Peace, They Say: A History of the Nobel Peace Prize, the Most Famous and Controversial Prize in the World

by Jay Nordlinger

In this book, Jay Nordlinger gives a history of what the subtitle calls “the most famous and controversial prize in the world.” The Nobel Peace Prize, like the other Nobel prizes, began in 1901. So we have a neat, sweeping history of the 20th century, and about a decade beyond. The Nobel prize involves a first world war, a second world war, a cold war, a terror war, and more. It contends with many of the key issues of modern times, and of life itself.

It also presents a parade of interesting people—more than a hundred laureates, not a dullard in the bunch. Some of these laureates have been historic statesmen, such as Roosevelt (Teddy) and Mandela. Some have been heroes or saints, such as Martin Luther King and Mother Teresa. Some belong in other categories—where would you place Arafat? Controversies also swirl around the awards to Kissinger, Gorbachev, Gore, and Obama, to name just a handful.

Probably no figure in this book is more interesting than a Alfred Nobel, the Swedish scientist and entrepreneur who started the prizes. The book also addresses “missing laureates,” people who did not win the peace prize but might have, or should have (Gandhi?).

Peace, They Say is enlightening and enriching, and sometimes even fun. It has its opinions, but it also provides what is necessary for readers to form their own opinions. What is peace, anyway? All these people who have been crowned “champions of peace,” and the world’s foremost—should they have been? Such is the stuff this book is made on.

Genres: History, Politics, Nonfiction, Biography, World History

476 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2012

About the author

Jay Nordlinger is a senior editor of National Review and a book fellow of the National Review Institute. He writes about a variety of subjects, including politics, foreign affairs, and the arts. He is music critic for The New Criterion . Since 2002, he has hosted a series of public interviews at the Salzburg Festival. For the National Review website, he writes a column called “Impromptus.” With Mona Charen, he hosts the Need to Know podcast, and he also hosts a podcast called Q&A . His latest book is Children of Monsters . He is also the author of Peace, They Say , a history of the Nobel Peace Prize. A native Michigander, Nordlinger lives in New York.

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jay Nordlinger writes a general overview of Albert Nobel and his last request - the creation of the world famous prize that bears his name. Nordlinger gives a chronological brief on the history/ controversy surrounding the awarding of each laureate, including the behind the scenes nominating mechanics, and all the pomp and circumstance surrounding the award ceremony.

A great reference tool as a history of the 20th Century especially for a homeschool library.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful book, one that should be read by the Nobel Committee, if it hasn’t already. Though I disagreed strongly with Obama as a winner of the award, I was very impressed with his remarks in defending the record of the United States on the world stage since the beginning of WW2. It certainly raised my view of Obama. His remarks took courage at a time when defending the US. Was not a particularly popular thing to do, especially in that forum. The author’s analysis in his “afterward” was spot on in my I
Opinion….

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book Jay Nordlinger provides a conversational, historical overview of the Nobel Peace Prize and its winners from it founding through 2009. The chapters are broken down by into time periods (1901-1913, 1914-1948, 1949-1969, etc.), separated by short "interludes", or essays, in which Mr. Nordlinger describes some particular aspect of the Peace Prize. As might be expected, more detail is provided about the more modern award winners than most of the earliest ones, with the 2009 award winner (Barak Obama) getting a chapter all to himself.

The book provides a good understanding about the award, the award committee and its historical (and current) political/societal perspectives, and how the award has changed from Alfred Nobel's original definition into something more broad in scope. It also describes the various controversies surrounding the award and its winners throughout its existence. Overall, it provides a nice overview of the Nobel Peace Prize and the philosophy behind it.

Because of the book's conversational tone, I suspect it would make an excellent audio book, especially if Mr. Nordlinger were to read it himself. Having listened to him on several of his podcasts, I could practically hear his voice in my head while I was reading it.

[Chris Fellows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jay Nordlinger finds something nice to say about nearly all of the laureates, doing a good job of teasing out their real achievements and sterling qualities from the spin and fluff. I would have liked it to have been longer- there were many laureates I would have loved to read more about.

My worldview overlaps extensively with Jay Nordlinger's - that's why I bought the book, from many years of reading his columns - so I never found myself in furious disagreement with him. Which is rare for books I read written after the middle of last century.

1935 Carl von Ossietzky, 1936 Berlin Olympics, 1945;
1983 Lech Walesa, 1980 Moscow Olympics, 1991;
2010 Liu Xiaobo, 2008 Beijing Olympics, ?

[Mike Glaser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frustrating book given the number of lousy awards the committee has given out over the years but they have also made a number of good ones as well. Since I’m a baseball fan, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt for batting over .300. A worthwhile book given the good recipients that I was not aware of before. Given the history involved, I do recommend this book.

[Mark Foskey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably the most interesting thing I learned from this book was that the creation of the Peace Prize wasn't driven by guilt over the uses to which dynamite had been put. Or at least, there is no clear evidence for that motivation. The book goes through the prizes in chronological order, punctuating the list with interlude chapters that are more thematic. It does expose you to some remarkable people - read the Wikipedia article on Ralph Bunche and realize that he was also a top varsity athlete.

Nordlinger, a senior editor with the National Review, is a political conservative, and he makes sure to point out every time a laureate is perhaps unjustly critical of America or the West, or alternatively too forgiving of the faults of communism. I found this tiresome, but he did convince me that some of the laureates ought to have been more clear-headed than they were.

Not a bad book.

[Ari · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many good things in the book The Nobel Peace Prize goes to an odd assortment of NGOs, UN agencies, diplomats, dissidents, and disarmament activists. Aside from the Prize, Menachem Begin, Mother Theresa, and the UN don't have a lot in common.

The thing I now understand is that the prize is very much what the committee that year chooses to make of it. The committee is appointed by the Norwegian parliament and very much reflects shifting Norwegian political sensibilities.

The book can't quite decide if it wants to be straight history or polemic and lurches uneasily between them. I learned a lot, but got a little frustrated some times at the author's lack of focus.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peace, They Say is a tour through the Nobel Peace Prize laureates. Beginning with an introduction into the history of the prize and the way laureates are selected, the book chronologically presents all the laureates up to its publication. Nordlinger writes with verve, and from a right wing standpoint. He has been a journalist of human rights causes from the right and his evaluation of the prize is from that perspective. He is particularly critical of the reflexive anti-Americanism of many recent laureates who can't bring themselves to criticize nasty, brutal totalitarian regimes.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little slow at times, but a very interesting look at the Nobel peace prize and winners. While he definitely could not hide his opinions at times I felt he overall gave them a fair shake with the winners history. Particularly interesting was to see how the types of winners(disarmers, environmentalists, humanitarians, etc.) would change with the political times of the world. It will probably provoke me to read further on some of the individuals.

[Maxwell Harwitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting subject, but not much interesting about the writing. A simple processional with extra commentary on the few surprise recipients. It did make me want to go explore the Nobel lectures, which are available on-line: http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prize...

[Tom Wannamaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mini-bios of Nobel Peace Prize winners, against a backdrop of the history of the Prize itself. Jay Nordlinger has a most entertaining writing style.

[Sara DeRose · Rating 3 out of 5]

1st Book Club Book with Dad. Interesting parts, particularly the Interludes and the beginning. Dragged a bit in the middle. Writing style was fun to read.