So now we have "Sizzle History," a term apparently coined by USA Today. Karen Abbott is in search of the salacious side of American history, offering up such juicy morsels as Gypsy Rose Lee, the brothels of Chicago, and now transgender soldiers and undercover women spies during the Civil War. Granted, these are all interesting subjects, but it seems Abbott is relying more on where your imagination takes you than what history uncovers in these tales of the seamy side of American history. I've had my fill of journalists turned armchair historians. It is rare that one of the books offers anything new in the way of history or interpretation. What they seek out is the sensational and package it in a way to attract readers, more often using secondary sources. We have Bill O'Reilly (although it is hard to think of him as a journalist, much less historian) pitching his latest "murder mystery" in Killing Patton , which should be filed under fantasy but i...