Author Topic: Book recommendations?  (Read 2263 times)

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Offline millahh

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Book recommendations?
« on: January 01, 2012, 01:05:09 PM »
Over the last couple of weeks, I spent alot of time on planes and trains, and therefore did a large amount of reading.  Included in this was about 600 pages worth of Hitchens...which made me realize just how woefully inadequate my understanding of some major 20th century history is (thanks a lot, American school system).  So, I'm looking for recomendations for books on the following topics:

-The Pinochet regime in Chile, from the lead-up to the overthrow of Allende, all of the CIA involvement/support, through the fall of Pinochet.

-A good solid history of WWII.  Not specifically a military history or something holocaust or Hitler-centric, but something that pulls the political, military, social and cause-and-effect together for all of the countries involved.  Yes, I know there's unlikely to be anything that meets this definitation that is less than 600 pages, but that's fine.  The more objective, the better.

-A history of Stalinism, possibly something that goes back as early as the Bolshevik revolution

-A history of the rise & reign of Hitler...preferably something more academic and focusing on the politics, rather that the "Hitler was a bad man!" genre.

-A recent history of Iran (last 50-100 years), covering the external forces behind installatallation (and removal) of the Shahs.

-Something covering the before, during and after of the Vietnam war...without whitewashing US miscalculations, stupidity or general horribleness.


In fairness, I'll make a few recommendations myself:

-Gulag: A History (https://www.amazon.com/Gulag-History-Anne-Applebaum/dp/1400034094/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325437332&sr=1-1).  Covers all aspects of the origins, operations and life of the Soviet prison camp system, and covers the relevant aspects of Soviet political history.  Excellent, but very unsettling.

-The Aquariums of Pyongyang (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_3_3?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=aquariums+of+pyongyang&sprefix=aqu).  A first-hand account of the DPRK prison camp system, with a few chapters on acclimation to like outside DPRK after the author escapes the country.  Offers some insights into the political climate both inside the country and outside in the (very naive) pro-Kim Il-Sung groups on Japan and elsewhere.

-Cataclysm: The First World War as Political Tragedy (https://www.amazon.com/Cataclysm-First-World-Political-Tragedy/dp/0465081851/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325448081&sr=1-1).  I'm only maybe 1/3 of the way thorugh this. but it's thorough, even-handed and fairly academic.  It organizes by themes or components within a country, rather than being purely chronological, and so is a bit more "holistic".
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Offline jsem

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2012, 01:23:10 PM »
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

Came to mind instantly.

Offline the Catfishman

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2012, 02:13:00 PM »
You probably already know about the existence of this but.. :  'inside the Third Reich' from Albert Speer, it gives a no nonsense, human image of Hitler and its an absolute fascinating read about the actual persons in the nazi top instead of the caricatures they have become in most media. Written of course by Hitlers War minister / Architect (for the most part) Albert Speer who lived through it all and was one of the few survivors of the Nuremberg trials. 

edit: and I was also looking for a history of Communism and came across this: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Flag-Communism-Making-ebook/dp/B0035YDMD0/ref=sr_1_sc_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1325452754&sr=1-2-spell

which I haven't read so I can't really comment on it but it's on my to read list.
« Last Edit: January 01, 2012, 02:21:13 PM by the Catfishman »

Offline millahh

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #3 on: January 01, 2012, 02:25:59 PM »
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror

Came to mind instantly.

Purchased!

Thanks, fellow Coltrane afficianado!
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Offline millahh

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #4 on: January 01, 2012, 03:03:37 PM »
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Speed, communism

Hmmm...the communism book isn't available electronically in the U.S.  And surprisingly, the Speer isn't available electronically from Amazon or B&N either.  Which sucks.  I'm a bit surprised, as the Speer is a classic. Perhaps I should be less dependent on the new e-reader...
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Offline William Wallace

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2012, 03:55:20 PM »
Over the last couple of weeks, I spent alot of time on planes and trains, and therefore did a large amount of reading.  Included in this was about 600 pages worth of Hitchens...which made me realize just how woefully inadequate my understanding of some major 20th century history is (thanks a lot, American school system).  So, I'm looking for recomendations for books on the following topics:



-A history of Stalinism, possibly something that goes back as early as the Bolshevik revolution
Robert Conquest's Breaker of Nations. Fantastic book. Conquest was a disillusioned socialists who lived in the Soviet Union, so he offers a firsthand (and scholarly) history.

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-A history of the rise & reign of Hitler...preferably something more academic and focusing on the politics, rather that the "Hitler was a bad man!" genre.
Richard J. Evans' Three volume account, beginning with The Coming of the Third Reich, is fantastic. He's one of the better known historians of the period. 




Offline XJDenton

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2012, 04:06:04 PM »
Ian Kershaw's 2 book biography of Hitler is well worth a read.
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Offline millahh

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #7 on: January 01, 2012, 05:43:54 PM »
Ian Kershaw's 2 book biography of Hitler is well worth a read.

Hitchens' review of the first volume of that set is actually what piqued my interest.  It seems neither of the major eBook outlets sell the two-volume set, but there is a combined/abridged version (stripping out some of the footnotes and primary source material) that seems like it would fit the bill nicely.

-A history of Stalinism, possibly something that goes back as early as the Bolshevik revolution
Robert Conquest's Breaker of Nations. Fantastic book. Conquest was a disillusioned socialists who lived in the Soviet Union, so he offers a firsthand (and scholarly) history.
That was the one that seemed to jump out at me from what I saw on Amazon.  I'll go for it.

[EDIT}:  Damn...nobody has it electronically.  I may have to break down and read it hard copy.

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-A history of the rise & reign of Hitler...preferably something more academic and focusing on the politics, rather that the "Hitler was a bad man!" genre.
Richard J. Evans' Three volume account, beginning with The Coming of the Third Reich, is fantastic. He's one of the better known historians of the period. 


I'll keep this in mind...I'll go to it if I don't wind up saturated from the Kershaw.
« Last Edit: January 01, 2012, 06:38:35 PM by millahh »
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Offline William Wallace

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #8 on: January 02, 2012, 01:02:09 AM »


I'll keep this in mind...I'll go to it if I don't wind up saturated from the Kershaw.
If you can, get both. Kershaw's two volumes are a biography of Hitler. Evans provides a much broader overview of the Third Reich. Also, Any Joachim Fest's books are excellent. I particularly enjoyed Plotting Hitler's Death.

Offline El JoNNo

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #9 on: January 02, 2012, 06:03:42 AM »
Millahh, what did you read by Hitchens?

Offline millahh

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #10 on: January 02, 2012, 08:34:51 AM »
Millahh, what did you read by Hitchens?

About 3/4 of Arguably.  A significant portion of the essays are either historical, or reviews of history books, and so highlighted my rather enormous knowledge gap.  I got Love, Poverty & War yesterday, stemming out of a PM conversation with numbers.  God is Not Great is a little down the list at the moment, but I'll probably read it in the next couple of months.



I'll keep this in mind...I'll go to it if I don't wind up saturated from the Kershaw.
If you can, get both. Kershaw's two volumes are a biography of Hitler. Evans provides a much broader overview of the Third Reich. Also, Any Joachim Fest's books are excellent. I particularly enjoyed Plotting Hitler's Death.

Noted.  I probably will give the Evans a go, just a question of when...I'm having the depth vs. breadth debate regarding my reading list right now.  There's so much I don't know (and haven't read) that I'm having a hard time deciding which need to address first.

The current queue (in no particular order):
The Essential Chomsky
Lies My Teacher Told Me:  Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong
Animal Farm
Love, Poverty & War
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Hitler (Kershaw...combined & abridged [but still >1000 pages])
All the Shah's Men
« Last Edit: January 02, 2012, 10:11:17 AM by millahh »
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Online Chino

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #11 on: January 02, 2012, 05:17:31 PM »

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In this completely revised, “Remix” version of his highly-acclaimed memoir, White Like Me, Tim Wise explores how racial identity and whiteness influence the lives of white Americans, by examining how they have impacted his own life. Wise examines what it means to be white in a nation created for the benefit of those who are “white like him,” and how privilege seeps into every institutional arrangement, from education to employment to the justice system. Importantly, he also discusses the ways that white privilege can ultimately harm its recipients in the long run and make progressive social change less likely. Through personal storytelling and convincing analysis, Wise makes the case that racial inequity and white privilege are real and persistent threats to personal and collective well-being, but that resistance to white supremacy and racism is possible.

I know that this description isn't all that compelling, and I know this book doesn't exactly match your criteria. However, I just finished this book, and was unable to put it down while reading it. This book was easily the best thing I've read in a long while. I would be willing to ship it to you if you promise to ship it back.

Offline millahh

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Re: Book recommendations?
« Reply #12 on: January 12, 2012, 07:45:33 PM »
I may check that out once I get through some of the other stuff.  Thanks, Chino.

Nothing on Pinochet?
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WHEN WILL YOU ADRESS MY MONKEY ARGUMENT???? NEVER???? THAT\' WHAT I FIGURED.:lol