its time — the British Imperial Army, otherwise known as the Red Coats.
History leaps off the page and captures even reluctant readers as early colonial protests, such as the Boston Tea Party, bring even more tyranny from King George III. With a declaration of war from England and the appointment of George Washington as commander of the Continental Army, the revolution’s real battles begin.
In chronological order, Great Battles for Boys: The American Revolution takes young readers to the front lines of the war's major clashes such as:
Long Island: British General Howe crushes Washington’s forces and proves the odds are against the Patriot forces.
Battle of Trenton: Washington’s stunning reversal following his famous Christmas Eve “crossing the Delaware.”
Valley Forge: Starving, broke, and battle-weary, the Continental Army hunkers down in Pennsylvania for a long cold winter — and emerges as an entirely different fighting force.
Cowpens: The southern clash where Daniel Morgan’s tactics brilliantly outsmart his enemy.
Yorktown: Washington’s unyielding attack victoriously ends eight long years of suffering — and win liberty for the colonies.
Each chapter also profiles the Revolution’s most fascinating leaders — Benedict Arnold, Lafayette, Francis Marion, Henry Knox —and discusses the era's complicated politics, including slavery.
This action-packed book will teach your son the foundational and aspirational ideas that are woven into the United States of America— such as life, liberty, and justice for all—and how those principles were won by the brave men and women who risked everything to defeat tyranny.
After reading Great Battles for Boys: The American Revolution, your son will know exactly what it means when someone says, “Freedom isn’t free."
Historical Fiction
Want to sink your teeth into some truly great historical fiction this Thanksgiving? Or do you know a historical fiction reader in need of new material? Take a look at these various historical novels and see if any are a good fit for you this Thanksgiving!
The Paradise Tree: A Novel by Elena Maria Vidal
The Paradise Tree grows from the maxim "in every Eden, there dwells a serpent . . . ." The year is 1886 in Leeds County, Ontario. The O'Connor clan is gathering to mourn the loss of its patriarch Daniel O'Connor, an Irish immigrant. The story of Daniel and his wife Brigit is one of great hardships, including illness, ill-starred romances, war and political upheavals, as well as undying love and persevering faith. As Daniel is laid to rest, his grandson Fergus receives a piercing insight into what his own calling in life will be.
Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz
"Sacrifices in the temples did not help, neither did prayers and offerings, nor the art of physicians, nor all the means of enchantment to which they turned finally. In a week the child died. Mourning fell upon the court and Rome. Caesar, who at the birth of the infant was wild with delight, was wild now from despair, and, confining himself in his apartments, refused food for two days; and though the palace was swarming with senators and Augustians, who hastened with marks of sorrow and sympathy, he denied audience to every one. The senate assembled in an extraordinary session, at which the dead child was pronounced divine. It was decided to rear to her a temple and appoint a special priest to her service. New sacrifices were offered in other temples in honor of the deceased; statues of her were cast from precious metals; and her funeral was one immense solemnity, during which the people wondered at the unrestrained marks of grief which Caesar exhibited; they wept with him, stretched out their hands for gifts, and above all amused themselves with the unparalleled spectacle."
The Last Crusader: A Novel about Don Juan of Austria by Louis de Wohl
Don Juan of Austria, one of history s most triumphant and inspiring heroes, is reborn in this opulent novel by Louis de Wohl.
Because of the circumstances of his birth, this last son of Emperor Charles the Fifth spent his childhood in a Spanish peasant s hut. Acknowledged by King Philip as his half-brother, the attractive youth quickly became a central figure in a Court where intrigues and romances abounded. Don Juan s intelligence, kindness and devout attachment to the Church enabled him to live unscathed in an environment of luxury, violence and treachery.
De Wohl paints in brilliant color the vivid scenes and characters at the Court of King Philip, Juan s campaign against rebel Moriscos in Andalusia, and the amazing climactic victory at Lepanto where he saved the Christian world from Islamic dominance. Here is a novel of high adventure which brings to life the turbulence of the sixteenth century with its conflicts of wickedness and piety, its sins of pride and conquest, its seething heresies and its great faith.
There you have it, readers! A quick list of items that Upstream Reviews is thankful for this year. Enjoy them and, most of all, have a great Thanksgiving!