History is Not Boring discussion
What are you reading?
That is shocking! Hopefully they will learn what a horrific event in history pearl harbour was in the history class. I have pulled into pearl harbour during my deployment aboard the USS Carl Vinson back in 03 when I used to be in the navy. I took time to visit the memorial and witness the surreal eeriness of the oil leaking from the USS Arizona up to the surface. They call it the tears of the Arizona dedicated to the fallen sailors.
I just watched a documentary and they were going around asking highschoolers "do you know who Adolf Hitler is?". MOST of them didnt know. Hopefully they edited it to look bad b/c I hate to think that most teens dont know who Hitler was. :( I've been to the Arizona memorial as well, very moving.
Just finished Citizen Soldiers: The U. S. Army from the Normandy Beaches to the Bulge to the Surrender of Germany by Stephen Ambrose. With plenty of maps showing the ever-changing front lines and Ambrose's anecdotal story telling, this is an extremely readable history of the last year of the war in Europe.
That is a fabulous book. So is every other book by Stephen Ambrose! Isnt Band of Brothers based on this?
Princessfaz wrote: "I just watched a documentary and they were going around asking highschoolers "do you know who Adolf Hitler is?". MOST of them didnt know. Hopefully they edited it to look bad b/c I hate to think ..."OMG. It's kind of like Jay leno's "Jaywalking."
I try to stay informed on how dumb American kids are getting. Apparently, most fourth-graders know nothing about Abe Lincoln and most eighth-graders don't know what advantages the American revolutionaries had over the British. Even worse, 80% of 12th-graders guessed wrong on which country supported North Korea in the Korean War: The Soviet Union, Japan, China, and Vietnam.
While the most promising high school athletes in this country are publicly acclaimed and profiled in the press and recruited by college coaches and offered lucrative scholarships, there is no comparable lauding of outstanding high school history students.
I just finished The Man Who Warned America: The Life and Death of John O'Neill, the FBI's Embattled Counterterror Warrior and have just ordered Weapon of Choice: U.S. Army Special Operations Forces in Afghanistan, which is supposed to be a SUPERB Army history of special operations forces in Afghanistan, 2001. It was published by the Army Special Operations Command historians. I am a total nerd when it comes to anything involving spec-ops...
Have you seen the new book American Sniper? I just bought it but my hubby stole it before I could read it. LOLAbout the american teens, I guess its our job to make sure our own teens know about history, since they arent learning it in school. :(
Your "hubby?" What does that mean..?No, I haven't read "American Sniper" yet. Right now I'm trying to learn more on the SpecOps-centric 2001 portion of the war in Afghanistan.
About the teens,I agree. School history classes teach kids the basics on what they should know, but they'll forget it after the test/exam comes around anyway. If they WANT to learn more, they should inform themselves. Unfortunately, they don't like reading. Also, they have a WEALTH of (mostly) reliable information at their fingertips via the Internet, but unfortunately, they only use it for social networking.
See the book The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future for more detail on that.
Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of SurvivalEngrossing revelation of life on the Sahara as exposed by reports of American sailors shipwrecked off North Africa in 1815 and held captive until ransomed
Thanks for the book recommendations."hubby" means husband. :)
I'm looking for a good, detailed single-volume book on World War One. I already have Charles Messenger's and Robin Cross' book on World War Two, and am looking for a similar/comparable one on World War One. Is World War I by S.L.A. Marshall the best one?
Jerome wrote: "Your "hubby?" What does that mean..?No, I haven't read "American Sniper" yet. Right now I'm trying to learn more on the SpecOps-centric 2001 portion of the war in Afghanistan.
About the teens,I ag..."
This sounds like an interesting read! I will have to pick it up!
I'm reading "Madison and Jefferson," by Andrew Bernstein. It's a very good book, but not quite top-notch. But I am enjoying it!
I am reading The Invasion of Europe by the Barbariansit is rather old but had some good reviews. Has anyone read any other books on this subject they would recommend?
I just finished The Mission, The Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander and The Siege of Mecca: The Forgotten Uprising in Islam's Holiest Shrine and the Birth of al-Qaeda. Highly recommend the latter. It's about a largely forgotten uprising of Saudi fundamentalists that took over the Mecca Grand Mosque in 1979. EXCELLENT, A MUST READ.
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She seems fond of describing great set pieces, like the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, or the Republican National Convention of 1880.
Iran is in the news these days and I find the issues compelling, so I enjoyed reading Libby Fischer Hellmann’s new novel, A Bitter Veil, set in the midst of the Iranian revolution that brought Khomeini to power. A good read and a great way to absorb the background info of the current problems. Two essential themes predominate in this viscerally effective novel: the fate of women when their choices have been taken from them and the banality of evil, to borrow a phrase applied to the Nazis—who also appear in this book if somewhat indirectly. Here’s my review.
Jerome wrote: "Unfortunately, they don't like reading. Also, they have a WEALTH of (mostly) reliable information at their fingertips via the Internet..."No joke. I walked to my car and there was a piece of folded notebook paper by the door. I picked it up thinking it might have been a love note from one of the Bond girls. Alas, it was just a cheat sheet for a HS history test. At least half of the words were misspelled. This kid couldn't even cheat good.
'solgers', 'aneconda' and many others.
I always told my kids to pay attention to their studies or they would be assured a lifetime of hot, noisy jobs. I'm afraid the kids today, their only ambitions is to live in Dependencystan.
I'm awaiting a copy of World War I by S.L.A. Marshall. I don't know much about that war, and have always wanted to learn more. Actually, my tenth-grade AP European History Class has just finished that war, so I'm looking forward to learning more. Hope it's worth the price.
I finished the latest of Rebecca Cantrell's mysteries set in Berlin before WWII, A Game of Lies. This one has Hannah Vogel covering the 1936 Olympic games as an undercover Swiss reporter--and gathering intelligence for the British. It's as thought-provoking and page-turning as her other books. Here's my review.
Anyone know any good books on Princess Gate and the 1980 Iranian embassy siege in London? Resolved decisively by the SAS?
I just finished The Habsburgs by Dorothy Gies McGuigan, from 1966. Most enjoyable. I would be pleased to have recommendations on other works about the Habsburgs, especially but not exclusively Franz Joseph.
I'm beginning a Roman history tetralogy:I just finished Rome: Day One. The next three books are:
Carthage Must Be Destroyed: The Rise and Fall of an Ancient Civilization
UnRoman Britain: Exposing the Great Myth of Britannia
If Rome Hadn't Fallen: What Might Have Happened If the Western Empire Had Survived
I am reading "Testament of Youth" by Vera Brittain. She writes about her life during the years of WW1. I have lately become interested in WW1. I used to think of it as just some little war that lead up to the big war of WW2. Gradually I have realized how intertwined the two great wars of the last century are. Also how they affected the US thinking about the Soviet Union and China's communist regime. And how their roots lie in the imperialist "Colony" grabbing of the 19th century. this is the POV of a British woman who is very gifed in recording her observations and emotions.
Just finished reading Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. The story of the assassination of President James Garflield. I didn't know much about Garflield before reading this book. It is a compelling read, shifting back and forth between Garfield and hIs assassin's stories.
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For those of you who like Greek mythology, there's a fascinating and quite beautiful book out, The Song of Achilles, that focuses on the love between Achilles and Patroclus. Madeline Miller has interpreted the heroes of the Iliad in provocative and engaging ways. This subject means a lot to me so I read it with great interest and I recommend it highly. Here's my review
Just picked these up from the library:Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda
The Guns of August
Bush at War
Also, what's the best, most comprehensive history of the War of 1812?
People are telling me:
by Donald R. Hickeyand
by Donald R. Hickey
I just finished The Fifth Servant set in the Jewish quarter of 16th century Prague. Great details about the place and Jewish custom, but I was a little disappointed with how overwhelmed the story got at times by the information he had researched. An interesting book in any case. Here's my review.
Yet another query:I'm looking for a comprehensive history of America (especially European actions there, like exploration) from 1492 to the French & Indian War. Any suggestions?
And, yet another: a good book on the Texas War of Independence (1835-1836)?
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I read that one, I really liked it.
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Anyway, I just ordered the following books on things that I'm embarrassed to say I know almost nothing about:
I just started
, a fat and weighty tome on the Russian Revolution(s), 1891-1924. Excellent so far.
Jerome wrote: "I just started [bookcover:A People's Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution], a fat and weighty tome on the Russian Revolution(s), 1891-1924. Excellent so far."
I have that - right next to another weighty tome on the subject, Richard Pipes The Russian Revolution... I started the Pipes, and was sort of worn down and stopped... hard to say why, except, I think I had a little more sympathy with the revolutionary attempts than the author did, or quite possibly I sentimentalise. Interested to hear what you think of the Figes. Has any person read both to tell us the difference??
While I'm here, what I need is a terrific book on the French Revolution, too - from go to woe, not without sympathy, with acknowlegement of its excitement, and in its full ghastliness. Any suggestions?
I recently returned from the Middle East, so have been reading books about that area. Biographies of Gertrude Bell and Freya Stark are both good on the area in the early 20th century (before and when Great Britain and France carved it all up). Also just finished Wael Ghonim's REVOLUTION 2.0 about the Egyptian revollution last year.
Jerome wrote: "Bryn, you might want to try[bookcover:Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution] by Simon Schama"
Thanks, Jerome, that looks just the ticket. I will try that.
Just finished
. Was not disappointed.
I just read something about the Polish-Bolshevik War of 1919-1920 in some reference book. Never heard about this before, I'd like to learn more.Are these books any good?
Also, how many Americans today know anything about the Archangel Expedition of 1918? What's a good book on that?
Jerome wrote: "I just started [bookcover:A People's Tragedy: A History of the Russian Revolution], a fat and weighty tome on the Russian Revolution(s), 1891-1924. Excellent so far."
I hope Pipes mentions the Decembrist Revolution of 1825, Russia's first revolution. Lasted one day but stayed in the psyche of Russians for a long time to come. Happy reading!
I'm getting stuck into Joseph Frank's five set on Dostoyevsky - which is very much the-writer-in-his-time, as he sees D. as engaged in his times, as deeply as a novelist ever was - can't extricate his work from the history. It's terrific on 19thC Russian ideas and conflicts, and just utterly fascinating - I'm romping through even when too tired to read. Dostoevsky: The Seeds of Revolt, 1821-1849
There's been a lot of discussion around Goodreads of Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles. It's a fascinating way inside that most iconic of heroes. I found the book so engaging I asked Madeline for an interview in case anyone wants to hear this bright and deep-thinking author speaking out about her book.
History is Not Boring
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As in WW2, too many people could not be bothered to know because they think it would not affect them.
In the 1930s, ignorance was not bliss and in the end WW2 affected everyone.
..."
Lance wrote: "Hi Jerome,
As in WW2, too many people could not be bothered to know because they think it would not affect them.
In the 1930s, ignorance was not bliss and in the end WW2 affected everyone.
..."
I know, right?I'm actually only 17 and have devoured military history since sixth grade. Last year, in ninth grade, I was breezing through WW2 in history class, and some of the fools there din't even know what Pearl Harbor was. Man, what is America coming to...?