A Good German: Adam Von Trott Zu Solz by Giles MacDonogh

Something different to start off 2014.  This is a biography of a member of the German resistance to Hitler during world war two.  The son of German nobility educated at Oxford Adam Von Trott Zu Solz state in Germany deciding he could do more for the German resistance by becoming a member of the bureaucracy and joining the NAZI party.  Something that many of his friends in England didn't forgive him for.

What could have been a fascinating look at the intellectual side of the plotters is unfortunately hamstrung by MacDonogh's thesis mainly that the Allies have some of the responsibility for the war continuing and therefore the casualties and destruction.  Since they demanded unconditional surrender.  Curiously MacDonogh does it knowledge that the reason for the western Allies at least unwillingness to give terms involved the fear of the "stab in the back" myth after world war one repeating itself.  MacDonogh has no counter argument for this and Trott who apparently didn't either.

The book is far too detailed and too long.  Often giving hour by hour descriptions of whom he met with this isn't just world war two it covers his time at Oxford.  Occasionally with comments from one of the participants.  On one hand and impressive amount of research on the other boring and tedious.  Often having no bearing on the larger narrative.  The Oxford section spent a lot of time pointing out that yes famous people in government and academia went to Oxford in the thirties. That the same people who criticized his actions during the war [staying in Germany and joining the NAZI party] were being vindictive.

When we get to the war it doesn't get much better.  There's very little here about just what any sort of settlement would look like.  So it's hard to judge that if negotiations had taken place after a successful assassination of Hitler whether it would have worked.  The infighting between the groups as well as the inability when the time came for decisive action of the plotters suggest that even if Hitler had been killed it would not have been as smooth the transition as the plotters believed.

I think there is an interesting story in here somewhere.  It's just buried under all the backbiting and daily diary stuff.

Not recommended.

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy by Paul Thomas Murphy

Shooting Victoria: Madness, Mayhem, and the Rebirth of the British Monarchy
by Paul Thomas Murphy


 This book covers the eight different attempts by seven individuals to assassinate Queen Victoria. It alternates sections between what the queen was doing at the time and her various assassins. All of the attempts except for one involved pistols of varying quality and a majority were found not criminally liable due to insanity. More than just a history of the attempts the book also covers treatment and legal changes that took place during the 19 century. There's also a good dose of general British history as well as analysis how each attempt help shape the modern monarchy.

The style is more on the popular history side as opposed to academic. He does tend to go into mind reading mode at times which normally I find irritating but there is a charm about the text which meant I was less annoyed and I usually would be. The meandering narrative reminds me of Jan Morris books which is perhaps why I'm giving a pass here. Political motivation appears to have been lacking with all of the attempts which is perhaps why in all my other meetings on Victorian history I've only come across one of the attempts. At this stage it's where for me to find a new set of historical events so that was good.

Recommended.

Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War by Dale Maharidge

 Bringing Mulligan Home: The Other Side of the Good War
by Dale Maharidge

This book describes the authors relationship with his father. Troubled as it was by the events of World War II. After his death he did what he could to research his unit and why he was affected. The research is pretty much the narrative of the book. We do get discussions about military actions but they are fragmentary and he doesn't bother coalescing them into one larger narrative. Since I usually read more traditional military history I found this to be frustrating.

Clearly Maharidge has quite a bit of anger most of it leveled at the decision-makers in the Pacific campaign. He finds Admiral Nimitz personally responsible for his dads PTSD. Intellectually I think this is a hard case to make. In the section on PTSD he doesn't acknowledge that the research shows that everyone has a breaking point at some point.

I found the research impressive and the writing is very good. If you treat this more as a memoir and biography that a military history then you'll get more from it.

Recommended for anyone interested in the effects of the war on the generation that followed.


This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

My Life in Politics by Jacques Chirac

This is as the title would suggest the political memoirs of the French President. For North American readers the section on the lead up to the invasion of Iraq will probably be the most interesting. There isn't much new added here although some of the behind-the-scenes communication between the forces allied against invasion was interesting. My knowledge of French modern politics is pretty limited i was however able to follow the earlier sections of the book which layout his career.

One unfortunate thing which I'm not sure if it's the fault of the translation or the original text is that much of this reads like a summary. He wants to rush quickly through his early life to get to the presidency. This means that several important events including at least one constitutional crisis gets very limited coverage. I realize the book is a political memoir but the occasional vignettes about his family life are a times much more enlightening than his thoughts about to us in North America obscure politicians.

Miley recommended.

This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Handel by Christopher Hogwood

Handel
by Christopher Hogwood

This is a biography of the composer most famous for Messiah.  Hogwood a conductor and musician does a pretty good job of sifting through the various available sources to give us a picture of the man.  Unfortunately Handel didn't produce much material and what he did so often played fast and loose with what actually happened.  So there's a lot of third party information.

As far as the music much is made of Handel's operas.  I can't really speak to the musical assessments I actually found the discussion of infighting and politics between the various operatic companies to be one of the best parts of the book.  Overlaid as it was by the different factions of British royalty.  Messiah is glossed over as far as a piece of music instead it's considered within its religious context.  Could something with religious themes be shown as a secular entertainment?  Did that devalue its religious aspect?  Something that doesn't seem to come up that often these days if anything it's usually the other way around can something secular be used for religious instruction...

The book concludes with why Handel who after all was German has been embraced so much by the British.  Hogwood argues that it was because he portrayed the best of what the British thought of themselves.  That anyone with the requisite talent could be a success in their chosen field.

Recommended.

Admiral Nimitz: The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater by Brayton Harris

 Admiral Nimitz: The Commander of the Pacific Ocean Theater
by Brayton Harris

This is a short biography of the United States naval commander in the Pacific. The back copy of the book notes that this is the first full memoir to be written about him in decades and it is quickly apparent why. He did not grant interviews, write his memoirs, keep a diary or leave us a treasure trove of letters to be mined for his personal opinions. Instead we are left with descriptions of others and occasional official documents.

I give the author credit for not falling into the usual trap with subjects such as this and filling in the rest of the book with general information. Only enough general information is included to explain the narrative.
World War II takes primacy in the account as it should.  Students of the Pacific campaign will be disappointed in that there isn’t much new here, mainly a discussion of the conflicts with Macarthur.

I actually found the material on the development of naval tactics in the 30s and the pushback against the attempts to unify the armed services in the late 40s and early 50s to be the most enlightening. I can’t recommend this for the casual reader, but if you want something different, give it a look.

Recommended for someone who has a strong interest in the topic. Note:This book was provided through LibraryThing's early reviewer Program.

Nelson's spy by A. J. Scott

Nelson's spy by A. J. Scott a rather curious reprint. This is the biography of Nelson's chaplain written by his children. The modern addition slaps on a controversial title and an introduction which does its best to make mounds out of molehills. Scott by his own admission in letters and diary entries included the text describes translating documents, interrogating witnesses and performing activities with friends of England. He seems to have been much closer to a intelligence officer than anything else.

Recommended only for the Trafalgar obsessive.

Tales of the Seven Seas: The Escapades of Captain Dynamite Johnny O'Brien by Dennis M. Powers

Tales of the Seven Seas: The Escapades of Captain Dynamite Johnny O'Brien by Dennis M. Powers this is a biography of the sailor most famous for giving Jack London the inspiration for the novel See-Wolf.  O'Brien's career is colorfully described by Powers.  According to the acknowledgements much of the material is based upon O'Brien's own writings.  It's unclear just how much verification has taken place.  There is a short bibliography but no citations.  I'd recommend this if you're looking for a good story but I wouldn't necessarily consider it to be the best of sources.  Many of the stories have the ring of tall tales about them.

Recommended with caveats.

Note:This book was provided through Librarything's early reviewer Program.

Legacy of a False Promise: A Daughter's Reckoning by Margaret Fuchs Singer

Legacy of a False Promise: A Daughter's Reckoning by Margaret Fuchs Singer this is a memoir of the 1950s. The authors father was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee. He decided to name names. The narrative is two threads, first of these, the authors experiences growing up. The second the research she did later on both archival and interviews. I was perhaps not surprisingly to frequent viewers of this blog more interested in the research side of things. I'm not really sure what her boyfriend trying to fondle her addes to the narrative quite frankly.

Her father's decision to name names destroyed his career. He was fired from his position as a law professor. He found work inside the US government [thanks to the help of the committee], which was an interesting piece of irony. Nicely demonstrating that it really doesn't work to encourage people to come forward if they are confessing to things that will make them shunned by wider society. There's no incentive. The research uses up to date secondary sources and the FBI files and intelligence intercepts.

Recommended.

Note: this was provided for review by a PR outfit.

Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship by J. F. C. Fuller

Grant and Lee: A Study in Personality and Generalship by J. F. C. Fuller was part of the great reassessment of U. S.Grant The book is a joint biography of Grant and Lee describing their abilities and faults. There's an outline of the war in general to put things into context. It's hard to review something like this. So much of what's here is now part of the accepted narrative of the conflict. There are a few novel ideas. The discussion on tactics and logistics for instance.

Recommended.

The Danger Tree: Memory, War and the Search for a Family's Past by David Macfarlane

The Danger Tree: Memory, War and the Search for a Family's Past by David Macfarlane this is a history of one Newfoundland's family's experiences during and after WWI. Three of the brothers had been killed in the fighting. The book has a lot of literary flourishes. I'm usually not impressed with this sort of thing in a nominally historical work. Just what's been embellished? I'm going to let it slide in this case maybe because it's done so well. It's actually more of a character study of the three brothers as well as the author then of the conflict itself.

Recommended.

The Deniable Agent: Undercover in Afghanistan by Colin Berry

The Deniable Agent: Undercover in Afghanistan by Colin Berry I'm never really sure how to review these things.  This is a biography however there are certain things that are obscured for security reasons.  So not exactly that good as a source but a very good read.  This describes the authors time in Afghanistan recovering weapons that were given to the Afghans by the west in their war with the Soviet union.  Berry is double crossed and finds himself in prison in 2002-03.  Considering the detainees controversy in Canada the torture this westerner experienced is chilling. Berry writes with wit and sarcasm that had me chuckling a few times.

Highly recommended!

In Search of Churchill: A Historian's Journey by Martin Gilbert

In Search of Churchill: A Historian's Journey by Martin Gilbert covers in vignettes the authors work on the official biography of Churchill that ran to an astonishing 8 volumes. Gilbert writes engagingly if occasionally he seems to be a little too impressed with his abilities and contacts. I found the most interesting section to be on Churchill's secretaries the often anonymous women who took transcription. I've read a lot on Churchill so it's hard for me to say whether if someone new to him would get much out of this. But if you do have an interest in him don't pass this up.

Highly recommended!

Churchill at War 1940-45 by Sir Charles Watson

Churchill at War 1940-45 by Sir Charles Watson [aka Lord Moran] a recent reprint of the medical doctors experiences taking care of Churchill. Lots on different personalities British, American and Russian including all the big ones. An introduction by Watson's offspring tries to deflect the criticism put forward by Martin Gilbert and others about its accuracy. Pointing out that the "diary" that doesn't actually exist was more of a literary device than anything else.

Recommended.

And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat

And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat is the author's memoirs of his WWII experiences. Mowat deservedly has a reputation of being an elegant writer with many colorful expressions. Unfortunately there's a artificiality to the work particularly in the dialog. I just can't believe WWII Canadian soldiers would say anything remotely like this. This does cover the Sicily and Italian campaigns which is unusual enough to be interesting.

Recommended as literature not as history.

Bach, Beethoven and the Boys!: Music History As It Ought To Be Taught by David W. Barber

Bach, Beethoven and the Boys!: Music History As It Ought To Be Taught by David W. Barber is a humorous look at the major individuals in classical music. Barber relates genuine information that is in and of itself amusing. For instance what Bach left behind when he hurriedly quit one of his posts. This information is easy to pick out from the puns that litter the text. There are cartoon illustrations throughout. Most of them illustrating one of the puns.

Recommended.

The Unveiling: An American Teacher in a Saudi Palace by Kristin Decker

The Unveiling: An American Teacher in a Saudi Palace by Kristin Decker memoir of the authors and her husband's time as tutors to a Prince and Princess in Saudi Arabia. As typical for books of this genre much of the book is taken up with dealing with culture clash. The couple is vocal in their Christianity. Although they did seem to tap it down a little bit in the country. They eventually run afoul of palace politics declared PNG and deported. I was ready to give this a lukewarm review but the concluding section is very powerful and really raised the book.

Highly recommended.

Note: book was provided for review.

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson by Roger Knight

The Pursuit of Victory: The Life and Achievement of Horatio Nelson by Roger Knight this is simply put the gold standard in Nelson biographies. Knight works his way through Nelson's life in often excruciating detail dispelling myth after myth along the way. Even so what remains is the portrait of a great naval tactician. His character flaws jealousy and stubbornness are not ignored. Substantial appendices that contain biographies of important individuals, information on ships and a time line round out the book. Massive bibliography for further reading.

Highly recommended simply a must have!

Churchill's Secret Skills: It Took More Than Fine Speeches to Defeat the Nazi's by Binden Shovel

Churchill's Secret Skills: It Took More Than Fine Speeches to Defeat the Nazi's by Binden Shovel is a business book that gives examples on what managers can learn from churchill's leadership during the Second World War. The book is divided into thematic chapters on different topics like dealing with difficult people [using the Soviets as the example], micromanagement, honesty and standing firm. I can quibble with some of the historical analysis but you wouldn't be reading this book for that so I'll let it go. The stories from Shovel's career are interesting and help link the wider themes to a business level.

Recommended.

Note: this was provided for review by the author.

Churchill Proceedings 2001-2003 edited by Tony Benn

Churchill Proceedings 2001-2003 edited by Tony Benn is a collection of papers given at Churchill Society events. Presenters tend to be either academics or politicians. There's coverage on Gallipoli, the Bermuda conference, churchill's views on Islam, his history of the Second World War and some personal remembrances from his only living grandchild. There are few interesting ideas here. These are all written by Churchill enthusiasts so there were a couple times when I was able to criticize their findings. An interesting piece of the collection all the same.

Mildly recommended.