This book by Andrew Mango intimidated me when I found it in the library. It has over 500 pages of text and is sprinkled with italicized Turkish words and the names of Turk personalities. It looked difficult to read, but I checked it out anyway. I ended the review of the book “Shadow of the Sultan’s Realm” posted last week with the quote, “How Kemal guided the transformation of the Turkish nation is one of the most fascinating stories of the twentieth century—but that is…a story for another time.” I wrote that I couldn’t wait to read that story. I therefore worked my way through a long and difficult book, and I’m glad I did. Continue reading
Category Archives: History
Shadow of the Sultan’s Realm
The subtitle of this book written by Daniel Allen Butler is “The Destruction of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East.” I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. The book is only 235 pages long before you reach the Author’s Notes, and perhaps that isn’t enough space for an accurate description of an empire that lasted more than six centuries. However, I found the book informative and interesting.
The Ottoman Empire thrived, prospered, and expanded for several centuries What most people know about it relates to the decision of the politicians in the Empire to join with Germany in the Great War, which provided the Empire no apparent advantages, and had tremendous impact on history of the region and the world. This book, if it is nothing else, should be a primer about how arrogance and ignorance of national leaders can create misery and sacrifice of life for soldiers who have little invested except for loyalty to their countries and fellow soldiers. Continue reading
Mount Stupid
Thanks to Science is Awesome on Facebook
Real experts must be annoyed by pundits who pontificate on subjects they know little about. That seems to be the motivation behind two books.
In “Why America is Not a New Rome” Vaclav Smil addresses his pet peeve. The “grand analogy” “could be dismissed as just a fashionable wave of insufficiently informed commenting… or superficial comparisons.” Smil quotes authors from Imperial Rome, discusses other states that have been compared to ancient Rome, Continue reading
The Astronaut Wives Club
The men selected to be the astronauts during the “space race” were portrayed by the government and the media as perfect heroes and their wives were required to be just as perfect. This book by Lily Koppel provides interesting insights into the human side of both the astronauts and the wives, and often the women were more admirable than the men. I recommend the book for the detailed history of the space program presented in context with world events, such as the Soviet launching of Sputnik (fellow traveler) and the interesting descriptions of the wives and how they dealt with the invasive microscope of media scrutiny. Continue reading
Partners in Command
The subtitle of this book by Mark Perry is “George Marshall and Dwight Eisenhower in War and Peace. The book begins with a chronology of George Marshall’s and Dwight Eisenhower’s lives, their military service, and the major battles of World War II. The focus is on the European theatre. Review of the chronology and the listings of major military commanders and politicians at the end of the epilogue give a quick snapshot of the events of World War II. That would be useful to a casual reader, because the book is written in incredible detail. A major focus of the book is the constant and difficult conflict between the Americans and the British. The conflicts occur at nearly every step of the planning and execution of military plans. The descriptions are undoubtedly historically accurate, but I found them tedious to read.
The Prologue describes the remarkable relationship between Confederates Robert E. Lee and Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson and their connections with the Virginia Military Institute where George Marshall was a student and teacher. “In time he came to revere Lee and Jackson, and throughout his life he named them the two men he admired most.” The book describes that Lee chose Jackson to lead the fight and George Catlett Marshall chose Dwight Eisenhower as his partner in command. Continue reading
The Forgotten Man
This book by Amity Shales sparked significant controversy. There was praise from Conservatives and attacks from Liberals and Progressives. Conservatives have believed that Roosevelt’s policies extended the Great Depression and the Progressives believe he saved the country. I find the arguments to be misplaced. My family considered themselves Roosevelt Democrats despite the fact their personal beliefs often were what could be called Libertarian. I’ve done considerable reading in attempt to understand this disconnect, and found “The Forgotten Man” to be a balanced presentation of the history of that time. It is full of fascinating information, and I give it a strong recommendation. I admit that I inherited my parents Libertarian beliefs and little of their trust of FDR’s expansion of government. Continue reading