A unique view of history from a rarely seen point of view...
936698
Yes Yes Yes... It ALL here... In a Nutshell... Pointing in many directions to follow up...
This book is not anti-Semitic, as another review states. History, and current events are what they are. I guess it is harder to see the picture if you are lost in the frame.
A must read book, for you and your family.
2687207
This book is very unique in the sense that it is difficult to find a book that focus on this subject matter.
4221149
It`s always interesting to "see" history through the eyes of those who were there. More often than not, myths are proven wrong, and you get a new/different  perspective of the past. Sometimes  for better, sometimes for worse, but that is the wonder of reading "first hand" accounts. They make you think.
4662671
This is a very unique book and reading it will almost undoubtedly change the way you look at both history and the world today as at times nothing much seems to have really changed. We still judge people on their nationality and judge entire nations on the actions of a minority without even thinking about it but reading this book will make it impossible to continue to do so. At times it puts a little too much effort into explaining how the German people suffered just as much as the people of the occupied countries but I think it's necessary to really prove the point. Even today there are people who paint the picture of the war in complete black and white and see all Germans of the time as Nazi-sympathizers and this book manages to put a much more human and personal face to each side of the war.
The story of the two women being sisters doesn't always work that well - in fact it's not until the last third of the book that it begins to seem real - and there's a bit too much emphasis on Anna but it is still a marvellous and thought-provoking read. I grew up listening to my great-grandmother's stories of the war and the way that she never forgave neither the Germans nor the Russians (and consequently I was 14 years old before I started questioning still laying the guilt at the feet of all Germans and Russians alive today) and I wish that she was alive now so that I could read this book to her. It's strong enough to might even have been able to broaden her perspective and given her some peace of mind. The ending was so sad yet perfect that it gave me goose bumps all over my body.
2549885
I've rarely seen the American Revolution dealt with in such a personal way: from the imagined perspectives of those in the middle of it. We know from our history books that some of the Colonies' denizens were for the King of England and considered themselves English citizens, and some were rebels, and the latter group persevered, after war, to attain their goals.
What's different about this book is that the author uses "known" history and translates it to the normal, day-to-day life of individuals from all walks of life in the colonies. There are conflicting emotions, uncertain friendships, spying and double-crossers...when I read this, I thought, "Well, of course, there must have been all of that!" But I haven't seen much of this type of perspective before, and though these are fictional, they yield a fresh perspective.

It's an intriguing read. Historical events are depicted along with rich imagination about the real people involved. I have to wonder what side I may have been on, and perhaps you will, too. Give it a read! I guarantee you won't think of the American Revolution as a simple "done deal" again. I'm looking forward to the third book in this trilogy.
1557175
The perspective of this history is unique. It takes the reader all over the world at the time of Columbus's first voyage to the New World,  showing the main cultures, including those not known by Europeans at the time. There's an interesting section on China and the author's explanation of why China, despite its obvious ability to make the necessary voyages to the New World, didn't make that discovery. Personally I think the very reasons the author uses to argue against the discovery might have been the ones to explain why they did make the discovery, but chose not to follow up. I'll leave it to the readers to ask their own questions.
167760
I found "The World in 1800" to be a refreshingly new approach to history writing.  Instead of focusing on one event or one geographical area, Bernier chooses to explore the entire world in and around the year 1800.  Why 1800?  Because, as Bernier explains it, that was when the world as WE know it was born.  The birth of democracy and a giant step towards globalism were the most obvious things.  As far as the structure of the book is concerned, the first part deals with events in Europe, especially the conquest of Europe by France.  The second part deals primarily with the newly born United States, and the problems they dealt with, especially when it came to relations with both England and France who were at the time locked in an unwinnable war.  Bernier also goes on to cover South America and Asia, though in much less detail.  The only complaint I have is that Bernier includes a section on Africa.....which is only 20 pages long.  Token?  Perhaps.  But given that so much of the world's economy was intertwined with the slave trade originating out of Africa, surely there would have been more to write about the "mysterious" continent.  Overall, the book is highly readable, giving more than just bland dates, names, and locations.  Bernier gives us a look at how individuals lived, and even gives the reader an idea of how they might have lived had they been born in the late 18th century.  Food, fashion, society, architecture, it's all there.
1021701
"Eyes Like Mine" was like walking through the history of aristocratic African Americans in Washington, DC and the growing persecution of Jews as the Nazis rose to power in Germany. Told by the two main characters, Justinia and Julius, the story takes us through historical events in the early 20th century. I consider myself well versed in this period since my novel, "Provenance," takes place during the same time in history. However, author Lauren Cecile, provided this reader with remarkable historical details of the time, place, customs, triumphs and causalities that are, in my opinion, the best part of the book.

I wish that more had been made of the love story between the main characters; more dialogue between them than thoughts about them. The intimacy of a forbidden love story was, for the most part, missing. The author told me that Justinia and Julius were attracted to each other but I was never shown why - their passion was missing. For that reason the radical decisions Justinia made and the obvious sacrifice Julius did not make, did not really  ring true to these characters.

Overall, "Eyes Like Mine," is a chance to delve into a subset of African American history and culture that is not often written about and, we are given the opportunity to better understand its importance in the context of American history. The parallel story of the Jewish journey from up standing citizens to persecuted non-citizens in Hitler's Germany is equally important and insightful. The skillful blending of these two historic timelines makes "Eyes Like Mine" unique.
4112603
A very interesting account of an episode in history that, if true, has been inexplicably overlooked by historians and has been totally erased from all historical teachings and chapters of history. Only 1 in a thousand people would say that they have heard of these events. An interesting read.
4400451
Not much is written on this theater of operations, so this piece of historical fiction is a rare find for aficionados.
1873919
I enjoyed the historical aspect of the book.  Especially since it was a part of history I had never heard or read about.  Such a interesting part of our country's history that is not included in any school history books that I have ever come across.

A must read for history lovers...
3956964
Very interesting from a different perspective..
2332547
Here is a well-researched and unique book on a long-forgotten episode in U.S. history: the 1810 revolt of American settlers in the Spanish territory of West Florida, an area spanning modern-day Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida panhandle. The author has done well to describe, in lucid prose, a convoluted story of intrigue and occasional violence between the settlers, the Spanish government, and the increasing U.S. government presence in the region. It's a story peopled by vivid characters, notably the Kemper brothers, leaders of the rebellion. And it's a rare look at the kind of influence a few people could have in the blank areas of the North American map, in times when the European empires were distant and weak and the U.S., its people and government, were expanding. Highly recommend.
1339539
I understand that when Michael Hurd was putting together this book and calling historically black colleges to talk to them about their long-gone football programs, some college employees responded with, "We used to have a football program?" This is not a book of just names, dates and places -- it describes a unique time and the very unique culture that surrounded football at historically black colleges, and programs that, at the time, were storied and exhaulted. This peek into the past should prove interesting to anyone interested in the cultural aspects of American history, not just people who like American football (which I don't, by the way). For what it is -- a very targeted history book about a very particular period and practice -- I give it four stars. Obviously a labor of love by the author.
3066858
Learned a bit about a part of history I didn't know a lot about. The author has a style all his own
66353
Roads to Ruin offers an interesting and refreshing view of 16th century history relating the events and players from the perspective of Saadians of Morocco and the House of Aviz of Portugal.  While many histories of this era focus on the Ottomans, Papacy, Hapsburgs, Tudors and Bourbons, this book reminds us that the activities of the Saadian Abdelmalek, the Portuguese Sebastian, and even the English Stukeley were of grave concern to their more historically famous contemporaries.
While the book describes the formation, development and defense of the Moroccan state in the 16th century, Plummer also relates provocative details on the actions and politics in Europe, the Barbary Coast and the Ottoman Empire and their consequences to the efforts in Morocco.
I found Colonel Plummers book both an enjoyable and  fascinating  read interspersed with intriguing, if little-known (to me at least), characters.  His foreign-affairs expertise, as well as extensive experience in the region, led to useful and thought provoking insight to the events related in his book.
4647480
A well written tale of an event few know about.  It is a shame how many of histories stories are unknown?