Reading this gut-wrenching memoir has definitely cured me of any desire to be a hero. E.B. Sledge writes graphically but unaffectedly of war and its horrors, and of the heroic young men who fought against the Japanese in the Second World War. The account is inspiring, of admiration if not exactly emulation. Particularly gruesome is reading about Sledge good-naturedly joking with a Marine buddy, then reading in a footnote that the buddy never made it back home. It’s hard to read a book like this and not come away feeling very small and unworthy, but I remain content to leave my manhood untested and unproven.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/10/19/with-the-old-breed-by-e-b-sledge/
Oct 16 2013
The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus
Tacitus is the greatest of the Roman historians. He is also the most prejudiced. Modern historians have called into question his portrayal of Tiberius as a cruel and depraved tyrant, and indeed Tacitus’ own narrative reveals him for the most part a capable ruler. Tacitus is always insinuating that while Tiberius said and did one thing, he was secretly thinking something else; how he had access to the emperor’s private thoughts is a mystery. Claudius the stammering fool likewise seems a highly effective ruler; he brought Gauls into the Senate, ruled with great clemency, and conquered Britian for the Roman Empire, something not even Julius Caesar was able to do. The story of Caligula is omitted, but no crime of Nero escapes mention. Tacitus clearly feels that autocracy is evil and has caused the decline of Rome; it is too bad that we cannot ask the common people of the Empire whether the emperors were in fact any worse than the senatorial oligarchy that Tacitus upheld.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/10/16/the-annals-of-imperial-rome-by-tacitus/
Oct 10 2013
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I had a hard time getting into this story, but halfway into it I couldn’t put it down. The main problem for me was the protagonist, who isn’t very likeable and isn’t someone I felt like rooting for. But once the Games begin the pages begin to turn very quickly. This is a gut-wrenching story that doesn’t leave you with a very good feeling about humanity, and I’m not sure that I want to read the other two books in the trilogy. But in terms of pure storytelling, this book is a fine effort, although it seems suspiciously crafted for cinematic adaptation. Realistic? Depends on how you look at the world, although the book’s perspective is refreshingly distant from the Randism that is currently making a comeback.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/10/10/the-hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins/
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/09/28/nightmares-and-dreamscapes-by-stephen-king/
Sep 21 2013
The Early History of Rome by Livy
One thing is clear from this history: from the founding of the Republic, class warfare was endemic to Rome. Rome was perpetually at war with her neighbors, but was politically at war with herself for much of her history. It seems the aristocracy used war and external threats as a means to stall the popular demands for reform; since Rome was almost always at war, reform was thus indefinitely deferred. Livy is clearly on the side of the aristocracy, yet even he puts some noble and stirring speeches in the mouths of the tribunes. Livy is too conservative and patriotic to be objective, and he has no head at all for military matters, but he captures the divisive politics of early Rome more clearly than he intended, since he makes clear from the beginning that his aim is to show how glorious and virtuous Rome was in the good old days before vice and decadence set in. There is much in this work that could have been left out with no loss to posterity, but the overall theme is timeless.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/09/21/the-early-history-of-rome-by-livy/
Sep 18 2013
The Fall of Berlin 1945 by Antony Beevor
The writing and the research of this book is first rate, but still, reading endless accounts of the orgy of mass rape committed by the Red Army in 1945 is quite disheartening. Stalin from the beginning intended that the Soviet army would reach Berlin before the Western Allies, but he deliberately misled Churchill and Eisenhower to conceal his motives. The German people certainly suffered during this war, but it is disturbing how after the war hardly any of them perceived how they had brought this disaster on themselves. Many had no sense of moral burden and seemed to feel that the only thing they had done wrong was let themselves be defeated. The Soviets likewise did not cover themselves with glory in the war’s aftermath; a large portion of the Red Army that had seen the better living standards of Germany with their own eyes and had begun to doubt the efficiency of state socialism were deemed subversive and sent to Gulags. A miserable chapter in history that is worth remembering.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/09/18/the-fall-of-berlin-1945-by-antony-beevor/
Sep 04 2013
An Army at Dawn by Rick Atkinson
This book goes a long way toward dismissing the notion that America’s triumph in World War II was inevitable. Operation Torch in North Africa was full of mistakes and setbacks for the Allies, with generals blaming each other for failures and British and Americans viewing each other with contempt and mistrust. The French, contrary to myth of heroic resistance they fabricated about themselves after the war, proved more valiant in fighting for the Nazis than in fighting against them. But above all this is the story of America’s reluctant evolution from isolationist pacifism into the warrior nation it would eventually become, with both soldiers and leaders gradually learning the deadly art of war. This experience transformed Eisenhower from a raw West Point cadet into a first class world leader, and thus he serves as a metaphor for the transformation of America’s role in the world brought about by this war. A very good book, fortunately written by a journalist rather than a historian.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/09/04/an-army-at-dawn-by-rick-atkinson/
Aug 30 2013
Dickens, Dali, and Others by George Orwell
Aside from a couple of masterpieces that everyone is familiar with, most of Orwell’s fiction is not very good. His essays, however, are nothing short of brilliant. Most of these were written shortly before, during, or shortly after World War II, and even though the subjects are mostly literary his arguments are quite political, in keeping with his belief that all writing is ultimately political. Although a conservative can quote Orwell to his purpose, most conservatives conveniently forget that Orwell was a committed socialist, and he is as critical of capitalist exploitation and establishment hypocrisy as he is of totalitarianism. This collection of essays shows him at his best, and I will look for more such works in the future.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/08/30/dickens-dali-and-others-by-george-orwell/
Jun 19 2013
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
The biography of Steve Jobs is a study in how a complete asshole can nevertheless be a powerful force for good in the world. It is also a study in successful executive management and business leadership. Jobs was not an engineer; he did not personally design or build any of the hardware or software at Apple…yet the amazing products that Apple developed were indisputably his creations and never would have happened without him. Steve Wozniak created the first Apple computer, yet as he himself admitted, it was Steve Jobs who created Apple and made it the wonder that it was. This book amply illustrates what I call the House Paradox (after the television show “House” about the brilliant doctor): that it is possible to be a force for good by being good at what you do even if you are a horrible human being. Isaacson argues that Jobs as a visionary entrepreneur belongs in the company of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison, and this thesis is hard to contest. Not a nice guy…but a great man.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/06/19/steve-jobs-by-walter-isaacson/
Jun 18 2013
Kill Decision by Daniel Suarez
This book offers a story relevant to current political issues as well as a peek into what the warfare of the future may look like. Americans are by now used to drone warfare; that is, drone warfare conducted by US. But what happens when the United States government is no longer the sole operator of these weapons? The scary possibility is that this technology will not just be used by hostile governments, but that they may be controlled by private operators who use them for their own agendas. This novel explores this possibility in great detail, and of course, there is a heroic team in charge of thwarting this fiendish plot, including an entomologist whose research on warrior ant colonies proves to have surprising technological applications. It sounds pretty far out, but it is actually inches away from what is already going on in the world. The story is riveting and easy to digest and offers some fascinating if disconcerting food for thought about future conflict scenarios.
Permanent link to this article: https://www.thefrumiousconsortium.net/2013/06/18/kill-decision-by-daniel-suarez/
Al Singh
Doug Merrill
Doreen Sheridan
John Pitzel
Lars N. Goldschlager
Laura Eilers
Professor X
Robert Maedgen
Sylvere Ap Leanan
The Shire