jgmegill

A gut wrenching history

Revisado: 12-15-18

Rampage is James M Scott's history of the little known Battle of Manila, a catalogue of Japanese army crimes against humanity and a narrative of the subsequent war crimes trial. What becomes clear in this fascinating and gruesome account is how ill-prepared the American forces which for much of the war in the Pacific in which they had fought the enemy in jungles and beaches were for urban combat. General MacArthur' leadership is depicted at the battle as at best distant both literally and figuratively. For much of the Manila campaign the general was headquartered well out side the city, and except for a few quick trips to Santo Tomas and other prisons had little real knowledge of the rapidly deteriorating battle terrain or the obstacles his troops were facing. Instead MacArthur spent time in staff meetings preparing for his celebrated return and planning a victory parade.

The Battle of Manila though rapidly becomes secondary in Scott's narrative as the majority of the Rampage given over to the Japanese army's rapid descent into chaos and barbarism. Toward the end of the battle, the Japanese troops acting on a fear of Manila 's civilian population, racism and General Yamashita's (Like MacArthur, Yamashita's HQ was well outside the city.) indifference causally slaughtered and systematically raped and tortured thousands of helpless civilians. Overall I found Scott's knows his subject well, though I expected more on the battle and tactics. However it was in his quest to "get it all down" that Rampage became for this listener mind numbing as chapter focuses and relentlessly details murder, rape and pillage.

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A wonderful defense of the historians craft

Revisado: 08-10-18

Richard J. Evans is a well regarded and prolific historian who has written extensively on European history and The Third Reich. He also enjoys a well deserved reputation as a fascinating and erudite speaker, lecturer and expert witness see the film Malice. This volume is Evans response to the need for something to update E.H. Carr's classic "What is History" and G. R. Elton's "The Practice of History" both excellent but now dated. Evans outlines how historians work and how they differ from chroniclers, antiquarians and journalist. Evans also give some guidance to budding historians as to how he himself organized his research and construct's his narrative specifically using his "Death in Hamburg " as a example. This was his study of the great Hamburg cholera outbreak which killed over 10,00o Germans in the 1890's
Evans is an excellent writer with many bestsellers he firmly believes historians should write with in clear prose and is highly critical post modernism and some other new trends. His account of the "Sokal Hoax" and the "David Abraham affair " are both fun reading and an object lesson to all future graduate students. In summary one of the best books I have read this year.

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A Doctoral Thesis and a Good One

Revisado: 07-31-18

Professor Sarah E. Bond's Trade & Taboo is her doctoral thesis and a good one, however as such this volume was not written for the general reader. Some terms and concepts need greater clarification but for those with some knowledge of ancient Rome there is much to recommend and Lorelei King does a fine job as the narrator.

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Another wonderful Bernie mystery!

Revisado: 07-14-18

Phillip Kerr who died recently will be sorely missed, Kerr had the unique ability to tell a story with vigorous prose, set a scene quickly and take you to another era . Kerr wrote much in the tradition of Raymond Chandler and his protagonist Bernie Gunther is a Philip Marlowe type who somehow survives the Wiemar Republic, the Third Reich and finds himself in Athens for yet another adventure. Here he is in mufti hiding from his problematic past, as claims adjuster seeking a WWII treasure trove, dodging former Nazi's such as Alois Brunner , or corrupt police officers of all nationalities and still he manages to maintain a sense of humor and a small measure of dignity.

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Time with a great scholar & fantastic lecturer

Revisado: 07-14-18

Best course this year! Sometime ago I read Amanda Podany's "Brotherhood of Kings How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East" and enjoyed the lively vigorous and compelling narrative regarding the birth of diplomacy I found her lectures for Ancient Mesopotamia were likewise, and some of the very best I have ever listened to. Professor Podany has a great speaking voice, a fine sense of humor and has the unique ability in a series of well-organized lectures to bring the world of Sumer and Akad to life. As a scholar Podany is able to both translate the four thousand year old cuneiform tablets and reveal the world's first literature, legal systems and civic governments. Her lectures are lively, well paced and display a wide knowledge of the ancient world.

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Luther for Today

Revisado: 08-26-17

Would you consider the audio edition of Martin Luther to be better than the print version?

The narration is superb Michael Page does a wonderful job with the multitude of German names. His pronunciation is good for the Latin phrases and titles as well.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Wow, Luther ! Lyndal Roper’s Martin Luther Prophet and Renegade; is a superb study of an extraordinary remarkable and complex man whose actions in 1517 sundered the unity of the Catholic Church and set in motion a religious revolution. After his death in 1546, Luther's chief disciple, Phillip Melanchthon, summed up Luther's theology simply as, quote sola gratia justificamus et sola fide justificamur or ;only scripture and only grace. Luther's stubborn insistence that ordinary men and women could and should read the Bible and must look to God for their salvation, and not the Church; changed Western history.

Have you listened to any of Michael Page’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Luther has been called "the last medieval man and the first modern one.” Similarly in her powerful summation, Roper states "Luther is a difficult hero.' She acknowledges many of Luther's s writing are full of hatred and he has predilection for scatological rhetoric and crude humor, not to our modern taste, She emphases his antisemitism was far more visceral than many of his contemporaries Catholic, Lutheran or Evangelical and find this animus toward Jews intrinsic to his religiosity .... Yet she concludes quote, only someone [such as Luther ] with utter inability to see anyone else s point of view can have had the courage to take on the papacy, to act like a "blinkered horse looking neither right no left but treading relentlessly onward regardless of the consequences.

Any additional comments?

After listening to the wonderful Michael Paige audio edition of Martin Luther Prophet and Renegade; I wanted to know more and bought the book in hardcover to read at my leisure,
which is my highest complement.

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Superb History

Revisado: 03-05-16

Where does SPQR rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Within the top five

What did you like best about this story?

This is not the average history of Rome arranged chronologically 756 to 476 instead Professor Mary Beard in SPQR concentrates on characteristics of Roman society that made the republic and later the empire a reality. Beard is a distinguished scholar who has written books on the Roman Triumph, Roman Humor ( yes they had one!) and with the late Keith Hopkins, the Roman Coliseum. In all these works she displays a unique ability to communicate complex ideas clearly with wit and humor. She also writes the blog "A Don's Life" and has done work for the BBC " The Romans" .In SPQR Beard begins in the late republic with Marcus Tullius Cicero 's oration against Cataline. for a supposed conspiracy against the Roman State. Beard used this pivotal event to show the structure and nature of Roman Society in the republic and how this fragile edifice fell eventually to Julius Caesar. When she moves to the empire Beard concentrates on the wider world of SPQR, and explains what it meant to be a Roman citizen in Judea, e.g.St.Paul Britannia or Gaul as well as Rome.. For all the real injustices, the wide disparity of wealth, slavery, the subordination of women, the world of Rome, gave a certain stability order and predictability to more people, than any society until the 19th century. Rome improved living conditions for many. Beard explains the status of women, though patriarchal Rome allowed women considerably more freedom than the much acclaimed classical Greece. She discusses the relatively high rate of literacy as reflected in inscriptions, graffiti at Pompeii and papyri in Egypt also the famous birthday invitation from a women whose spouse was a garrison commander near Hadrian's Wall. Slavery in Rome, while awful was never fixed, as in Greece nor was it based on race as in the USA. While many slaves lived under appalling conditions on the great estates many others achieved freedom and enjoyed modest prosperity, wile a few especially under the Emperor Claudius rose to great heights

Which character – as performed by Phyllida Nash – was your favorite?

Ms. Nash is a clear and competent narrator with a pleasing voice..

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I enjoyed Beard's comments re the ancient sources, this is her effort to inform her readers how ancient historians work or how do we really know what we often read in various text's re Caligula, Tiberius etc.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed her comments on health and hygiene in ancient Rome. Beard discusses, modern forensic studies which suggest that the Roman's in large numbers were infected with parasites from improper disposal of human waste and that their baths in an era before chlorine were breeding grounds for disease.

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