Lynn Ochberg

Poorly organized, very disjointed uneven narration

Revisado: 11-30-23

Apparently the editors wanted to show that 'grand strategy' is a fool's gambit. Half the book presents at least a dozen conflicting definitions of grand strategy and the other half lists all the failures of those who have pursued such concepts. The narration switches from a male voice that is pompous and painstakingly slow to a female voice that is twice as speedy but sounding uninterested in the subject matter. The chapters do not appear to follow in any organized order, and at the end of the book, the author, or summarizer states that he has written much ado about nothing.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

PREQUEL is the perfect title against MAGA

Revisado: 11-11-23

Rachel Maddow's narration of her book is pleasantly toned down from her MSNBC stridency, and her scholarship behind this book makes it a convincing warning against the fascism threatened by ex president Trump and his MAGA supporters and enablers. She documents the ease with which Nazi funded con men in the 1930's and 40's used US Congressional franking privileges to distribute antisemitic and pro Nazi literature under the noses of gullible congressmen and senators to hundreds of thousands of Americans, both ordinary and prominent. She names names and documents every step our former leaders took in all three branches of government to suppress the ugly truths about pro fascist members of our own government. The current extraordinary delaying tactics attempted by the lawyers defending #45 against 91 criminal counts are exactly the same as ones that delayed trials against the America pro-fascists in 1946. This book made this reviewer choke up with shame that we have not learned from history.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Assertion rather than logic based on evidence

Revisado: 03-06-23

Very pessimistic and assertively so without refutation of alternative theories or academic arguments contrary to the author’s gloomy predictions.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

The perfidy of human nature

Revisado: 12-29-22

One tribe, gang, military elite, or royal family after another fight for power and riches over the vast continent of Africa. The reader seems happy to pronounce all the local language names with such speed and pride that it brings attention to him rather than the text. The story is one of waste, greed and terror, so horrifying it is not a place a gentlewoman would care to visit.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

I learned many new details about Japanese history and culture

Revisado: 12-08-22

The background of Japanese history and culture informed the rationale for Pearl Harbor and the extensively detailed biographical information about the military and civilian personalities in charge of the prosecution of the war all combined to enrich this listener’s understanding. No way could one remember all the Japanese names, but the stories of the individual life issues was fascinating and gripping. The author provided a new and humane lens through which the listener could regard the war in the Pacific without the prejudice this listener endured from a dad who served on Okinawa in the U.S. Signal Corps.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

A preachy version of Lincoln's life.

Revisado: 11-13-22

Anyone who loves America should read as much as he/she can find about our nation's fine role model, Abraham Lincoln, and Meacham's treatment is very much a hagiography. But for the prevalence of quotes from Christian preachers that were Lincoln's contemporaries, this book is satisfyingly rich in primary sources of many points of view of our 16th president. Meacham reads his own book, however, with a tone of voice that oozes with paternalism and might turn off someone who is not a devout Christian. Fortunately, there were many anecdotes that were charming and rich additions to Lincoln's life story. These were gratifying to collect, like pretty shells one finds on a walk on the beach.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 19 personas

a list of artists whose bios google does better

Revisado: 07-28-22

Not much more than a list of artists and their brief biographies plus those of their contractual employers: popes, cardinals and rich guys. The book has single sentences on major culturally significant events like the discovery of America, crusades, and European trade and monarchical transformations. Short shrift is given to the impact of these events and that of asian and middle eastern invasions. The writing style is full of irrelevant personal details of the artists' lives but fails to successfully analyze their combined significance to an interesting historical era.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña