Wholesome History Reads Group discussion

I hope I haven't oversold it :)

We'll see :)

Since we're in Anne Applebaum territory, I'm making a start on Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956; hopefully it will back up some events mentioned in Berlin 1961: Kennedy, Khruschev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth., and some other bits and pieces I've come across over the years.

I'm going to be reading her book; "Red Famine" next month, I dare say it will be interesting but gruelling reading.

by Anne Applebaum

Of interest is this new book I received in the mail today:

No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria by Rania Abouzeid

You can't keep a good virus down, it's payday and I felt compelled to treat myself:

Pandemic 1918: The Story of the Deadliest Influenza in History
I've also got my eye on Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World but there's only so much coughing I can take in one go...

Sounds like it will be a very interesting book Jonny, keep us posted.

Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe, 1944-1956 starts with the Soviet occupation of Eastern Europe in 1944/45; Applebaum discusses Soviet soldiers preoccupation with 'booty';
" Wrist watches seemed to have almost mythical significance for Russian soldiers, who would walk around wearing half a dozen if they could. An iconic photograph if a Russian soldier raising the Soviet flag atop the Berlin Reichstag had to be touched up to remove the wrist watches from the arms of the young hero. In Budapest, the obsession with them remained part of local folklore, and may have helped shape local perceptions of the Red Army. A few months after the war, a Budapest cinema showed a newsreel about the Yalta conference. When President Roosevelt raised his arm while speaking to Stalin, several members of the audience shouted: 'Mind your watch!' The same was true in Poland, where for many years Polish children would 'play' Soviet soldiers by shouting 'Davai chasyi' - 'Give me your watch.' A beloved Polish children's television series of the 1960s included a scene of Russian and Polish soldiers during wartime, camping out in deserted buildings having amassed a vast collection of stolen clocks."

Looting was so widespread, even with some of the Allied troops although they concentrated on helmets, Lugers, knives, flags and other military "souvenirs". I wonder what the attraction of the wrist watch was for the Russians?

Jill wrote: "Looting was so widespread, even with some of the Allied troops although they concentrated on helmets, Lugers, knives, flags and other military "souvenirs". I wonder what the attraction of the wrist..."

I think I remember reading that one of the Soviet five-year economic plans produced far too few wristwatches, so there was a shortage. But I can't remember where I read that. Does that ring a bell with anyone else?

This Financial Times article on the Historian's petition concerning the Brexit can be mined for some excellent Cambridge authors - and if you really want to go overnerd, re-read their books for any hints about their stance - the subjects certainly lead their eye to the mainland. (I'm currently enjoying Abulafia)

https://www.ft.com/content/86c8faa8-1...

The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean by David Abulafia
German History from the Margins by Neil Gregor
Henry VIII: A European Court in EnglandbyDavid Starkey
The Channel: England, France and the Construction of a Maritime Border in the Eighteenth CenturybyRenaud Morieux
Dreyfus: Politics, Emotion, and the Scandal of the CenturybyRuth Harris
Poland: A History ] by Adam Zamoyski

And James Holland ...too many good WWII books to list

Jill wrote: " by Ben Macintyre

The story of the Cambridge "old school ties" group of brilliant and charming young men w..."

I read A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal, but a book I found more unnerving was Treason in the Blood: H. St. John Philby, Kim Philby & the Spy Case of the Century by Anthony Cave Brown.

Liz......that is one book that I have been meaning to read since I have been told that it is quite well done. But I have so many books on my tbr, that is might take a while before I get to it. Thanks for the recommendation.

A friend sent me this bit of information from the book he is currently reading; "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World" by Simon Winchester:

"The numbers are beyond incredible. There are now more transistors at work on this planet (some 15 quintillion, or 15,000,000,000,000,000,000) than there are leaves on all the trees in the world. In 2015, the four major chip-making firms were making 14 trillion transistors every single second. Also, the sizes of the individual transistors are well down into the atomic level."


The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester

That is a Winchester book with which I am unfamiliar. Will look for it as I like his work.

Here is something a little different......the story of the Pittsburgh Renaissance of the African American culture of that city. A very interesting story of a little known but extremely important era in the Steel City.

by Mark Whitaker

The Great Successor: The Divinely Perfect Destiny of Brilliant Comrade Kim Jong Un, Bright Sun of the Twenty-first Century by Anna Fifield

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Am reading The Women's Hour by Elaine Weiss, which is about the fight to ratify the 19th Amendment. It's very interesting book, but I find myself taking frequent breaks because I need time away from reading about the misguided people (especially women) who opposed the right to vote for a myriad of reasons. It also makes me appreciate even more those who stood their ground and won.

Betsy wrote: "Am reading The Women's Hour by Elaine Weiss, which is about the fight to ratify the 19th Amendment. It's very interesting book, but I find myself taking frequent breaks because I need time away fro..."

I hope you enjoy the book and it doesn't frustrate you too much. I think women in Australia were given the vote and allowed to run for a position in our parliament in 1902.

I wrapped up Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall last week; typically its taken a while to get the fingers shifted and get some thoughts down, but here they are:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jonny wrote: "I wrapped up Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall last week; typically its taken a while to get the fingers shifted and get some thoughts down, but here they are:

https:/..."

Great review Jonny, thanks for sharing.

With the twentieth anniversary of the Iraq War I decided to read this book for an in-depth look at why and how we all ended up in that conflict:

To Start a War: How the Bush Administration Took America into Iraq by Robert Draper