No comments about My Darling Margy: The World War II Diaries and Letters of Surgeon Charles Francis Chunn, M.d..

5 comments about All the Shah's Men (Library Edition): An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror.

1. Overall, this book is a interesting, short, and readable account of Mossadegh and the CIA sponsored coup that overthrew him in 1953. It flows quickly (sometimes too quickly) and is superb at detailing the debates between British, American, and Iranian officials on how to respond to the nationalization of Anglo-Iranian Oil. The British, not the Americans or Iranians, become the real villains in this story. In fact, Churchill plays an interesting role, one of which most Americans and Brits, who fondly remember their WWII hero, are unaware.
   
   While some have questioned the author's supposedly naive admiration for Mossadegh, I found that Kinzer balances his obvious condemnation for the coup with revelations about Mossadegh's flaws (emotional rather than logical discussions, fainting spells, stubbornness, etc.). Indeed, Kinzer does make a compelling case that the coup was really ordered to protect a corrupt oil company and pathetic Shah, with Americans fooled into seeing a communist threat. I did think the preface to the 2008 book on attacking Iran did not help, since injecting current political debates merely labels Kinzer's historical account. While I agree with Kinzer and think invading Iran would be a disaster for the reasons he says, I could understand how the preface might color the rest of the book by suggesting that anyone who supports a tough line against Iran now should also disagree with the author's assessment of the 1953 coup.
   
   I found it ironic that Kermit Roosevelt, the CIA mastermind behind the coup, says he would accept thanks from Iranians and Americans soon after the coup succeeds. Rather, Americans should learn their history and realize that he may very well be responsible for our current problems with Iran and its nuclear program.



2. Of course, I remember the chronic "60 Minutes" segments where the Shah was interviewed ever so politely about various atrocities and he reponded suavely denying the accusations. Now, the day before the Iranian "Hostage Crisis," I was in the dining facility admiring the Iranian unforms which were so much fancier than my own. I presumed our guests were officers being trained in the fine art of infantry slaughter. In any case, they never spoke to me, perhaps because of the language problem, or perhaps because they were better than a white NCO. The day of the seizure, our friends were still enjoying fine dining with us, but, the next day, they were gone. No explanations were offered. Nobody told me nothing. Now, well before 1953, our secret government was planning to whack Iran so that Churchill and his ilk could rob the nation by stealing its oil. And so it would have gone, if Truman had not been president. Eisenhower, was another story entirely, and he was easily convinced to go along. This book records a series of evil machinations which benefitted no one in Iran and only the rich elsewhere. Read it for yourself. You will not find a word of it in the No Child Left Behind textbooks.



3. This is a good history book everyone needs to read. Especially anyone running for political office.



4. To write a good history book like this one an author needs to do well in three separate areas. He needs to research the topic at hand, write a readable account and finally analyze the events. Kinzer performs exceptionally well in all three areas. First, the book is meticulously researched. He discusses appropriate history without going into unnecessary or boring details to give the reader an appropriate context and background leading up to the 1953 coup. He also uses a diverse set of resources which leaves no holes in the story.
   
   Second, Kinzer's writing is engaging and at times suspenseful. In fact at the end of many chapters, I was unable to put the book aside and take a break from reading due to the suspense Kinzer created. The story is very easy to follow and the reader needs practically no background to follow the events. This is particularly impressive given the relative short length of the book. My only criticism is that I wished he had summarized the cast of characters in an appendix or in the beginning as many similar books do.
   
   Finally, his analysis, while many have called too liberal, is even handed. He makes a leap by implying that 9/11 events may have not happened if it weren't for the 1953 CIA led coup. Of course we will never know for sure. He supports his claims convincingly that the coup led to the eventual 1979 hostage crisis and the anti-American feelings in the Middle East. Liberal bias? The facts speak for themselves. The CIA using American tax payer money to overthrow a popular and democratically elected government. We, in the USA, would not appreciate if foreigners overthrew our government so why have a double standard? Perhaps Mossadegh is being glorified too much and ultimately he would have led Iran towards the wrong path, but the point remains that we will never know thanks to the coup. Kinzer does entertain the possibilities that Mossadegh would have been terrible for Iran and the West so I reject the idea that he has a strong liberal bias.
   
   If you, like me, find the "Death to USA" chants and hostage taking barbaric and puzzling, this book will offer you fresh insights and help you understand the roots of these actions. You will become a lot smarter and more knowledgeable about the Middle East after reading it. I highly recommend this book.



5. "All The Shah's Men" by Stephen Kinzer is one of those rare works that exposes and explores a little-known moment in world history that is of high importance for our own times. The book chronicles how the U.S. and Britain pulled off a coup in Iran in the 1950s, overthrowing an elected government and setting the stage for what would become the Islamic Revolution of 1979. There has never been a more timely moment to pick up this book which explains the past, but it has priceless insights into the present. Kinzer has even included a new preface in this latest edition where he discusses the current spike in tensions and rhetoric from the U.S. towards Iran and the grave danger of a possible military confrontation and what it could mean.
   
   In rich, fascinating detail and thrilling pace, Kinzer takes the reader through Iran's most fascinating moments in history ranging from its glory days as the Persian Empire to its time as a colony under British rule. Kinzer brilliantly looks at Iranian culture, how the Shiite religion plays a role in the Iranian character and has shaped the nation's attitudes and social structure. There are interesting moments dealing with the discovery of oil in the country and how this especially turned the area into a target for colonial interests. After this educative introduction to the country, Kinzer then focuses on the political upheavel Iran faced during the 1930s and 1940s when a parliamentry system was installed to sit next to the reigning monarchy. This came about during a time of intense nationalism which finally climaxed in the election of Mohammed Mossadegh, a fierce nationalist who's main goal was to nationalize Iran's oil which at the time was completely controlled by the British. Iranian oil was helping keep the British Empire afloat and giving the British citizenry a cozey lifestyle while Iranians lived in horrendous poverty, especially the oil workers at the Abadan refinery who lived in tin shacks while their colonial masters enjoyed golf courses, cinemas and luxurious clubs.
   
   Kinzer's exploration of Mossadegh is deep and fascinating, reading you realize that Mossadegh deserves a place among the great nationalist leaders who have been known for their clashes with imperialism like Mandela, Lumumba, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. He comes across as a highly intelligent, charismatic character who felt a deep pain for his nation's suffering and was willing to face hell in order to liberate his people. The moment where Mossadegh speaks before the UN is especially memorable.
   
   "All The Shah's Men's" main storyline focuses on how the battle for oil independence by Iran led to a joint British/U.S. operation to overthrow Mossadegh and re-install the Shah who was willing to serve all his master's demands as long as his throne and authority were kept secure. These are some of the books most enraging, thrilling moments as key historical characters such as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Winston Churchill and CIA director Allen Dulles make appearances, divising massive propaganda, sabotage and destabilization plots to bring down a nationalist government threatening imperial hegemony.
   
   Kinzer's book looks at the past, but is highly important for the present because once again we face a situation where a dominant power in the world might intervene violently in Iran, but as anyone who reads "All The Shah's Men" learns, this is not a wise course of action. The intervention carried out in 1953 lead to years of brutal repression which in turn led to the Islamic Revolution and the regime we are dealing with today. Kinzer brilliantly explores Iranian culture and the history of a people who have been punished endlessly for trying to control their own natural resources, this makes the story quite universal considering the struggle of Mossadegh in the book is the same struggle we see today in nations like Venezuela, Bolivia, Cuba and Asia. "All The Shah's Men" is the answer to these radical, right-wing, religious books we have been bombarded with promoting war with Iran based on simplistic reasons when in fact, the history is much more complex.
   
   Kinzer writes "All The Shah's Men" with a great eye for detail and provides in-depth analysis, documents, rare news reports and speeches to take us back in time. Like his other brilliant work on imperialism, "Overthrow," Kinzer also captures the human aspect and provides great personal, psychological details of the characters and how they were shaped by and related to the historical event in question. The book also serves as a nice crash course for anyone who wants to become familiar with Iran and its history, Kinzer does some excellent historical research that proves to be very valuable in understanding how this controversial nation has been shaped and formed.
   
   "All The Shah's Men" is a brilliant chronicle and great resource, it is one of the best books available on Iran and the best record yet on what can be seen as the most crucial Western intervention in the Middle East in the last century before the Iraq War. A timely work and a timely warning.

No comments about Catherine the Great (Life & Times) (Life&Times).

1 comments about Richard 2 and the Revolution of 1399.

1. Michael Bennett's new book about Richard II is thorough and thoughtful, much like his previous books on the Wars of the Roses. Many previous studies of Richard II have focused on the possibility of his decline into insanity. Bennett's book does not dwell on this at all, rather focuses on his actions and the consequences. The period around 1399 is very convoluted and Bennett sorts it out well. Since most accounts of the abdication/deposition were writtern by Lancastrian sympathizers, it was very interesting to read a well-reasoned, balanced account. (By the way, the Amazon entry for the book is incorrect; it should be Richard II and the Revolution of 1399 - not 1339!)

3 comments about The Life and Campaigns of the Black Prince: from contemporary letters, diaries and chronicles, including Chandos Herald's Life of the Black Prince.

1. Read this for graduate history course in medieval history.
   Richard Barber's edited works of "The Life and Campaigns of the Black Prince," is one of the best primary sources of the fourteenth-century. Unlike many historians' accounts, Edward's prose make for an engaging read. Edward's writings may be short on the type of battlefield details that modern historians yearn for; however, they are rich in explaining some of the tactical decision-making made by Edward III before and during the Crécy campaign.
   
   The Black Prince noted that Edward III's purpose for the invasion of France, which started the military action in the Hundred Years War, was to conduct a chevauchée, which was essentially a procession of the army through the countryside that pillaged as it traveled. Edward III then intended to use his superior mobility to make his escape up the coast to Flanders without having to fight a major battle with the numerically superior French forces. However, Crécy was the sight of the first major battle of The Hundred Years' War and was a rousing success for the invading English army of Edward III. The battle, which took place on just two days in August of 1346, was emblematic of the tactical successes that the British enjoyed at the battles of Poitiers and Agincourt.
   
   The book accounts the skill and courage that the Black Prince and his men fought with as they fended off several waves of French attacks on that day and the next day as well. The book has an excellent account about the sixteen-year-old Black Prince's baptism by fire in battle. "There he learnt that knightly skill which he later put to excellent use at the battle of Poitiers, where he captured the French king." Although heavily outnumbered, Edward III's longbow men were the force multiplier that garnered a stunning victory for the British over the French. Most estimates of the longbow tactics used in the battle state the over one-half million arrows fired by the English easily cut down the French cavalry. Thus, the longbow, and the brilliant way in which it was employed, was responsible for the lopsided casualty figures of the battle. Although casualty figures are somewhat unreliable, most sources put the French losses at one-third of the French nobility-about 12,000 men in all, against the English losses of 150 to 1,000 total. Froissart sums up the mastery of the longbow men and the tactics they employed turning them into a weapon of mass destruction and a force multiplier. "They were some of the finest, most highly trained and militarily efficient troops that any nation ever put into the field of battle." The battle of Crécy taught all the armies of Europe that the longbow would reign as the supreme weapon in battle for the next 100 years.
   
   Ten years later in 1356, and a few years after the ravages of the Black Death, the Black Prince conducted and won the most valuable battle of the Hundred Year's War, at Poitiers. The Black Prince won a stunning victory over King John II of France, culminating with the king being captured and killing and capturing of thousands of other French noblemen. Clearly, this action far surpassed the victory won at Crécy. France's military was decimated. The country was pushed to the brink of political collapse, and was left with a tremendous debt in both money and territory to pay for the king's ransom.
   
   Recommended reading for those interested in medieval history.



2. I gave this book five stars for its originality. I loved that the author (who has a number of great works) pretty much steps back and allows the people of the 14th century to do most of the talking. After all, who better then them to tell their own story?
   It was also interesting to read how the Black Prince's contemporaries viewed him. Which was not at all like the tyrant recent historians have made him to be. But this book was more then just about the Black Prince, it gave an insight into medieval warfare and what these soldiers truly lived.



3. LONG LIVE THE PRINCE OF WALES.

   THE BLACK PRINCE ALWAYS TRIUMPHS.

   KILLER RABBITS

No comments about Kalakaua: Hawaii's Last King.

1 comments about Diana: The Making of a Saint: How the Death of a Princess Led to the Birth of a Cult.

1. This book was a total waste of money. I have read almost every written word on the subject and this ranks right down at the bottom. You'll find no new information and the speculations are outrageous. One minute she is being criticized and slammed and the next she is being compared to a saint. The author can't seem to stay on topic without throwing in bits to discredit her. I would suspect that he is somehow connected with the anti Diana camp and it shows.
   If you still want a copy, you may have mine free of charge, but save your own money for the Paull Burrel book, which is well worth the money

1 comments about Cavalier: A Tale of Chivalry, Passion, and Great Houses.

1. 
   The Cavendish family from middle England (Sheffield to Sherwood Forest to Nottingham), knighted, rich, powerful, and land entitled, is the focus of this recently issued study of an English family both pre and post civil war, one losing almost everything in their support of Charles I.
   
   This book may be a little known one at present but for any interested in the English Civil War years of 1642-1660, it offers an in depth view of one family during those years. This family loved horse, castles, great estates, Charles I and family, and just plain high living whenever possible. A book not soon to be forgotten, but very enjoyable as the reader moves along.
   
   The author has spent nearly 10 years researching and reviewing extant written materials from the family, with the book indeed giving evidence of that study. William Cavendish left many writings and a diary covering almost every topic of his personal life. Several color photos of the lands and houses left by these people are dutifully included. By books end the reader fairly well comes to know this cavalier family in specific and many other cavaliers in general.
   
   This is a definate addition to English history during these years, for both major figures and minor alike. Check this one out you lovers of Roundheads versus Cavaliers.
   
   Recommended.
   
   Semper Fi.

5 comments about A-Train: Memoirs of a Tuskegee Airman.

1. I had the opportunity to read this book. From the moment of the first word to the very last word, the book draws you in to read more. The graphic descriptions can take you to the other side of the world and stand next to the author on his travels. You know what it was like be black during the "Jim Crow" days on the trains in the south. Granted that my 25 years never saw the ugly side of America, his visual imagery is just so vivid that I seriously think they should dump "Scarlett Letter" and place this book on the reading lists of High School Students.



2. Charles Dryden's book forces people to see the trials and tribulations encountered by black servicemen and women during WWII. I was shocked to read about the different encounters with 'Jim Crow' that Dryden and his peers waded through during their service years. A must for anybody curious about WWII, the Tuskegee Airmen or about the fight for civil rights in America.



3. I meet Col. Dryden when he gave a talk about his experiences and his book. I then read the book a felt a tremendous respect for the author and all the Tuskeegee Airmen. Col. Dryden tells his personal story in a way that made me feel as though I was there with him the whole time. The challanges of blacks in America in his story left a powerful impact on me, the courage the author displayed is an insperation. A-Train is very well written and reads easily. It is an powerful story that left me feeling inadequate and ashamed to be white. I had the oportunity to meet Col. Dryden again and sought him out just to shake his hand again, knowing him from his book, it was hard to hide my emotions.



4. Every young African American boy should read this book. It is an inspiration.



5. I initially bought this book expecting it to be similar to the other slew of WWII books out there ( The ME-109 dove at me out of the sun with guns blazing...). Instead I got an honest account of a man who wanted to fly for his country and be treated with the same respect as any other pilot. Dryden's memories and descriptions of his voyage through training to be a pilot as well as the segregated and de-segregated Air Force are interesting and honest. Dryden't narrative is not the heart-pounding, can't-put-the-book down type but rather the story of a man who, faced with tremendous adversity from his own society and country, persevered. There is no bitterness in Dryden's story, and I put the book down tremendously impressed by his belief in himself, in his religion and his friend. It's a good book

No comments about Prince William.