Taylor V. Smith

Neocon Revisionism

Revisado: 06-01-24

Conventional, neocon revision of American history. Johnson hates the press, which he accuses of unfairly persecuting Republican presidents and favoring Democratic administrations--except Clinton, but he says this was deserved. He states the New York Times was singlehandedly responsible for the rise of Fidel Castro. Eisenhower was great, Kennedy a disaster, Johnson okay, Nixon the greatest, Ford amazing, Carter lazy and "scruffy," Reagan unparalleled, Bush brilliant, Clinton terrible. He denies any systematic American killings of civilians in Vietnam. He fully supports the use of nuclear weapons in Japan. He believes Congress should be weak and the Executive aggressive. He argues Brown v. Board of Education ruined the school system and says affirmative action is racist. He calls rap music "menacing," All in all, very predictable and biased view.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Narrator Made Me Want to DNF

Revisado: 03-17-24

Loved the story, but in over a thousand hours of Audible, this is the first book I almost DNF'd--several times--due to the narrator. Get ready to spent 12 hours with your finger on your volume, because the narrator will switch frequently between inaudible whispers and shrill screaming. The first scene with Flagg and his parrots had me wanting to immediately remove from my device. Had I not loved the story, I would have.

Several characters have no unique voice, which is fine, but random others will have off-putting and inconsistent voices for no obvious reason. Flagg, the antagonist, is an example of this. For much of the book, he whispersss and draws out every sssingle "sssss," almost an Alan Rickman impression, because...it sounds evil? But in all later chapters, he suddenly becomes Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin, the "ssss" affect is abandoned, and he only speaks in LOUD NOISES. Why? Unclear.

The only thing that could redeem this narration is better mastering, so shame on the editors as well. One conversation between the whissssspering Flagg and the Luke Skywalker 'Noooooooooo'-style screaming from Tommy will make you want to immediately die. You'll hear several of these conversions.

Highly do not recommend. Buy the book.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Exploitation of Real Victims to Sell Fantasy Books

Revisado: 01-15-24

I found it difficult to invest emotionally in any of the characters. Rin started strong: hard working underdog who overcomes social sigma and patriarchal systems because she's willing to work harder than anyone else. She was awesome. I can hardly reconcile this Rin from the petulant, whiney, fragile, victim-fetishing Rin who emerged in the second half of the book. This is made worse by a narrator who continually insists Rin is brave, strong, compassionate, when she in fact is not.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Listen to Rin Gaslight Her Friends for 17 Hours

Revisado: 01-15-24

Readers looking for a flawed protagonist need look no further. Rin's origin story was inspiring: war orphan faces down imperialism, challenges patriarchal systems, and overcomes insurmountable odds by working harder and being tougher than her peers. Unfortunately, after leaving school in book one, she spirals into a petulant and spiteful sociopath her younger self could neither love nor respect.

I'd hoped the second book would be Rin's redemption story. Instead, she doubles down on her flaws. She is impulsive, but blames the outcomes of her poor decisions on anyone but herself. She is consistently saved and cared for by friends, whom she repays by gaslighting and belittling. She admits to intentionally hurting those closest to her in anger, but apparently feels no remorse and offers no apologies. She is capable of no emotion but anger. She cries when she is embarrassed, but is stonefaced when her friends are killed due to her poor leadership. She is profoundly hypocritical, justifying genocide and sympathetic to the imperialist system that once oppressed her. Her friends, her soldiers, and her nation deserves better.

Rin fears she is only appreciated for her shamanic abilities. I fear she is right. She offers little else to admire.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Missing Link in Presidential History

Revisado: 08-01-23

As a forever fan of the history of the American presidency, I expected to enjoy this book as soon as I read the title. It did not disappoint: I was hooked cover to cover. I was especially impressed by the author's ability to transition from the geostrategic context to intimate details about each president's personal motives and relationships. Call me base, but I also loved the extensive coverage of interpersonal drama, gossip, and pettiness, which brought each administration to life. Interviews with subjects of the book, such as Henry Kissinger, Condi Rice, and the author's own mother further seasoned the narrative. Highly recommend.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

1922

Revisado: 10-14-22

A very important revisiting of the West's haphazard division of the Middle East following the fall of the Ottoman empire. The settlement of 1922 created the national boundaries of the modern Middle East with minimal influence from the people groups who lived there.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

We Can't Be Like Sam Damon

Revisado: 07-16-22

I choose this book because a poll of former 4-star general/flag officers ranked this as the second-most influential book on their leadership vision (just below "The Killer Angels" at first and just the Bible at third). It is mandatory reading for all Army officers at West Point.

Darrell Fawley wrote a compelling article titled, "It's Time to Retire Sam Damon," that deftly articulates my feelings about the story. On the one hand, it's a strong work of historical fiction that artfully narrates the horrors of warfare in the context of WWI and WWII. The issue is with the moral of the story: be like the protagonist, Sam Damon (and implicitly, not like his arch nemesis, Courtney Massengale). Damon is utterly unrelatable because he is without flaw. Top academic, top sports player, commissioned after forcing his way into a Senator's office, battlefield promotion from Private to Major in his first assignment, awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in his first real conflict, etc. Meanwhile, the author wasn't content to make the villain self-serving and indifferent to the suffering of man--he had to make him a sexual deviant (impotent, rapey), probably gay, and name him Courtney. It's inelegant and aged poorly.

It's worth reading for its influence, but I agree with Fawley: it's time for the Army to find a new archetype for its future leaders.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 2 personas

Fascinating

Revisado: 05-08-22

One of the most fascinating books I've read. Of special interest to me, as a sailor, but a page-turner for any reader.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Inspiring

Revisado: 04-23-22

Brilliantly written, witty, comprehensive, insightful, inspiring. Can't recommend highly enough. Looking forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Narrator Pronunciation Problems

Revisado: 02-17-22

This was a fantastic book. The courage of Chinese resistors against domestic authoritarianism and foreign invasion is inspiring. My criticism is the narration. It can't take more than a day or two to learn to pronounce pinyin. Yet, the narrator consistently mispronounced names and places, often mangling them so badly that I couldn't tell to whom or where he was actually referring.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña