5 comments about Churchill: Visionary. Statesman. Historian..

1. John Lukas clearly states at the beginning of his short book that his collection of essays is neither a biography nor a scholarly study of Winston Spencer Churchill (pg. xiii). Therefore, potential readers of Lukas' book who do not know anything about the key milestones in the life and career of Churchill should not start here. These readers can read books such as "Churchill a Life", "Churchill a Study in Greatness", "Clementine Churchill The Biography of a Marriage", "Winston and Clementine The Personal Letters of the Churchills" or "The Wit & Wisdom of Winston Churchill" to fill in the most glaring gaps in their knowledge of Churchill for that purpose.

   Lukas writes to the attention of an audience who has an unquenchable thirst to know more and more about an individual who remains a source of inspiration to many men and women who stand in the way of barbarity and illiberalism around the world.

   Although Lukas is generally sympathetic to Churchill, he is not blind to his major shortcomings: impetuosity, impatience, stubbornness and fancifulness (pg. 4, 154). Furthermore, Lukas reminds his audience in his essay "His Failures. His Critics" that Churchill had accumulated errors and mistakes that Churchill critics and detractors were attributing to his flawed character (pg. 129). For example, Churchill's futile fight against granting Dominion status to India from 1929 to 1935 was perhaps compatible with his imperialist credentials but certainly a clear blemish on his record. As a very experienced politician and knowledgeable historian at that time, Churchill should have known much better (pg. 14-15, 24, 135-136). Therefore, Lukas' collection of essays should not be construed as a shameful hagiography.

   Furthermore, Lukas reminds his audience in "Churchill's historianship" and "Churchill the visionary" that Churchill was generally cognizant of the lessons that he could draw from past events to articulate his often-visionary policies while reflecting on and shaping history on his turn (pg. 1-18, 47). Churchill was not only a spectator, but also a key actor and play writer of human comedy (pg. 102).

   Lukas also explores the ups and downs that Churchill had in his relationships with other history shapers such as Charles De Gaulle, Dwight Eisenhower, Adolf Hitler, Franklin Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin (pg. 19-20). Lukas convincingly explains that Churchill was facing an unpalatable choice between a Europe entirely ruled by Nazi Germany or half of Europe dominated by the Communists in case of allied victory (pg. 11, 27-28, 35). Churchill rightly first gave top priority to successfully fighting Hitler to death before trying in vain to stop Stalin in 1944-1945. Unlike some unimaginative people, Churchill understood right at the birth of the Soviet Union that the Bolsheviks should be stopped immediately before they grew into a gathering threat to the world. War-weary, the victors of WWI, unfortunately, gave only half-hearty support to the White Russians in their desperate fight against the Soviets (pg. 23). Once again, long-term pains were the reward for short-term gains.

   Some (American) readers will not be very pleased while reading Lukas' unflattering portrait of Eisenhower and the men around him in "Churchill and Eisenhower." As mentioned above, Churchill was definitely right to try to thwart in 1944-1945 the apparently irresistible advance of the Soviets in Central and Eastern Europe. Churchill clearly understood that geography and territory mattered, not ideology (pg. 42). For that reason, the British army met the Russians east of the entry to the Danish peninsula at the request of Churchill in 1945 (pg. 45). Unfortunately, the American leadership did not want to hear anything about it at that time (pg. 35-40, 46). Some European regions such as former East Germany and the Czech Republic should have been eventually spared the murderous and inefficient rule of the former Soviet Union (pg. 43). The Greeks should continue to be very thankful to Churchill for saving them from a communist tyranny (pg. 41, 48).

   In his famous, visionary Iron Curtain speech in 1946, Churchill expressed his concern with the murderous, inefficient embrace of Communism in the European regions under Stalin's control. American reception of this historic speech was at best lukewarm (pg. 47). Churchill knew better and was predicting at the end of 1952 that time was not on the side of Communism (pg. 48, 79).

   After the death of Stalin in 1953, Churchill, Prime Minister again, could not convince his friend Eisenhower, who in the meantime became President of the U.S.A., of finding some kind of accommodation with the new Soviet leadership (pg. 70, 73-74). Subsequent events proved that Eisenhower was right when he saw no difference after Stalin was gone (pg. 71, 77). Contrary to what Lukas thinks, Eisenhower should not be described as a leader without any vision under the nefarious influence of men such as John Foster Dulles (pg. 79-80). Many western leaders shared Eisenhower's views on this subject (pg. 81-82). The former Soviet Union was not yet in sufficient decline in the early 1950s to negotiate in a position of force with it as world leaders such as President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher understood very well in the 1980s.




2. This was my first book by Lukacs and I am not a historical scholar. I picked it up to learn more about Churchill, and where this admirable leader was coming from. If you are looking for a primer or a thorough biography of W.S., this is not the book for you. However, if you are already familiar with his background, ancestry, and accomplishments in detail, this book serves as a kind of postmortem love letter.
   
   It is certainly well-written--Lukacs is a talented writer who knows how to turn a phrase, as he exhibits in his diary entries describing Churchill's funeral. However, for all of W.S.'s greatness, Lukacs seems a doggedly loyal to the man and utterly resistant to any criticism. There is also noticeable resentment toward Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and other American officials, as the author apotheosizes Churchill above any and all other leaders during the most critical time in 20th century history. Regardless of the veracity of his position, I would recommend reading up on other perspectives to temper Lukacs' ode to Churchill's infallibility.
   
   Overall, this is a brief and awe-inspiring read: a worthy eulogy for a worthy man that sometimes sparkles in prose, sometimes fizzles in excessive reverence.



3. What we have is a series of essays written about Churchill by a man who is both a highly regarded historian and a fan.
   
   The last essay, I found quite moving where he discusses his time at Churchill funeral.
   
   Yet the quality of these essays is not brilliant. In some ways they are repetitive with the same facts repeated again in another essay. Also the writer is also prone to exaggeration eg that the Germans could in June or July 1940 successfully invaded Britain.
   
   I have read much on Churchill and found this book disappointing maybe as from a historian of the quality of John Lukacs, I expected more.



4. I read this book here in Brazil, last year.It's cheap, concise and easy to understand.There's failures in this book?Yes.
   At first, this book is biased.John Lukacs is a Churchill's fan.
   To exemple, Mr. Churchill was a deeply eugenist.This book never talks about this.Another exemple is that in 1899, Winston Churchill spoke against Islam something like this:"How dreadfull are the curses which mohammedanism slays on its votaries...No stronger retrograde force exists in the world..."
   The core of this book is to show Churchill after 1930.Even this, it fails sometimes.In chapter 4, Lukacs claims that Eisenhower was wrong about than USSR, and Churchill was right.In fact both were right.The american politics for Cold War, was basically the same, for every american president, since Truman,in 1945, to George Bush in 1991.
   Churchill also was among the men who created Iraq.Churchill also put the last Iran's Xah in power.All of these Churchill's mistakes aren't in this book.
   This is a fan's book, not an unbiased book.



5. This is another of the "short" Churchill books that have become popular over the last several years and are less than full blown biographies but more than just private musings of the author. This author has an engaging style and if you've read any of his previous books on this subject it should come as no surprise that this book is for the most part a positive portrayal. The book covers the several themes stated in the title with a varying degree, (in this reader's opinion), of success. The high points include insight into Churchill's role, (and motivation), as an historian, his role with Stalin and the division of post WWII Europe and the evolution of Churchill's relationship with Eisenhower, (maybe the best chapter in the book). Considering all that has been written on Churchill this reader found some "new" perspectives and food for thought in the above. On the downside, several of the other chapters - the rehashing of Gallipoli, Churchill's "wilderness" years do not provide much detail or insight and the last chapter - a journal entry written contemporaneously describing Churchill's funeral - was little more than filler to this reader. This disparity in the writing is unfortunately one of the salient points I took away from the book. That being said, (written), this book would not be the place to start with Churchill but it is a more than an adequate supplement.

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3 comments about E. M. Forster: A Life (A Harvest Book).

1. The must-have biography that almost every researcher of E.M. Forster uses among her/his basic material. Furbank was appointed by E.M. Forster himself as his biographer. The book contains photographs and it covers a lot of detail. Although the extensive detail sometimes gives an impression of digression it in fact enhances the 'scientific' value of the book, since it provides information about E.M. Forster for research from many angles (ranging from Bloomsbury Group to liberalism &c &c). Moreover, the detailed descriptions at times almost read like a novel (for instance the section on E.M. Forster's travels to Italy). Many letters are included - some by E.M. Forster, some to E.M. Forster, some about E.M. Forster - and make for an enchanting account. Very informative.



2. Without a doubt, Furbank's work is a great resource for any student of Forster. While working on my thesis , his book was always close at hand. Forster readers will appreciate the attention to detail that helps enliven any reading of one of Forster's novels.



3. Thirty years after its first publication this biography of E. M. Forster still hasn't been surpassed and chances are fairly slim that it ever will be. Furbank was apparently the perfect biographer for E.M.F. - he handles his life with an appropriate balance of inquisitiveness and discretion just as the writer lived his life. This attitude maybe now seem close to timidity which it is not, it is us who have been spoiled by the last quarter of a century.
   This book is a perfect addition to any E.M.F.'s scholar and fan library but it may be a perfect introduction for someone for whom the name does not ring a bell yet. This is simply a great biography of a great men of letters - and the two greats add to make a great read.

1 comments about Friends, Voters, Countrymen.

1. Boris Johnson's comments on his campaign experience and his reflections on politics are a breath of fresh air. A very entertaining read which has a wonderful richness of language.

2 comments about Innocent III: Vicar of Christ or Lord of the World?.

1. Innocent III was one of the most dynamic, influential and catholic (in the sense of hardline) popes in the history of the Church. His Bulls and decrees were sweeping in their scope and lasting in their influence, making him one of the most celebrated Bishops of Rome...as Mr. Powell so often points out.
   
   Unfortunately, this book is only the Catholic Church's official word on Lothar of Segni (his birth name). As such, it presumes that its reader is a Catholic and willing to accept what Powell has taken from the annals of the Vatican as gospel. The true fact of the matter is that, while the contents of this volume are (presumably) accurate, the other side of Innocent III was darker. His reign was fraught with corruption, dissent and massacre. It was, notably, this pope who declared the Templar Knights to be categorically unholy and it was he who ordered them summarily massacred after they had defended Christendom in his name during the Crusade, for the very reason that influential politicians were jealous of the Templars' landholdings throughout Europe. It was also Innocent who called for some of the most bloody actions of those conflicts.
   
   The take away from this volume is that it is written, sanctioned and released by the Catholic Church, and as such must be taken with a grain of salt.



2. While reading a Jonathan Phillips book on the 4th crusade, I became interested in Innocent III, so I looked up books on him. There was only one review of this book and while the reviewer may be right about the book (Innocent III did indeed have his short comings), he does have some facts wrong.
   
   Innocent did NOT have the Knights Templar 'summarily massacred' but in fact saved them from being excommunicated. The Templars then returned the favor by helping Innocent III in his extermination of the Cathars. Pope Innocent III launched the 4th crusade which went totally array, and instead of slaughtering the Saracens, the crusaders took it out on the Greek Orthodox at Constantinople. And while you might argue that 'Butchery is Butchery' even Innocent III had a problem with killing Christians (the Cathars weren't considered 'Christians')
   
   I'll get back to you all with a review when I do actually read this book..
   
   PS It was Clement V who sent the Knights Templar into oblivion (unless you believe that some of them survived and buried their treasure in modern day Nova Scotia) nearly 100 years later.

5 comments about Lord of the Dance: My Story.

1. I love this dvd and have watched it several times. As a former dancer, I think this is one of the best staged dance-plays ever done. The leads are wonderful, but so are the supporting players. I love Riverdance too, but this is more like a dance musical that tells a continuous story, as opposed to a variety show with a constant theme. The tension is wonderful, the flute music is beautiful, and chemistry amongst the dancers really adds to the quality of this performance. Even my kids love watching this, and they actually cheer out loud when the star of the show, the hero, defends the young girl and mends her broken flute. The costuming and lighting of the performance is also very dramatic and beautiful. This is a fantastic and entertaining dvd.
   
   As an aside, I recently saw Michael Flatley's performance on Dancing With the Stars, and I don't think he has lost any of his talent or presence.



2. I am a recent Michael Flatley fan [within the last five years] and I was so pleased to read about his life. I had pictured him as a flawless, untouchable/unreachable star person, born to be great, and not at all like a real person. This is a real human being who has lived a real life, and who has an amazing story to tell. This reminded me of My Left Foot. I love real human-interest stories that tell of both struggles and triumphs. I don't think this is a book just for dancers or fans of dance. I think many people would enjoy reading about a life like this. Highly recommended!!



3. My opinion of Michael Flatley is now less than zero. The vast majority of this book is just very descriptive accounts of Michael's extreme promiscuity and sexual addiction. It made me sick. He adds some emotion to it for effect, but I don't buy it. Most of the book is spent bragging about himself. I can't tell you how disappointed I was and I really wish I had quit reading the book when I realized it was all about his escapades with women-- many of whom were in his shows. Yes, he'd wake up some mornings with several of them in his bed!
   
   There is a little worth reading though. I got his side of what happened to Riverdance. But mostly, I felt sick to my stomach at his pervertedness and felt extreme sorrow for how he treated his first beautiful wife.
   
   This may be an updated version to what I've read, but he is married to a different girl than the one he was with and was engaged to in the book I read, and he now has a son. Poor kid.
   
   I wouldn't trust this man with MY daughter!



4. You can't beat his talent...when the whole Riverdance fever took the world over a decade ago I tired of his stardom. However watching him in Lord if the Dance reminded me of his superb talent. It truly is an amazing show to watch and well worth every penny



5. This film will have you getting out of your chair and dancing along. It is truly a remarkable film with the great dancers like Michael Flatley and Gillian Norris and all the other dancers who were truly remarkabe. You have to purchase this film, you and your family will watch this film over and over. I have had the film for about 9 years and I still watch it like I just purchased the film. It is worth the money.

1 comments about Adventures in the Supernormal.

1. For anyone interested in paranormal phenomena, this is a great book for you. Eileen J. Garrett founded the Parapsychology Foundation (based in New York City) in 1951. The Parapsychology Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports the scientific exploration of psychic phenomena and still exists today. This book is her autobiography. There is so much mystery surrounding psychics, and Adventures in the Supernormal is a very insightful look into the life of someone with psychic powers.

   Garrett knew at a young age that she was different. In her preface she writes, "I have a gift, a capacity--a delusion, if you will--which is called 'psychic.'...living with and utilizing this psychic capacity long ago inured me to a variety of epithets...In short, I have been called many things: from a charlatan to a miracle woman. I am, at least, neither of these. In this book I hope to tell the reader what I am. It is an answer to literally hundreds of requests for information concerning supernormal perception and how it functions."

   She begins with her Irish childhood, where she was "exhausted in a world that did not understand or believe" her and continues on through her life to tell of her marriage, her businesses (she was a smart, entrepreneurial woman in a time when that wasn't very common), her divorce, and her move to New York. Garrett was one of the first people to objectively study parapsychology and in her lifetime she made huge contributions to psychic research. She clears up "psychic research" by saying that it's not "spiritualism" or "religion," but rather, it's the "scientific study of the human personality beyond the threshold of what man calls his conscious mind." Her book covers her experience with and knowledge of ESP, clairvoyance, psychometry, telepathy and precognition, and she emphasizes the need for more objective study and research, with an eventual unification of science and religion - a necessary development if we want to truly understand and express psychic powers.

   Adventures in the Supernormal is an intriguing look into one of America's primary and highly regarded psychics, and I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in paranormal phenomena.

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5 comments about Hapa Girl: A Memoir.

1. I am sure that Ms. Chai earned an A+ in creative writing class for her novel. I was in school with the author and her brother for a couple of years. In fact, I had my senior pictures taken at her mother's studio. She did a nice job and was a fun lady. I knew she was married to a Chinese man. I couldn't have cared less. It made no difference to me. I am sure that I speak for most of us in town. We had plenty going on in our own lives to get too worked up about someone elses ethnic background. There is no question that most of us were of European descent. With the Univ of SD in town, we were exposed to other cultures. It wasn't like we were the United Nations, but we were far from the 'dueling banjos' of "Deliverance." There are a few bad apples in our town-- like any town on the planet. It is certainly humbling to read of her experience in our town. The violence in the halls at school, locking all the doors to the school, attractive girls opting to get poor grades to date the cool guys, etc. Her creative juices got the best of her. Hopefully, this spiteful piece of half-truths/ fiction was therapeutic or lucrative for the author.



2. I could not put this book down... it was alive and witty and just plain filled with love of this girls family her mother played a very inportant part in this girls life , maylee since has lost her mother to breast cancer . the story was so wonderful deplicting how a family with different racial backgrounds . Maylee is outspoken and make the book come alife to me . thanks you for the wonderful story of part of my family.. always aunt susan



3. Reading this book, I was appalled at the portrayal of this terrible, small, South Dakota town where I, too, would have hated growing up. I feel very badly for the author's hardships she and her family endured during this time. Ironically, I did grow up in this town; moving there in 1966 at the age of 12 and eventually leaving eastern South Dakota in 1977. I am amazed at the dramatic changes that took place there in the 2 years between 1977 and 1979. This was not the town I remember in the least bit. As I read about overt violence in the high school while teachers looked away, rampant inbreeding, and widespread fear of being killed by Native Americans I can only conclude that there is a motivation behind the story that only the author can answer. Much of this makes for great fiction and hopefully, this has been therapeutic for her. I have spent the majority of my adult life in successful Engineering positions in the Silicon Valley as a result of my education at the schools in this town and colleges in the state. My two daughters are products of the California public school system so, believe me, I know about mediocrity in education. Most of the kids in this South Dakota community do not grow up on farms nor have aspirations of owning one, one day. It is quite natural for many kids in this university town to do as I did- continue education and go on to a professional career. I don't recall a lot of violence at school. My wife (also from this small town) and I could not think of any "cousin relationships" of which we were aware. Our parents would never have tolerated the disrespect and name calling described as rampant in the book. I don't feel we were the exception, either. I certainly hope the author has facts behind the story she tells of the circumstances around a young man who committed suicide; if not, shame on her. I will say that most South Dakota communities are predominately white and by and large fairly conservative. I am not necessarily surprised that it was difficult for this family to feel comfortable and "fit in". There are racists everywhere, though, and in my world experience I've never felt this community to be more so than most. Unfortunately, it sounds like there were mean spirited bullies who made life miserable for this author during adolescence. Because of the wild and reckless characterizations of certain things that I know to be untrue, the author lost most of her credibility while I read. My younger brother is 2 years older than the author. When I first heard of this book, I asked him about her. He didn't recall, went to his yearbooks, and recognized her as someone who had been a winner in the same Math contest as he during high school. Seems like an odd non-recognition for someone who was so "stared at", maligned, and the center of adversity. By the way, we did use baseball bats for baseball (not weapons that I ever recall). Much like the author describes of suburban New Jersey, there was a vacant lot behind our house where my brothers and the neighborhood kids would gather and play baseball and whiffle ball for hours on end. My apologies for a long winded review without comment regarding the quality of the writing, however, I felt compelled to raise concerns about the accuracy of the facts in what is intended to be a non-fiction book.



4. Maylee's gentle mastery at weaving words, memories and strands of her family's struggles into a rich and powerful tapestry of human experience held me captivated; I read her book in one sitting.
   Don't mistake Maylee's memories as bitter - her message is clear to those who have eyes to read it and the faith to believe it, "Love Trumps Hate."



5. I have read all of Chai's books and found each one carefully crafted. Chai is articulate, and her commanding voice has an authority that sweeps the reader up and over the plains of rural Wyoming, a place of natural beauty and also a warped, ungenerous and unwelcoming social milieu which becomes Hapa Girl's crucible. Chai's rendering of a Chinese-American family's struggle to be recognized, respected and ultimately accepted is heart-rendingly believable, in many instances heartbreakingly sad, but finally redemptive. It's the sort of narrative that challenges the reader (could I manage these circumstances if I were the protagonist?) and ultimately shows us not that suffering is ennobling, but that there are survivors who have come through suffering's gauntlet and emerged with wise conviction and a formidable dignity. Five stars for this book and its talented, smart and wise author!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

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