A historical gap filled
357190
Tom has covered a period of war that has been largely overlooked.  This is a well written book that holds the reader's interest as if it was a novel.
Jim A.
4480099
The War Lovers, by award-winning journalist Evan Thomas, serves as a reminder that everything old is new again.

While economic issues are eternal, the America of the late 19th century was faced with a different set of problems, including a perceived "need" by high-ranking officials to expand the American "brand." While Spain was pressing an iron boot on the neck of a Cuban nation yearning to be free, many of this country's leaders --- for the purposes of this book, Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst --- sought to garner public and political support to lead the charge --- literally --- to aid another nation struggling for independence. Thomas highlights the ambitions of these three men, as well as a selection of those opposed to involvement, for any number of reasons, such as President William McKinley and psychologist/philosopher William James (whose inclusion strikes me as misplaced).

Roosevelt and Hearst receive most of the attention in this volume. Thomas runs through a detailed account of each of the principals' backgrounds as a way of explaining how they arrived at their respective points of view. He does not necessarily paint them in the most glowing light. Roosevelt, who was serving as Secretary of the Navy immediately prior to the Spanish American War, was torn between the (dull) duties of family life and the desire to prove his manhood. Likewise, Hearst --- publisher of the New York Journal and the Rupert Murdoch of his day --- desperately wanted to prove his importance not just as a news conduit, but as a news maker by creating a public opinion situation that fairly demanded U.S. military action. In fact, as Evans reports, several instances of atrocities perpetrated by the Spanish were, if not made up out of whole cloth, grossly exaggerated in order to fan the flames of patriotism and extend paternalism to a less fortunate nation.

(The War Lovers refers not only to the main subjects, but in a broader sense to those either too young to have fought in the War Between the States or too old to serve in the current situation, as if they missed something endemic to proving their masculinity.)

The first half of the book deals with Roosevelt, Lodge, and their contemporaries looking for almost any excuse or provocation to expand the American way of life, while the second --- and better --- half reports on how the U.S. entered into and won the War.

Thomas is at his best --- if a bit too graphic at times --- when describing the preparation for and engagement in battle: how the men fought not only the Spanish, but the elements of heart, hunger, and disease. More men died of Yellow Fever than wounds sustained at the hands of the enemy. Roosevelt --- who resigned his position in the administration to lead the famous Rough Riders --- is shown as a man hungry for action, yet unsure of how he would hold up in the face of combat. He is presented in multiple lights: impetuous, proud, vain, beloved by his underlings, mistrusted by his equals, a cipher to his family. That he politicked for a Medal of Honor for his admittedly brave deeds is a sad discovery, a disappointment for those readers more comfortable with a modest hero.

Thomas has been making the talk show rounds, discussing his book and comparing that conflict with the war against Iraq, even to go as far as describing a waterboarding-like torture employed against the enemy. It is slightly disingenuous, a forced way to connect an event from so long ago to make it appear contemporary. Armed conflicts will always have similar characteristics if examined closely enough. It seems unnecessary to force the pieces to fit.
1087547
I was able to check out this book but missed some of the earlier volumes. But, the author does a good job of giving background and enough information that the reader doesn't feel lost. Interesting to read about this time in history and from a unique perspective.
216787
Be forewarned.  This book is less a history of the May 1977 incident as it is the story of the authors efforts to uncover the details about it, presented as a series of interviews interspersed with the authors efforts to find and talk to her sources.  It is meta-history.  It is well-written and compelling, to be sure:  the authors passion and sympathy for Angola, and her knowledge of that countrys history, is evident on almost every page.  But the political and historical context of May 1977, who made what key decisions, when, and why, is not to be found here.  I liked the book well enough, but the real story of May 1977 has yet to be told, at least in English.
976653
While not a history scholar, I would consider myself an amateur student of history. As I read and study history, I purposely aim for breadth. Focusing on one specific area of historical reading gives good depth, but often that depth is obtained with blinders to other formative areas that impacted that particular area of study. It is for that reason that I read a variety of histories--theological, religious, national, regional, political, ecclesiastical, military, and topical. Because of that broad base I may not have depth of knowledge in a particular area, but I tend to be pretty well versed in the big-picture.

With that understanding as background, I was surprised to realize how little I knew about the history of abortion in America. To be perfectly frank, the entry point of my mental reference for abortion has always been Roe v. Wade. My typical thinking has been that Roe v. Wade came as a direct result of the feminist movement and so-called sexual revolution of the 1960s. In a way it did, but as Marvin Olasky points out in this book, the history tells a much deeper story.

The history which Olasky terms "an early American quilt of death," begins in colonial America in 1629. Of course, records are scarce and the connection between them can easily be misinterpreted, but Olasky links together early court testimonies that weave a sordid tale of infanticide and pregnancy concealment. The crimes appeared to be rare, but were common enough that laws were enacted to legislate against them and prescribe punishments for them. It is interesting that the men involved were often held more culpable than the women.

While tracing the history of abortion in America is the backdrop, the author has a purpose in mind. His desire is to show the relationship between legislation and abortion. The goal of the book is to show that legislation, while necessary, is not the primary deterrent for abortion. As abortions increased exponentially in antebellum America, legislation began to proliferate. In the post-war years, zealous application and enforcement of the new laws began to have an effect, but at best, the effect was limited and temporary.

Through the use of historical records, Olasky shows that abortions are only decreased through a combination of legislation and compassionate prevention. Unlike politically liberal methods of prevention (birth control and sex education), Olasky's methods are primarily related to prenatal care such as crisis pregnancy centers, job training for single mothers and halfway homes for mothers in trouble.

Not only does this book provide historical context to the abortion question, it is also for those who have a sincere desire to see the number of abortions in America reduced. Political conservatives who are frustrated with the current rollback of pro-life legislation can take comfort in the fact that legislation is, at best, only part of the solution. Legislation can only be minimally impacted by most people, but anyone can directly impact the life of unborn children and troubled mothers by volunteering at a local crisis pregnancy center or providing some other kind of prenatal care. It will make a difference--history bears it out.
2651177
This is an excellent book. It is interesting and engaging.  It fills an important gap in the history of ideas.
2104988
A world history and American history not taught in school. This is case for ensuring history does not repeat itself.
4015069
This was a very moving work of historical fiction that fills a gap in the literature about the history of Jewish life in South Africa. I do not know why there are no quotation marks for dialogue, but I did find this to be a bit of a stumbling block.
4724661
This is an old book, published in 1963 for the centennial of the U.S. Civil War. In less than 300 pages (but pages that can move slowly due to the modern reader's unfamiliarity  of the events of the 15 years preceding the war, it reveals how Lincoln evolved into a reluctant war president, with abolishing slavery immediately throughout the U.S. not his primary goal, and how Jeff Davis evolved into a reluctant advocate of secession as the only way to protect slavery. The politics of the 1850's describes a situation that amazed me in some of its parallels with current politics. Back then, the Democratic party had North-South divisions, with the former being willing to tolerate slavery, at least in states that already had it, while the Southern branch came to insist on the right to expand it and protect it forever. The current Republican party has its own deeply-felt factions, with the anti-federal government, anti-social liberalism, and pro-military adventures in the Middle East being paramount concerns that seem to have weakened it as a national entity even while it holds both houses of Congress and many governorships. The 2016 election will reveal whether that faction can draw enough loyal voters to run things for the next four to eight years, or whether the Republican party must split into two or three different expressions of conservative ideals, with one of those groups eventually finding a formula popular enough to regain the White House in the future. If you are a Civil War "buff" find a copy of this volume. It will help enormously in understanding the run-up to the war, and the opposing "principles" which motivated each side. It was not written with a particular Northern bias, although it laments that Southern leaders could not recognize that slavery was doomed to extinction in the first few decades after the war anyway, as technology and changing economic conditions had foreshadowed as much as ten years before the conflict. To the Southerners, winning the right to expand slavery was key to prolonging its profits by eventual colonization of nations and islands south of the USA. I came away from this book keeping my respect for Lincoln, increasing my respect for Jeff Davis and Stephen A. Douglas, and wondering if the modern GOP's stands against abortion, gay marriage, Obamacare, immigration, federal government powers, Islam, and the avoidance of war with Iran will doom that party in the near future, or save it. Their 2016 platform could be their version of pro-secession, pro-slavery disaster, or it could re-ignite a social conservative movement that mobilizes millions. Anyway, here is a book about the USA 155 years ago that has some relevance to major political choices facing us today.
4835817
A fascinating look at a void in the historical record of at least 250 years across the entire ancient world.  Peter James makes the case that the history of the ancient word has been thrown off by errors in the conventional chronology, starting with Egypt and reverberating from there.  James must be taken seriously by scholars if the errors in the chronology of the ancient world are to be corrected.  For those following the new chronology debate, James' work is an essential read.  Robert P. Wise, Jackson, MS
401916
Reading "The Lost History of Christianity" filled in a major gap in my understanding of the history of Christianity, a gap that survived despite having waded through the massive amount of material in LaTourette's "The History of the Expansion of Christianity." As a result, I owe a debt to Philip Jenkins. I would recommend his book for anyone interested in knowing the story of how the church in Islamic lands continued to survive for as long as it did and also, as the subtitle indicates, "how it died."

I do think that the picture Jenkins paints of its "Thousand-Year Golden Age" may be optimistic. Seeing that during much of this time the churches in the areas Jenkins covers were under the control of Islamic governments and its members did not have full rights as citizens, it is hard to see how this is truly a golden age. In fact, much of what Jenkins says by way of description of these churches and their members would indicate that it was not.

Despite this, I found this book to be an interesting read.
3939209
This was an interesting book containing historical information about a subject unknown to most 21st century Americans. I was drawn to it from beginning to end, but I found that the pace of the story accelerated toward the end, leaving me a little dissatisfied with the conclusion.
4481918
Although I considered myself somewhat familiar with World War II history, I had a huge gap in my knowledge that was filled in by this book.  The ways the Popes of that era confronted or failed to confront Nazi Germany and their treatment of the Jews are either uplifting or very depressing depending on who was in control of the Vatican.
4826303
A very well told story about a part of world history that I was only vaguely aware of when it happened.  It filled in a lot of blanks without a western bias.  Thank you for telling this story.
3446839
Because I read a great deal about European history, this book just made sense to fill in a gap I had never considered.  The idea that the lives of quiet desperation lived by so many women goes unknown is truly sad.

I never even considered that their writings would be thrown away, but who did they have left to save them?  Luckily, this book gives some small voice to so many. I was just sorry as I finished that there wasn't any more to read.  It has given me a greater appreciation of books such as Jane Eyre, because now I have a better context into which to put the stories.  While small, I found the book moving and informative.  There is far more to the evolution of a woman's place in society than our current approach to history seems to show.
1540684
Andrew Lang (1844-1912) was a prolific writer and poet who wrote an extensive four-volume history of Scotland in 1900-1907.  In 1911 he wrote this "short" history.  In distilling his work, he created a fast-paced but hard to follow history.

I found the first 25% to be confounding - a litany of murders, treacheries and religious squabbles that are extremely hard to follow.  The rest of the book smoothed out as more detail was supplied.  Still, however, it was to me too much of an outline than a history.

I did learn quite a bit, regardless.  I may have learned more had I a more thorough knowledge of Scottish history and geography.  Lang refers to people, events and geography of which he assumes the reader is familiar.  I don't regret the time spent reading this not-too-short "short" history, since it has aroused my curiosity and gave me some avenues for further study.

An unexpected revelation came from Lang's discourse on the religious conflicts of the period.  Today we find ourselves perplexed by the fanaticism of Islamic extremists, who cannot hold a candle to those Scottish radicals.  We would probably not be here today if the likes of Knox had had nuclear weapons!

This book is worth reading, but only for one who does not mind tedious dredging for interesting tidbits.  For others, this would be mightily boring.  Had I not been in a reflective mood when I started "A Short History of Scotland" I could easily have given it only one star.
1622707
Insightful and educational. It fills a historical gap that most of us are unaware of. I came from Malaysia and my home country was even mentioned in this book! The info it provides about Mohammed and Islam is consistent with the history textbooks that we used in Malaysia.