Mega Thread The book thread.

[Jiska]

Grab yourself a copy of "Untold History of the United States" by Oliver Stone. There's a book, or a 3 DVD Box set, covering 1940-2010. Extremely well done and very informative.

 

[medusala]

Grab yourself a copy of "Untold History of the United States" by Oliver Stone. There's a book, or a 3 DVD Box set, covering 1940-2010. Extremely well done and very informative.

Just bought the dvd set. After ordering Amazon screen went to purchase by same buyers - John Pilger doco. Slightly disturbing.

 

[Jiska]

Just bought the dvd set. After ordering Amazon screen went to purchase by same buyers - John Pilger doco. Slightly disturbing.

Let me know what you think. I found it fascinating and a somewhat refreshing and balanced view on what actually took place. I was particularly interested in the section on Henry Wallace; had never actually heard much about him prior.

 

[medusala]

Let me know what you think. I found it fascinating and a somewhat refreshing and balanced view on what actually took place. I was particularly interested in the section on Henry Wallace; had never actually heard much about him prior.

Will do, meant to snow in London this weekend, so hopefully I can get in to it. Havent heard of Henry Wallace either.

 

[Jesse Custer]

OGPU Prison by Sven Hassell. Awesome books these ones, a series by Hassell a Wehrmact soldier apparently. Reason i say that is there is a bit of doubt going around about that. Leaving that aside they are too good to be missed. If you're into that kind of thing though.

 

[medusala]

Let me know what you think. I found it fascinating and a somewhat refreshing and balanced view on what actually took place. I was particularly interested in the section on Henry Wallace; had never actually heard much about him prior.

Three episodes in (up to the end of WWII). First one pretty standard view, nothing controversial. Second one started to get obviously pro Soviet Union/ anti Britain. Third one lost the plot a bit in terms of bias in the last 10 minutes or so (VERY anti Truman, even to the extent of delving in to him getting mocked as a kid for wearing glasses - what relevance does that have?). Also extremely pro Wallace and FDR. Couple of things were a bit off ie Churchill speaking in a clip when it clearly wasn't Churchill's voice.

Will persevere though as I want to see more re JFK, bay of pigs, Vietnam etc.

Re Wallace, have you read the below? Not a bad read. Author is a bit of a free market sort but it wasn't over the top anywhere near to the extent of the above.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Man:_A_New_History_of_the_Great_Depression

 

[Gavin Excell]

Fingered this in my favourite bookshop but never purchased in the end. Supposedly very good. Have you read it?

Von Mansteins book is hard to get hold of. Wouldnt mind reading it even if Shirer was very critical of him for rewriting history and covering up his knoweldge of what was going on criminally by the Nazis.

On a similar theme my library contacting me yesterday to let me know Speers Inside the 3rd Reich is ready for collection.

 

[Jiska]

Three episodes in (up to the end of WWII). First one pretty standard view, nothing controversial. Second one started to get obviously pro Soviet Union/ anti Britain. Third one lost the plot a bit in terms of bias in the last 10 minutes or so (VERY anti Truman, even to the extent of delving in to him getting mocked as a kid for wearing glasses - what relevance does that have?). Also extremely pro Wallace and FDR. Couple of things were a bit off ie Churchill speaking in a clip when it clearly wasn't Churchill's voice.

Will persevere though as I want to see more re JFK, bay of pigs, Vietnam etc.

Re Wallace, have you read the below? Not a bad read. Author is a bit of a free market sort but it wasn't over the top anywhere near to the extent of the above.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Man:_A_New_History_of_the_Great_Depression

Agreed on Wallace. He makes references to him all throughout the entire series.

Will check out that link.

 

[Jiska]

Three episodes in (up to the end of WWII). First one pretty standard view, nothing controversial. Second one started to get obviously pro Soviet Union/ anti Britain. Third one lost the plot a bit in terms of bias in the last 10 minutes or so (VERY anti Truman, even to the extent of delving in to him getting mocked as a kid for wearing glasses - what relevance does that have?). Also extremely pro Wallace and FDR. Couple of things were a bit off ie Churchill speaking in a clip when it clearly wasn't Churchill's voice.

Will persevere though as I want to see more re JFK, bay of pigs, Vietnam etc.

Re Wallace, have you read the below? Not a bad read. Author is a bit of a free market sort but it wasn't over the top anywhere near to the extent of the above.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Forgotten_Man:_A_New_History_of_the_Great_Depression

How'd you go with the rest of this series medusala ??

 

[medusala]

How'd you go with the rest of this series medusala ??

I struggled as it went downhill and I eventually gave up without watching the last couple of episodes. Pity because it showed promise early and had some interesting stuff I wasn't aware of and I really like that sort of stuff. More of a polemic than a historical record. Stone is an odd cat and it shows.

 

[iluvparis]

Have started reading this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Near-Distant-Neighbors-History-Intelligence/dp/0374219907

Should be interesting - most of the stuff I've read in the past has been about the CHEKA (pre WWII intelligence agency) so will be nice to get some broader coverage of the Soviet intelligence agencies across the board.

 

[jaaack]

Finished the Braddick book just started on this:

https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Inquisition-Historical-Revision/dp/0300078803

And just got this the other day:

https://www.amazon.com/Cromwell-Antonia-Fraser/dp/0802137660

 

[sydney eagle]

Just read "Legends and Lies :Great Mysteries of the American West" by Dale L Walker. Interesting take on some of the , at least slightly, controversial parts of U S western history.

 

[skilts]

Grab yourself a copy of "Untold History of the United States" by Oliver Stone. There's a book, or a 3 DVD Box set, covering 1940-2010. Extremely well done and very informative.

Should we be concerned that he's a certifiable lunatic?

 

[jaaack]

Should we be concerned that he's a certifiable lunatic?

Doesn't that just make it several times more entertaining?

 

[FredLeDeux]

Should we be concerned that he's a certifiable lunatic?

This has never been a problem for authors of great literature.

 

[Brunswick Trap King]

I'm halfway through Griftopia at the moment, after seeing medusala refer to it somewhere.

Ridiculously fascinating book and also somewhat depressing to be reminded over and over how little governments actually care about those they govern.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Just finished reading Antony Beever's "Berlin, The Downfall 1945" about the last few months of the war.

Highly recommended. The paranoia of Stalin and the politics between the Allies had such long-lasting repercussions over the whole world.

 

[sydney eagle]

Currently reading "Crimson Snow" by Jules Stewart about the Afghan war of 1838. God, what a disaster, and I haven't even got to the retreat from Kabul yet !

 

[FredLeDeux]

Currently reading "Crimson Snow" by Jules Stewart about the Afghan war of 1838. God, what a disaster, and I haven't even got to the retreat from Kabul yet !

If you want the true story, you need to read the first packet of the Flashman Papers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashman_(novel)

 

[Wallaby]

The entire Flashman series is great. Apart from being a cracking read, each book details an actual event from the British Empire Building during the Victorian era, with excellent footnotes and appendices.

 

[sydney eagle]

If you want the true story, you need to read the first packet of the Flashman Papers:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashman_(novel)

Been there, done that. I enjoy Flashman, although I find myself reading slowly because i'm constantly having to check the notes in the back.

 

[sydney eagle]

Just started "Circus Of The Damned" by Laurel K Hamilton. Not far enough into it to comment yet.

 

[sydney eagle]

Finished "Circus Of The Damned" followed by "Civil War Fantastic", an anthology edited by Martin H Greenberg and am about to start "A Brief History Of Superheroes" by Brian J Robb.

 

[SBYM]

Been there, done that. I enjoy Flashman, although I find myself reading slowly because i'm constantly having to check the notes in the back.

Endnotes are the worst. Footnotes all the way.