Book reviews
The Pity Of War by Niall Ferguson
I have loved everything I've read by Ferguson , so when I came across this older
history of WWI, I grabbed it. At over 400 pages, it is not to be taken lightly,
but for the history buff, it is well worth your time. Ferguson 's
grandfather served through the war w2ith a Highland
regiment, and survived. Scotland
had a higher casualty rate than every county except Serbia
and Turkey .
This book is not so much about the fighting as about the political, economic
and morale factors that went into it. His excellent research turns most of the
conventional wisdom of WWI on its head. He believes Germany went to war because they
felt weak, not military strong, and thought the imbalance was growing. His review of the differing economic and
financial power of the central powers versus the allies suggests the Allies
should have won much sooner. But Germany made better use of it's
resources, and the Germans killed the allies at a much higher rate, meaning the
French and British strategy of attrition worked against them. He suggests that
Germans were not starved into defeat by the blockade and that it wasn't war
reparations but economic mismanagement that led to the collapse of the Weimar Republic
Indestructible: The Unforgettable Story of a Marine Hero at the Battle of Iwo Jima
by Jack Lucas and D. K. Drum
Lucas' story couldn't happen today. He was a fighter as a
boy. as 14 he enlisted in the Marines. Stationed on the east Coast, he stowed
away on a train to get to California
and the fighting. On Hawaii
it was discovered he was only 15, so they side-tracked him from the fighting.
So he started his own fights, hoping that would get him sent to combat.
eventually he stowed away on a ship headed to Iwo Jima ,
which by chance his cousin was on. When he revealed himself it was too late to
send him back, and he made the landing with his unit. There he smothered two grenades
with his body, pushing them into the ash, and survived, though torn up. He was
thus the youngest person in the 20th century to earn a Medal of Honor. Interestingly,
his captain earned one as well. After the war he led an eventful life, becoming
a captain in the Army and never losing his love of fighting. This is a book
that all military buffs will love, but especially Marines.
Written Out of History: The Forgotten Founders Who Fought Big Government by Mike
Lee
This easy-to-read, well-researched book will introduce you
to new founding "fathers" you haven't met, like Mum Betts, a slave
who sued for freedom, and give you a different view of those you probably think
you know about, like Arron Burr. It explores a lot of the controversies around
the adoption of the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and will give you a
new appreciation for Americans who championed our freedoms, federalism and
checks and balances. Not to be missed by history buffs and students of our form
of government.
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