John N. Berg

A Very Contrarian View of WWII

Revisado: 03-24-19

Very thought provoking and I'm sure controversial. There are some very good points made such as the mistreatment of populations after the war and that England had no ability to save Poland. It's hard not to rejoice in the defeat of Nazi Germany though. I do love the idea of an alternate history where Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia (two evil empires) fight it out to exhaustion leaving the western democracies free from the travesties of this war.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Great book about a fascinating man.

Revisado: 06-16-17

First off, the reader, Mr. Woren was excellent. That makes such a difference in the enjoyment of the book.

If you're looking for a book about Nixon that doesn't have an axe to grind against him or want to paint over his flaws, this is it. This book is helped also by the recent access to documents regarding the Nixon Whitehouse. The author does an excellent job of putting the facts out there and telling the compelling story of Nixon's life, but ultimately lets the reader make up his own mind and draw his own conclusions. Very well done!!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Great and Compelling Account of the 3rd Reich

Revisado: 07-02-15

Like most history buffs, I know a lot about WWII stuff. In listening to this book, however, I realized that I knew in general terms the story, but not the details of some events. I didn't understand the Anschluss with the interesting detail this book provides. I certainly didn't understand what a disaster the Munich agreement was. I certainly didn't understand the thinking behind Hitler declaring war on the Soviets and then the Americans. This book provides insight into those actions.

Its amazing to me how the Nazi's were able to make all institutions subject to the state. Outside the state there was nothing that they didn't control. It strikes me as an important reminder that a free society has businesses, organizations, churches outside the control of the state.

The narrator was good, but a bit slow. I listened at 1.25 speed and it worked great for me.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Good Story (not great), Great Narration.

Revisado: 02-08-15

I enjoyed this story and appreciate that it brought a lot of thought and philosophical ideas into the tale. The Hazel Grace character was, at times, annoying, but probably true to how teenagers are. I think the story should have ended a bit earlier. I won't tell the moment in case the reader of this review hasn't read the book. Some of the dialogue is really fun. I wish I was that clever! Kate Rudd does a first rate job as the reader.

I listened to this book at the recommendation of my 11 year old niece. As much as I loved aspects of the book, I did not appreciate the fact that the young characters had sex, mock religion and mock another character for testicular cancer. I'm not a prude (I swear!) The book doesn't handle these important issues very well. The sex is not explicit, but there is no reflection on it by the characters and it seems incidental and a throw away in the story. One of the characters doesn't want to die a virgin (the horrors!!). My niece is an advanced reader. I don't like to think that she would be greatly influenced by these parts of the story because the rest of the story is so good and the characters so much fun.

The characters do reflect on what happens after death which is interesting, but the return to the joke of the "literal heart of Jesus" was tiresome. I get it that the meeting place in the church wasn't "literally" the heart of Jesus. You'd think that there might have been some greater reflection on religious belief beyond mocking it.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Yes, Carson could be an jerk, but an interesting

Revisado: 01-26-15

If you are of a certain age you know how big of a star Johnny Carson was. For years he was one of the most important cultural figures around. Well, his lawyer tells some interesting stories about his business and personal dealings with the star. The story was interesting, but I was left with the feeling that there was more than just Bushkin's side to events. Its an entertaining listen. I didn't care for the narration, though. Too slow and it sounded like the narrator had consumed some of the cocktails mentioned in the story.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Book, Great Reader!

Revisado: 01-25-15

I've always loved this book. It's one of the few that I've read repeatedly. In a certain way, such as knowing certain characters, the story reminds me of my childhood growing up in a small rural town. If you haven't read this charming book that sheds light on human goodness and evil as well as pettiness you should.

Sissy Spacek really makes the story come alive. She does a phenomenal job. After listening to her I can't imagine anyone else as narrator.

When all is said and done this audiobook is a work of art.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

I learned a lot!

Revisado: 11-29-14

I thought the book was quite interesting and I learned a lot about birds. This is one of the few books that I'll probably re-listen to because there is so much good information that I want to retain.

The reader, however, is not my favorite. He is a bit too slow so ended up listening to the book on 1.25 or 1.5 speed. He also has a "smokers" voice which to me, is not completely pleasant. Nevertheless, the book is good.

BTW, don't Google the bird "cock on a rock" at work. Just saying.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Great Story/Great History.

Revisado: 07-02-14

First off, I think all Americans should be proud that our nation created a man like Garfield. The story of his life is one of virtue (except for one occasion) and hard work. Even if he served as president for a short time, he was an amazing man.

This book does a great job of telling Garfield's story, the story of his times and the medicine at the time in an entertaining and very interesting way.

I recommend this book highly and the narrator did an excellent job.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

ENJOYABLE AND INFORMATIONAL

Revisado: 10-31-13

I loved learning about the father of our country and, as always, Paul Johnson makes history entertaining and approachable. When you finish this book you'll appreciate what a great man Washington was and how fortunate America was to have his leadership. For the amateur historian there was just enough detail to understand his life and times.

I found the narrator a bit irritating to listen to. He seemed to read every single sentence the exact same way.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A Heartbreaking, Fascinating and Riveting History

Revisado: 09-29-13

The Great War can be hard to understand because the world was so different just 100 years ago. This war seemed so unnecessary. Millions of lives lost and yet it is still hard to understand the purpose of so much carnage. This book will leave the amateur historian with a much better understanding of events.

The author does a great job with his various background segments. More than just a history of what led up to the war and the war itself, this book gives the reader an idea of what Europe in 1914 was like, information on the main players and events.

This book doesn't get too bogged down in the minor details of each battle, but instead talks about the overall strategy of the combatants and how the battles played out. He also does an excellent job of bringing many of the main characters to life.

It changed and enriched my view on the war. I think Germany is less responsible for the outbreak of the war than previously thought - there's plenty of blame to go around - and was much to harshly treated at its end.

The narrator was a bit of a slow reader so I played him at 1.5 speed on my Kindle Fire. That seemed to work just fine.

I highly recommend this book!!

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña