RBS

Jerry Sandusky...is innocent?!

Revisado: 02-09-25

investigative journalism master class in these episodes. It's very granular, so grab a pen and paper. Details mattered here. Malcolm Gladwell's book has a chapter on this, too.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Kash is the fearless SOB we need...

Revisado: 01-07-25

I appreciated the handy list of Corrupt Officials in Appendix B. Should be useful in a few weeks this January, 2025.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Politically biased, but still fascinating

Revisado: 07-10-23

Many intriguing anecdotes and characters unearthed here, though the author's penchant for seeing events and players as awful and sinister, when conservative/Republican, and wondrous and hope-filled, when progressive/Democrat, was embarrassingly clear. Every disgraced lefty politician, from Gary Hart to Bill Clinton, was not an arrogant, hubris-filled source of his own downfall...no. They were always, maybe, the victims of the huge, shadowy force(s) that killed the Kennedys because they wanted to "change things."

Net net, I came in thinking that JFK was probably the victim of a CIA/Mob plot; much evidence was supplied by the author to support this hunch. RFK probably believed this, too. He may have fallen victim to the same "company men" when it looked clear that he would win the Democratic presidential nomination after the CA primary and the call from Mayor Daley. But suggesting the CIA was "right wing" missed the point: CIA was, and is, the Deep State of yore. It eliminates Kennedys, Trumps, Bidens (?) or whoever may threaten their control of the US empire. Only those getting close to reform...are removed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Brilliant Reconsideration of a Wronged Monarch

Revisado: 08-07-22

Roberts uses newly available letters belonging to King George III - as well as the "fresh eyes" of an openminded historian - to demolish the (often literally) cartoonish Mad King George assessment that has held sway for 200 years. He blows up every politically-motivated "take" on George, some of which started in the 1760s. How? Often with letters to ministers and confidants showing precisely the opposite mindset of what his detractors alleged. As an American reader, it was also refreshing to get a truly "fair & balanced" assessment of the American Revolution from Roberts; in more ways than one, it was very different than what conventional history texts will tell you.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Michael Malice does great work here...

Revisado: 12-31-20

Though he never mentions Tom Wolfe or Hunter S. Thompson by name, Malice does great credit to their tradition of insider gonzo journalism by venturing - usually with an excellent invitation! - deep into the American near-right groups he chronicles here.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Corrective for 200 Years of Jefferson Worship

Revisado: 08-21-20

I'm actively angry that the real history of this genius, Hamilton, was hidden in plain view by my teachers and professors. Jefferson! they said. What a genius of the Revolution! Compared to Hamilton, J was a privileged, lazy, bitchy dillettante. Simply because he never became president - and, of course, due to his murder by A. Burr - H was scandalized by generations of hypocrites who, when he was alive, couldn't hold a candle to him. (In other news, Mr. Lin-manuel totally misunderstood this book, if it was the Ur-text for his musical. H abjured his immigrant roots and spent his life building America on classical Greco-Roman philosophical foundations.)

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Paul Johnson is the historian everyone should read

Revisado: 07-08-20

Probably my 4th or 5th book by Paul Johnson and I love them all. He writes with such panache and with such passion for the study of human history.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Hardcory History Podcast's "Greatest Hits" Book?

Revisado: 04-06-20

As a longtime Hardcore History listener, I was intrigued to read Dan's book. (Given how many apocalyptic sweet nothings Dan Carlin has whispered in our ears over the years, HH fans feel familiar enough with the man to use his firsr name.) It did feel slightly different than some of his HH shows, which are long enough to be audiobooks. But it was a bit more composed, perhaps, with a few more supporting quotations here and there. When you're exploring ways in which humanity might destroy itself, the supporting documentation can get interesting, indeed.

Regardless, pick it up. Or download it and have a master storyteller whisper some excruciating truths in your ears. A sober examination of human nature's dark side should probably be done in a reverent whisper, don't you think?

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Fascist roots of the American and European Left

Revisado: 02-06-20

Some good anti-fascist advice in here for anyone interested in defending the US Constitution. Read it and improve your debating skills.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Good companion for Hamilton fans

Revisado: 01-16-20

Enjoyed it, but would have liked more detail about the denouement of his life. His post-trial to death period was kind of glossed over. Enjoyed the bulk of it, though. Burr was an intrepid character and, quite possibly, innocent of true treason.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña