In this New York Times bestselling “imperative how-to for creativity” (Nick Offerman), Adam Savage—star of …
The philosophy of making according to Adam
4 stars
Adam… a familiar voice in the world of making leads you on a brief journey through his philosophy of making. From what it is, to how his own methods have evolved over the years. A quick and pleasant read. I’d say nearly any maker worth their multitool could learn a thing or two from this text.
"A magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world. It has …
A creature of the system
4 stars
This is volume two of a three volume set on Stalin. At the time I have read volume two volume three is not yet in print. The author clearly took great care in researching this book. Many of his statements are backed up by factual documentation including many handwritten notes in blue or red pencil by the man himself, which must only be available in the archives in Russia. The period of time from 1922 until moments before Germany invades Russia in 1941 are a defining period for the Soviet Union, as well as for its de facto ruler the subject of this book. Earlier last year, I read the Gulag Archipelago which obviously tells a parallel story, but from the viewpoint of those on the receiving end of the terror. The contrast with the subject here is stark.
The author does go to great effort as well to …
This is volume two of a three volume set on Stalin. At the time I have read volume two volume three is not yet in print. The author clearly took great care in researching this book. Many of his statements are backed up by factual documentation including many handwritten notes in blue or red pencil by the man himself, which must only be available in the archives in Russia. The period of time from 1922 until moments before Germany invades Russia in 1941 are a defining period for the Soviet Union, as well as for its de facto ruler the subject of this book. Earlier last year, I read the Gulag Archipelago which obviously tells a parallel story, but from the viewpoint of those on the receiving end of the terror. The contrast with the subject here is stark.
The author does go to great effort as well to not really take sides and merely presents events as they happened. This to me is all the more impressive due to the brutality discussed.
I’ve read biographies of many of the major figures from this period of time, and this is great in comparison because much of what Stalin was doing and even his rationale was hidden from public view. He did not govern by rhetoric, but by the gun, unlike many of this contemporaries.
All that said, he was no super man and knew that he had made errors, but leaned into his ideology as his only true guide.
Ok so hate him or deplore him, it’s worth knowing how he came to be who he was, and how that personality put him in the chairmanship of the general secretariat of the CPSU.
Kotkin left no stone unturned and compiled a great narrative of Stalin’s formative years. Stalin himself isn’t center stage for a lot of time as the events of the 1917 revolution and civil war swirl around him, but he sure ends up in the center of centers in a personal dictatorship within the Bolshevik dictatorship. It’s an improbable journey.
"A magnificent new biography that revolutionizes our understanding of Stalin and his world. It has …
Koba is figure worth
5 stars
Ok so hate him or deplore him, it’s worth knowing how he came to be who he was, and how that personality put him in the chairmanship of the general secretariat of the CPSU.
Kotkin left no stone unturned and compiled a great narrative of Stalin’s formative years. Stalin himself isn’t center stage for a lot of time as the events of the 1917 revolution and civil war swirl around him, but he sure ends up in the center of centers in a personal dictatorship within the Bolshevik dictatorship. It’s an improbable journey.
The remarkable story of Josef Hartinger, the German prosecutor who risked everything to bring to …
The judiciary couldn’t protect them
4 stars
This is largely the story of a number of murders in the Dachau concentration camp in the period of time before the SS ran the place, and the failure of the Bavarian judiciary to prosecute the nazis for those murders. That failure emboldened them and led to further atrocities. Lesson observed, courts won’t save you from the nazis.
Spanning the years 1940 to 1965, The Last Lion: Defender of the Realm begins shortly …
The ultimate Churchill WW2 bio
4 stars
So, Manchester wrote two volumes of this work and had completed research for the third and final volume when death caught up to him. Paul Reid picked up the pen and completed this magnificent document. I listened to all 50+ hours of the unabridged audio version of this book and didn't want to put it down. The first two volumes set up Winston for greatness and the final one sees him achieve it.
So, Manchester wrote two volumes of this work and had completed research for the third and final volume when death caught up to him. Paul Reid picked up the pen and completed this magnificent document. I listened to all 50+ hours of the unabridged audio version of this book and didn't want to put it down. The first two volumes set up Winston for greatness and the final one sees him achieve it.
Narrative style pop history covering Winston’s years not in cabinet as a backbench MP. WSC lived by his pen in those years and literally laid a lot of bricks at his home in Kent. He made predictions about the rise of H and the Nah Zeees. It’s all very engaging but there is a bit of overlap with VOL 1 which serves as context necessary if you’re only reading Vol 2.
The formation of a British original. This #book deals with Winston’s formative years through the first half of the interwar period. Manchester’s prose is smooth and compelling.
On the use of national power, the career of Amb Max Taylor #book
4 stars
Had just read "Strategy for Defeat" by Sharp and wondered if Taylor had also written a bio. He sure as hell did. It's a beast at 400+ pages, but he surely lived in interesting times. As his story wended through the Johnson admin's attempt to seize some kind of victory out of the war in Vietnam I couldn't help but think that this person also jumped out of a plane to invade Europe ahead of Normandy. He knew war...
Anyway, his story was more revealing than Sharp's. Sharp... while a high ranking officer was in the middle tier of command during Vietnam and also was only there for a narrow window. Taylor was there from 61 and had a vantage point to see and point out the why of every major call. I found his closing chapter difficult to get through as it was written before the close of …
Had just read "Strategy for Defeat" by Sharp and wondered if Taylor had also written a bio. He sure as hell did. It's a beast at 400+ pages, but he surely lived in interesting times. As his story wended through the Johnson admin's attempt to seize some kind of victory out of the war in Vietnam I couldn't help but think that this person also jumped out of a plane to invade Europe ahead of Normandy. He knew war...
Anyway, his story was more revealing than Sharp's. Sharp... while a high ranking officer was in the middle tier of command during Vietnam and also was only there for a narrow window. Taylor was there from 61 and had a vantage point to see and point out the why of every major call. I found his closing chapter difficult to get through as it was written before the close of the Vietnam war and could not prognosticate it's end, but I found his final analysis instructive and enduring. Anyone interested in the application of national power could benefit from Taylor's summation of the fundamentals.
Unsaid in so many words in all this text, but alluded to is Taylor's clear opinion that JFK was far superior an executive than LBJ and that his early death led to a ship of state not well steered. It's a bit of a passing of the buck, but I can see why he thinks it. He also does some work in here with introspection... a bit of "if they had followed my advice" comes out.
All in all a good auto-bio/history. Not 5 stars, but 4 for sure.
