When authors give shout outs to other great works, people, and events, it's usually not accidental. Put on your super-sleuth hat and figure out why.
Literary and Philosophical References
- Zane Grey (1.1.39, 1.2.11)
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (3.14.15)
- Homer, The Odyssey (5.34.26)
Historical References
- World War II (the whole shmooping book)
- Adolf Hitler (1.1.5, 1.4.26)
- Anne Frank (1.1.5)
- Eugenics (1.1.36)
- Joseph Goebbels (1.4.26)
- Seabiscuit (1.5.6) (Hillenbrand can't resist an opportunity to plug her other book!)
- Eleanor Roosevelt (2.6.3)
- Amelia Earhart (2.9.2)
- Genghis Khan (4.23.24)
Pop Culture References
- "White Christmas" (Prologue.2; 3.14.24)
- Lou Gehrig (1.1.4)
- Babe Ruth (1.1.4)
- Jesse Owens (referenced throughout Chapter 4)
- They Died with Their Boots On (1.5.23) (2.10.28)
- Errol Flynn (1.5.23) (5.33.34)
- Olivia de Havilland (1.5.23)
- Esther Williams (3.13.40)
- Marlene Dietrich (4.22.8)
- Cinderella (4.26.37)
- Al Jolson, "California Here I Come" (4.33.34)
- Robin Hood (5.33.35)
- Laurence Olivier (5.33.37)
- This is Your Life (Epilogue.10)