The History Book Club discussion

I haven't read a lot of Tuchman, but she was incredibly important in opening up serious history writing for the non-professionals. She does her research and some people find all the footnotes difficult. As they say 'the devil is in the details'; the little things can end up having a huge impact.

(The problem with belonging to good groups is that my 'to-read' list keeps getting longer and longer. . .)

Speaking of details, I'm currently reading 'Britain in Revolution'. It's aimed at British, not American writers, so he assumes a high-school equivalent knowledge of the time. It is interesting because Woolrych is not a Royalist or a Leveller. He spends a lot of time discussing how things could have been different, that the war, beheading of a king, and dictatorship were not inevitable. I've noticed, this approach is becoming more common among the 'review' books.


by Austin Woolrych (no photo)

Bryan wrote: "Thanks Barbara, let us know how you like those books.

Nice, Donna, I might have to add this to my read pile. Does it cover the H-bomb, as well?

Kressel: great choice. JFK read this book right b..."

Yes, Bryan. It covers the H-bomb and all the way to the nuclear reactor disaster in Japan (although I haven't read those parts yet).

by Craig Nelson (no photo)

Bryan wrote: "Kressel: great choice. JFK read this book right before the Cuban Missile Crisis and it made him pause about pushing the military too far."

I think that was The Guns of August, not The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914, but anyway, 17 pages in and I'm giving up. I got hold of The Silkworm!!!!!!!

and by Barbara W. Tuchman

by Robert Galbraith

Thanks Donna :-)

Oops, you are correct Kressel, good catch...too little sleep these days, lol.

I am reading by Matthew Parker no photo

This is a great book and I am enjoying it very much. Parker's books have a very easy reading style and he tells a good story. I read another of his books a few weeks ago and really liked that one as well, it was
by Matthew Parker no photo

I would recommend both of these books to any history fan!

Awesome, Hudson, I didn't know about these; I think the Sugar Barons would be very interesting. I went through some "sugar towns" in south Florida where they grow sugar cane...company stores, etc.

Great job on the citations. Just add () around no photo and you got it :-)

by Matthew Parker (no photo)

Got it!

days of fire. by peter Baker. bush and Cheney in the white house.

Don't forget your book citations, Roberto. The book should look like this:

by Peter Baker (no photo)

by David McCullough
by Clive Cussler
by Larry Hama

Roberto, I good one.

Nice choices Joseph.

Still on my Matthew Parker tear, now reading:

by Matthew Parker (no photo)

Great, Hudson, let us know how it goes.

I am reading Savage Sky. It is an enjoyable read about life in a B-17 during World War II.

by George Webster (no photo)

Interesting, Mike, I know Joe Kennedy, Jr. was killed in a bomber near Germany in 1944.

Right now I am reading The Beauty and the Sorrow: An Intimate History of World War I. It follows 20 people, from different nations, playing different roles in the war, in different fronts from Russia to East Africa. Tremendous research, and compelling writing. The author's voice leaves room for the voices of his twenty subjects.

by Peter Englund

It would have been a great companion to Keegan's The First World War, which the group read a few years ago. Makes me wish I had my own copy of Keegan, so that I could combine the reading, at my slow pace.

by John Keegan

Hate to double-post, but I want to strongly recommend The Beauty and the Sorrow. It is such a different perspective on WWI, truly "history from below." The only thing it lacks is maps. Of the 20 people whose remembrances and journals are the foundation of the book, only a few at any given time are at the Western Front, and I was pretty lost, geographically, for many entries. But the human power of the stories transcends geographic ignorance. A great read.

by Peter Englund

For another GR group, I read Birdsong, coincidentally a novel of WWI. The description of life in the trenches and tunnels (back to the Western Front!) is quite powerful. I found other aspects of the book less compelling, but a good read over-all.

by Sebastian Faulks

Thanks for that recommendation, Mary Ellen. It will have to go on my never-ending TBR list!

Good stuff, Mary Ellen, thank you for sharing your thoughts.

by William Faulkner

Reading a bit out of the box with these two:

by David Fromkin (no photo)

by Rana Mitter (no photo)

Welcome to my world, Bryan!!!!!

Jill wrote: "Welcome to my world, Bryan!!!!!"

Thanks for the invite, lol.

by Warren Treadgold

I've always wanted to read the complete history of Europe, and what better place to start than the Byzantines?

Good choices, everyone. Kees-jan, good job on the bad joke, lol.

I am in the middle of Tales of Two Cities: Paris, London and the Birth of the Modern City and am still trying to decide if I really like it, love it or am indifferent. It is that kind of book...with highs and lows. The author compares London and Paris from the 1600s to the present and what traits they share. I know it sounds rather boring but it isn't.....just a little different from what I usually read. We shall see.

by Jonathan Conlin(no photo)

BTW, Kees-jan, don't forget the book citations for your seductive book!!!

by Robert Greene

I am about midway through Keegan's The First World War and as I finish each chapter, I have been reading and enjoying the associated discussion thread here in this group.

It's a very nice and exceptionally well written book, although I think Meyer's A World Undone is a better introduction because it provides more background information for the reader who may not recall from high school history, for example, who the Hohenzollerns, Junkers, and Hapsburgs were. I think I might have been a bit lost if I hadn't read Meyer's book first. However, Keegan's is well worth reading even if you have already read another general history such as Meyer's.

The maps in both books are very inadequate. I am supplementing them with the two excellent WWI atlases cited below.

by John Keegan

by G.J. Meyer

by Arthur S. Banks (no photo)

by Michael Neiberg (no photo)

@Grafakos.......you picked two winners with the Keegan and Myer books. I have read them both and give them the highest recommendation. I also thought that the forwards to each chapter which touched on items that would not usually be included in an overall history of the Great War was a very effective device.

by G.J. Meyer
by John Keegan

It sounds like I will have to read Meyer's book. The only one volume history was Gilbert's and it was long time ago:

by G.J. Meyer

by Martin Gilbert

My WWI reading left me wanting to know more about the Russian revolution, so I have just started Orlando Figes' A People's Tragedy, which looks great so far. It spans the generous time period from 1891 to 1924 to provide proper context. The text is over 800 pages not including endnotes, so I'll be reading this for a while.

I'm also reading Caleb Carr's The Alienist, a historical thriller/serial killer novel set in 1896 New York. Lots of nice historical detail, with a mix of fictional characters along with non-fictional, such as Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt and muckraking journalists Jacob Riis and Lincoln Steffens.

by Orlando Figes

by Caleb Carr

Some great choices Grafakos. I want to read Figes' work, as well.

by Orlando Figes

I found this book fascinating and the photographs were lovely.

by T. Douglas Price [no photo]

Very nice, Elentarri. Is it an edited volume or written by one person?

Bryan wrote: "Very nice, Elentarri. Is it an edited volume or written by one person?"

It's written by the one author. The book basically summarises the Stone, Bronze and Iron Ages in Europe and then describes specific archaeological finds to illustrate the point. The book is also lavishly illustrated with colour photographs on nearly every page and maps where relevant.

It looks like a great primer for learning about these historical ages. Good.

I am 2/3 into this book and it is absolutely fascinating. An amazing story that has morphed over the years, I believe that this tells what really happened.

by Caroline Alexander

In between some other reads, I am tackling The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan. I say "tackling" because it is over 800 pages. Parts of it are riveting. I was out of the country during much of the Watergate hearings and was not the news junkie I am now in any case. Reagan's rise to power and continuing influence also fascinate me. However, good as many parts are, Perlstein gets off on very detailed tangents about the culture of the times that should have been edited out. I think he never heard or read a story that he could bear leaving out.

Has anyone else read this book?

by Rick Perlstein

Sounds very interesting, Ann (except for the author's proclivity for his tangents!). I will be anxious to read your review.

I have read it, Ann. I read all of his works in this trilogy so far.

I liked it; I think he could have edited down though. You get lost in the weeds. Also, his verbiage, many colloquial phrases are getting on my nerves, though. It adds to the drama, but takes away from his argument, though.

by Rick Perlstein

Bryan,
Do you think Perlstein is objective about the politicians he covers?

Honestly, I think he gets less objective as he goes along. The first book in this series is still the best, IMHO.

Part of the problem is Reagan. I agree with Perlstein when he said you either love him or hate him. He does acknowledge that Reagan was a smart politician, but he seems to come off as more of a buffoon in his most recent book.

If you read Craig Shirley's works, which are very good on the Reagan side of the story, he is not balanced, as he smashes Democrats every change he gets. Shirley has said that Perlstein did not cite him properly in his book.

by Craig Shirley (no photo)

by Rick Perlstein

Thanks for your input, Bryan. I have read little about this period in history and admit to my own prejudices. In fact, one of the reasons I read is because I want to see just how valid they are!

I am no fan of Reagan, but I keep thinking there must have been a lot more to him than Perlstein is showing or he wouldn't have gone as far as he did.

It sounds like Craig Shirley's books go too far in the other direction for me.

One book that I did read that I liked better than Perlstein's is The Age of Reagan: A History, 1974-2008 by Sean Wilentz. It seems more balanced. Have you read it?

by Sean Wilentz (no photo)

by Rick Perlstein

by Craig Shirley (no photo)

Grafakos wrote: "My WWI reading left me wanting to know more about the Russian revolution, so I have just started Orlando Figes' A People's Tragedy, which looks great so far. It spans the generous time period from ..."

I loved The Alienist, wonderful writing and the story was a good one. You really get a feel for the period. I have heard his next book was not nearly as compelling so have stayed away. Interested to know what you think when you finish it.

by Caleb Carr

I'm new to The History Book Club and I want to practice how to add the cover/book/author links so I thought this might be a good place to start. I'm about 2/3 of the way through Brands' bio of FDR, Traitor to his Class. I'm finding it very readable and a helpful adjunct to the other reading I've done about FDR.
Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt H.W. Brands

You've got a start on the book citation, Mary but not quite there. If there is a book cover, you don't need a link and if there is an author photo, it should be posted along with the author's link. See my example below. It takes some practice but it will become second nature after a while!!!

by H.W. Brands

Jill wrote: "You've got a start on the book citation, Mary but not quite there. If there is a book cover, you don't need a link and if there is an author photo, it should be posted along with the author's link..."

Thanks, Jill. So let me try with another. I'm also reading McCullough's bio of Truman, which I will return to when I finish Brands' book on FDR. I left off just when Truman was informed of FDR's death.
by David McCulloughMCCULLOUGH DAVID

Looks great but you don't need two links to the author. That just may have been a slip of the finger!!!! BTW, I thought the Truman book was excellent but all of McCullough's books are so well done.

by David McCullough

Keep going, Mary, I know you will get the citation correct.

I enjoyed Truman and I am glad to hear you like Brands. It is on my TBR pile. You forget that FDR did polarize people.

by David McCullough

by H.W. Brands

I recently finished The Alienist by Caleb Carr. I wanted to like this historical novel more than I did. The plot was promising: serial killer murdering young boys, and a practitioner ("alienist") of the nascent field of psychology manages to construct a profile sufficiently accurate to identify the killer despite the absence of any physical evidence (although the then-dubious science of fingerprinting also proved useful).

I liked the mix of fictional characters and real historical figures such as Theodore Roosevelt and J.P. Morgan. The setting (1896 New York City) and historical detail were good. It was better written than the average mystery/thriller (which isn't saying much), but I still thought the characterization was flat and the plot wasn't very satisfying. I would probably give it three and a half stars, but GR doesn't allow half stars, so I rounded down to three.

Now reading a history of quite a different kind: Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture. It's a brisk but enjoyable read for anyone with an interest in classic ('80s-'90s) video games.

by Caleb Carr

by David Kushner (no photo)