Pamela Toler (she/her)
@pdtoler.bsky.social
2.1K followers 940 following 1.4K posts
Writing unexpected history for smart adults and curious kids - and vice-versa. Author of Women Warriors and the forthcoming The Dragon From Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany. Kickass cook. www.pameladtoler.com
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pdtoler.bsky.social
History’s heroes were too often chosen by those with power.

The NYT’s “Overlooked” series restores the women and people of color left out—like Henrietta Lacks, whose cells changed medicine but whose name was nearly lost.

Forgetting isn’t passive. It’s a choice. 🗃️
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/ytcj4jxa
pdtoler.bsky.social
Writing The Dragon from Chicago has led to some incredible conversations — from C-SPAN’s Q&A to the What’sHerName podcast.

Sigrid Schultz’s story reminds me that history isn’t fixed in the past. It’s alive, reshaped every time we dare to ask: Why does this still matter?
pdtoler.bsky.social
Ms Whiskey watching a video showing how to use the computer mouse. No thumbs required
Reposted by Pamela Toler (she/her)
timothysnyder.bsky.social
This is more or less what the American Revolution was about
andycraig.bsky.social
"I'll just go use official force to coercively raise my own revenue (a/k/a taxes!) and then spend it on whatever government stuff I decide I want to do" is complete and total executive tyranny, Congress reduced to nothing but a powerless sham legislature, a head of state with absolute power.
Reposted by Pamela Toler (she/her)
timothysnyder.bsky.social
From 1939-1945 German officers also listened to speeches from civilians about how the laws of war didn’t apply to them. And then they participated in the Holocaust, starved millions of prisoners of war, destroyed villages and cities, and were defeated.
atrupar.com
Hegseth: "We unleash overwhelming and punishing violence on the enemy. We also don't fight with stupid rules of engagement. We untie the hands of our warfighters to intimidate, demoralize, hunt, and kill the enemies of our country. No more politically correct and overbearing rules of engagement."
pdtoler.bsky.social
What an honor to speak at the National WWII Museum about The Dragon from Chicago and trailblazing journalist Sigrid Schultz. A full house, great questions, and a chance to share her story in such a place.

🎥 Watch the talk: https://www.youtube.com/live/3ekyB0KuqWI?si=WzekGo5uLVqJs9Uv&t=336
pdtoler.bsky.social
Thrilled to join Rachel Cockerell at the Miami Book Fair this fall. Her book Melting Point uncovers the lost story of a plan to create a Jewish homeland—in Texas. Yes, Texas. Come for the history, stay for the surprises. 🗃️ 

Find out more here: http://miamibookfair.com/
pdtoler.bsky.social
What does resistance look like when you’re holding a paintbrush instead of a rifle? 
In my latest Q&A, Christopher Gorham talks about Matisse at War—a story of art, family, and defiance in Nazi-occupied France.
Read here: https://www.historyinthemargins.com/ 🗃️
pdtoler.bsky.social
Three sisters. Three voices. One remarkable story.
On the blog today, I talk with Andrea Friederici Ross about Sisters of Influence, her new biography of Zina, Amy, and Rose Fay—women who pushed past the confines of the Victorian era to shape the Progressive Era.
Read here: tinyurl.com/37kkd4n9
pdtoler.bsky.social
Exciting news: I’ll be at Miami Book Fair this November, sharing The Dragon From Chicago on a panel with some truly talented peers. If you’re in the area, I’d love to see you there!
Details: miamibookfair.com
pdtoler.bsky.social
Ghost towns have been a recurring theme on our Great River Road travels. Nininger, MN was something different—a planned boomtown that fizzled in the Panic of 1857. Today, it’s mostly a story in the prairie grass. History, as always, has a sense of humor.
Read more: tinyurl.com/37kkd4n9
pdtoler.bsky.social
Wearing a cotton glove to protect a wound on my hand. Am sad to report that my life does not pass the white glove test
Grimy fingerless glove on my left hand
Reposted by Pamela Toler (she/her)
americanstudier.bsky.social
I generally write & schedule my blog series a ways in advance, & am often inspired by a historic anniversary that's not in any specific way related to current events (even if I could predict what those events will be by the time the series airs). But sometimes, like this week, the timing still hits.
pdtoler.bsky.social
Writers like to imagine themselves as Hemingway with wine in a Paris café. The truth? More like lukewarm coffee, half-finished notes, and a cat who insists on being part of the process. 🐾✍️
👉 The glamorous life of a historian, revealed.
pdtoler.bsky.social
Did you see the talk with  Peter Slen on C-SPAN’s Q&A about Sigrid Schultz?  Her story in The Dragon From Chicago feels urgently relevant today . So I wanted to share it with you again. 🗃️

Watch here: https://www.c-span.org/program/qa/pamela-toler/650456
pdtoler.bsky.social
At Fort Snelling, I stumbled across a story I hadn’t expected: Japanese American women and men, trained as linguists, who helped end the Pacific War faster—and saved lives on both sides. New on the blog: https://www.historyinthemargins.com/ 🗃️
pdtoler.bsky.social
Historians love archives and footnotes—but some stories won’t let go. For me, that was Sigrid Schultz. On Sept. 25, I’ll share her story at the National WWII Museum. Free, in person or online. 🗃️
Register: https://tinyurl.com/3bs4n7m5
Reposted by Pamela Toler (she/her)
hcrichardson.bsky.social
Same guy who lied that immigrants were eating pets. Actual statistics show he's lying here, too.
thebulwark.com
Vance: “People on the left are much likelier to defend and celebrate political violence. This is not a both sides problem. If both sides have a problem, then one side has a much bigger and malignant problem and that is the truth.”
pdtoler.bsky.social
Always so good stuff in #ScholarSunday. Enough to keep me reading for the coming week!
americanstudier.bsky.social
From Ann Arbor for Family Weekend, here’s my 241st #ScholarSunday thread of great public scholarly writing & work, podcast episodes, new & forthcoming books from the past week. Add more below, share widely, & enjoy, all! 🗃️

americanstudier.substack.com/p/scholarsun...
#ScholarSunday Thread 241
Shared on September 14, 2025
americanstudier.substack.com