Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World

 

Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World – Margaret MacMilllan

As someone such as myself who loves to read about history, this massive offering by Margaret MacMillan richly satisfied my cravings. First, the book itself is wonderful and detailed. Second, even though I’ve easily read 8-10 books already about World War I, it was still an enrapturing read where I was still able to learn many things. And third, probably most importantly, I was exposed to a wealth of knowledge about many of the minor countries and characters that I knew nothing about prior to reading. Most of those chapters detailing said events in history could have their own self-standing volumes and, since they probably do, only made someone such as myself want to pick up these history books and digest more.

At the end of the great war and short-lived relief, the question then becomes “what next”? How do the spoils get divided?  Do we punish the losers?  Do boundaries and geographies simply go back to the way they were before the calamity began?  Should some victorious countries get more booty since they sacrificed more men and more material?  

Ironically, I’m somewhat reminded of the plot of the farcical film “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World”. No matter how hard all of the protagonists decide the split up the eventual reward, everyone is basically only looking out for themselves.  Greed is a selfish monster.  We meet the ‘Big Four’ who represent some of the victorious allies.  There’s Woodrow Wilson of the United States, Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of England, and Vittorio Orlando of Italy.  To be honest, I was never quite sure why Italy was considered for inclusion within this powerful fraternity. They didn’t seem to be a particularly relevant part of the alliance, and as the narrative progresses, Orlando and Italy seem to be somewhat demoted to minor characters in the proceedings.

Which, I guess, leaves the “Big 3”. Author Margaret MacMillan devotes ample and necessary page space to the backgrounds, the history, and the motivations of each of these main players. Let’s just say that the reader is left with an undesirable feeling for all three.  Altruism is the last thing any of them want, and it’s clear that this “new world” is going to have to have an arbitrary leader, and all three push for their respective country to have the main part of this still unwritten global play.

This book could have been about 1/3 the length that it was, but fortunately the author realizes that there are too many important stories to tell about too many countries, so most of the minor players get entire chapters. This is a good thing, despite the thickness of the overall finished product. There is so much to learn about the many countries that participated. My guess is that those who are somewhat familiar with “The War to End All Wars” still know very little about the doomed Ottoman Empire, the conflict between Japan and China (yes, they were in the war too), or about the role of such places like Rumania (now ‘Romania’).   Ask yourself this: do you think many people would have ever known who T.E. Lawrence was had it not been for the 1962 film “Lawrence of Arabia”?  Of course, now that the film is more than sixty years old, many younger people wouldn’t know anyway.  Never mind.

One huge benefit to this book is that the beginning contains a wide variety of maps of Europe and Asia both pre-war and post-war.  Never has a book needed this more than this one.  A huge part of the constant bickering at this peace conference revolves around settling disputes of territorial boundaries.  If I’m completely honest, it was a bit much after a while.  Once the chapter about the particular country would bleed into the meticulous details of what part of what country would change after the fighting, my head would start to spin. It was the least interesting aspect of this book, and it is covered in quite a lot of detail. Yes, it’s important and everything, just not very interesting; which is why the maps really do help.   

What’s (incredibly) more interesting is the stories of the important people, the places, the mood of the country before the war, why they fought on the side they did, and how they attempted to pick up the pieces once the guns stopped. 1919 (the year, not the book) really was a huge mess, and most would argue that it never was cleaned up the way it should have been. This would lead to the inevitable second world war a mere two decades later and, most would argue, still has horrible repercussions today.

The one thing about this book that surprised me was the lack (what I thought) of detail about the reparations placed on the shoulders of the big loser, Germany.  History has shown us that Germany was punished far too harshly for its part of the conflict, and that aspect is definitely covered in this book, it just didn’t seem like there was an incredible amount of detail that was focused on this particular aspect.  Such details would probably demand its own book, and I’m sure there have been many that have been written. I didn’t see this lack of detail as a disappointment, yet rather a surprise.

Overall this was a wonderful book on so many levels. It sadly makes you wonder if human nature can ever evolve to where powerful countries can every become less competitive and more caring. It seems as though in order to secure one’s place on the global map, one has to push their way forward in terms of strength, otherwise, the country will never get a proper seat at the negotiations table.  In other words, kill or be killed.

A fascinating, yet somewhat sad, look at human nature and how the inner demons of mankind led to one of the most globally destructive events in human history.

 

The Winter King

The Winter King – Bernard Cornwell

It’s not a surprise to me that my evolution as a reader has turned me towards historical fiction as my favorite genre of novels.  After all, history is my favorite category when it comes to reading, so why shouldn’t historical novels rank as my favorite?  So, like many, I found myself on YouTube one day and stumbled across a video of an avid fan of the genre who ranked his ten favorite historical fiction authors.  (He’s apparently such a fan, that he actually ranked more than twenty authors in his ‘top ten’).

When he got to number one, I confess I had never heard of Bernard Cornwell.  Fortunately, he has several books that are part of Kindle Unlimited, including a trilogy of books about the fabled King Arthur of England. I figured it was worth a shot.  I wasn’t disappointed. In fact, I look forward to reading a lot more by this author.  And apparently he has quite the output.  So many books, so little time.

Now, if you think about it, “Historical Fiction” is actually an oxymoron. So when one reads a book of this genre, there’s always the nagging question about who and what was real and what was a result of the author’s imagination.  In most cases, the author tells you this either at the beginning or the end of his book. It really does help.  I was a tad surprised when I found out that King Arthur is more legend than historical fact. I guess I’m not as learned as I thought when it comes to history.  So King Arthur, his knights of the round table, and the quest for the holy grail, doesn’t have a lot of data nor documentation to support the claims of what many of us regard as solid truth.

But again, it’s fiction.  What author Bernard Cornwell does is craft a wonderful story in 5^th century England with all of the colors, sights, and smells of the time and place.  We know that the Roman occupation had been over for more than a century, and England was strife with civil wars while fighting off foreign invaders – most notable the Saxons.

The Winter King details all of this.  It’s told in first person, mostly in retrospect, by an elderly monk who used to be a warrior who fought alongside Arthur.  The storyteller (which, is actually of course, the author himself) tells a wonderful story.  I enjoyed so many aspects of this book.  This was one of those books where nothing spectacular nor out of the ordinary occurs, but the writing is so good that you enjoy the ride regardless.  There are an awful lot of names and places to keep track of, so it can be a bit daunting at times.  Then, this is ‘old’ English, remember, so much of the pronunciations don’t easily roll of the tongue.

According to the cover of the book (on the Kindle), the book is supposedly a ‘tv series’.  How accessible this series is, and how old it is, I have no idea.  I dare to say that this book would make a great tv series since, instead of one single narrative, there are a lot of adventures and people throughout the book.  The only part of the book that I found less than enthralling was the final chapter which dealt with the ‘big’ showdown on the battlefield. I’ve stated in other reviews that ‘battles’ may be interesting to watch on the screen when handled correctly, but it’s always a bit of a chore reading when it’s mostly ‘action’.  Not a whole lot to reflect on as one skims through the pages.

Whoever the YouTube guy is/was, I’d like to thank him for the wonderful recommendation.  You’ll be seeing a lot more of this author’s work being reviewed by me in the foreseeable future.  Bernard Cornwell is an author you should definitely check out.

Sacred Fire

Sacred Fire – Ron Rolheiser

My favorite author of devotions. In fact, if I’m brutally honest, Catholic Priest Father Ron Rolheiser is about it the only devotional author that I enjoy when it comes to Christianity and spirituality.  No one speaks to my soul with quite the same punch and feeling.  Rolheiser is an author whose work, thankfully, is scattered amongst the interwebs and he (at least at one time) would pen daily or weekly devotions. Since he’s Catholic, Father Ron isn’t limited to ‘only’ what the Bible says. Sure, he reveres the Bible as God’s word, but like so many of the early church fathers and mystics, he knows that God has so much more to offer that what is in scripture.

Sacred Fire is a book about maturing as a believer. It’s a ‘part two’ of a series I believe, but Rolheiser’s musings don’t need to follow a sort of linear framework. This is a book that I can’t recommend to someone for any particular reason. It’s just a joy to read.  This is a book that you can pick up and read one chapter, but the book down for a month, and then pick back up without remembering anything that you previously read.  Each chapter (or even section) is adequate to read by itself.  Sometimes a book doesn’t have to have a ‘point’ or a ‘purpose’ and even though this book has both, it’s a bit refreshing knowing that you can read it in such an undisciplined way.  I seem to recall I ‘finished’ it about six months after I started, yet I still loved it.

Try this if you’re a Christian (you don’t need to be a Catholic):  Pick up one of Rolheiser’s books and read any chapter (kind of like what many say you can do with the Bible).  Don’t read it alone. Read it out loud with other believers.  My guess is that many in the room will exclaim “wow!” after a few paragraphs.  No one seems to understand the character of God and the fallenness of man better than this author.  His tone is incredibly gentle and loving.  This is not a book where you feel as though you’re being beaten over the head because you’re a “miserable sinner” who isn’t good enough and better be thankful that God is merciful.  No, this is an author who speaks to you in a tone that feels as though you’re being hugged by God while reading.

There’s an awful lot of good stuff here.  As a Christian, it honestly doesn’t surprise me how many people discount the faith because of those who are supposed to mirror Christ yet never seem to grasp how important that is.  If more lived their lives like Father Ron instructs us, people would like Christians a lot more.  We would probably like ourselves much better as well.

 

Lustrum

 

Lustrum – Robert Harris

This is the second book of Robert Harris’ “Cicero” trilogy.  I guess “trilogy” is the right word. For those that know Robert Harris know that he’s become quite the popular historical fiction writer.  I’ve probably read six or seven of his books and he has yet to disappoint me.  He has a bit of a fascination with the Roman empire and I think, as of me writing this review, he has written five books total on ancient Rome.  Fortunately for most, This one in particular doesn’t really require the reader to start with part one (Harris states so in the introduction).

Book two, like its predecessor doesn’t really tell a linear story.  In many ways, these books could serve as fodder as a television series. Marcus Tulius Cicero was a well renowned lawyer in the century preceding the life of Christ. How much of these books are fable vs. historical fact isn’t really something I can comment.  These stories are told firsthand by Cicero’s actual slave Tiro.  How Tiro ever came into service to Cicero is never mentioned yet he seems to be treated well.  He has a gift for, not only being able to scribe, but do so with a specialized form of shorthand which allows most interactions between Cicero and whomever to be recorded with painstaking accuracy and detail.  A rare accomplishment for such an ancient time.

The fact that this story is told in such a “primitive time”, believe it or not, is its main allure.  Oh sure, people didn’t have much to keep them entertained two-thousand years ago, but if there was one place to be that had much more to offer, it was the Roman empire.  The author lets us know throughout the story that such a place and people actually had quite a bit of luxuries.  It seems as though Rome in 60 B.C. probably had a lot more accoutrements than, say, most of mid Europe 1600 years later.  Unlike the stories in the New Testament that seemed to be surrounded by sand, dessert, and primitive possessions, Rome had so much more.

Yet these details are only color to the story.  The actual tales are politics.  That’s about it. One could argue much hasn’t changed.  Cicero is always planning, always scheming, aways trying to stay one step ahead of the other guy. Fortunately he’s rather smart and his schemes mostly pay off favorably. He also comes off as one of the “good” guys even though most of his motives are a far cry from what one would deem as altruistic.

There’s a lot to digest here.  It’s very hard to keep up with all of the characters. Unlike Book #1 though, at least this one has a ‘cast of characters’ at the end of the story.   It isn’t terribly necessary, though. Since this isn’t one linear story, as long as one can keep the recent actors fresh in their mind, the overall tales are quite rewarding.

If anything, this book is fascinating in that it gives us such a wonderful visual of a time so long ago.  The stories within the book are all entertaining (if you like law, politics, and all the filth that goes with it) and the setting makes it more memorable.  You may not become an immediate fan, but my guess is you’ll at least enjoy the scenery, and just might want to learn more about ancient Rome.

 

Sayonara

 

Sayonara – James Michener

If you’re a lover of books, I mean a REAL lover of books – especially of the historical fiction genre, no one has ever done it better than James Michener.  He’s well known for his thick, massive tomes. Each of these are usually centered around a distinct geographical location. He then tells of the history of the place through people, often spanning thousands of years.  I would think it would take a lifetime just to write ONE of these books. James Michener wrote over a dozen.

Yet sprinkled within these behemoths, mostly early in his career, he wrote a lot of lighter pieces as well.  Sadly, these books don’t quite give the same satisfying scratch to the proverbial itch.  Perhaps he was still learning his craft?  Quite possibly.  In addition to having the determination to the above-mentioned goliath-like novels, he didn’t begin penning them until late in his career. 

Sayanora was written earlier in his career and was, well, kind of contrived and formulaic. It’s at the tail end of the Korean conflict.  Lloyd Gruver is an officer who has flown several successful bombing sorties against the enemy.  He’s now ready for lighter duty.  He’s kind of the All-American boy who happens to be seriously dating a very attractive young debutante from another powerful military family. Marriage is in the works. So soon Gruver will be wealthy, with a beautiful wife, and have in-laws who are definitely well connected.

So early in the story, one of Gruver’s new ‘duties’ is to attempt to prevent a marriage by a young GI named Joe Kelly. It seems Kelly wants to marry a (gasp!) indigenous Japanese woman.  The horror!  A nice, respectable white soldier wants to marry……one of them??  Yeah, the world was still a pretty racist place back in the 1950s.  So Gruver does what he can once he gets transferred to Japan where all of this drama is occurring.

Well, let’s just say that Gruver begins to discover things about himself that he never fathomed.  As the pages turn, we see a changed man begin to occur.  I probably don’t need to describe much else here.  A liberating story, for sure, but one that’s a bit bland and predictable.

As we read about the Japanese culture and see many of the sights and imagine many of the sounds, we can at least begin to see the inklings of what this author would later become.  You can’t tell massive stories about places without knowing their history and culture and we at least see some of that within this story.

So I didn’t care for the story overall as it was too predictable. It would make great sappy Hollywood fodder had they made a film (maybe they did? I don’t know) around the 1950s even with its somewhat liberal ideas.  This book probably read much better half a century ago than it does today.  Nice ideas, nice lessons, but not necessarily an enrapturing read.  Decent, I suppose, yet nowhere as good as his later works that sucked you in so magnificently.

Golda

 

Golda – Elinor Burkett

I don’t think I’ve ever read a biography about someone with such a strong, overpowering personality as this effort about Israeli Prime Minister Gold Meir than this effort by author Elinor Burkett.  Golda Meir was fierce, opinionated, determined, yet mainly she was simply a human being who wanted the world to treat her and the Jewish people with dignity.

Meir was actually born in Kiev, part of the Russian empire right around the turn of the 19^th century.  For those who know history, they know that very few places and times have ever been kind to the Jewish people, and Russia was one of the worst.  As an introduction, we learn of young Golda’s torrent life; always fleeing from persecutions and pogroms, so much that her family, like so many of others, come to America to search for a better life.

Being a Jew has never been easy, regardless of locale. Yet Milwaukee is far better than Russia. Golda becomes a young adult right around the end of the first World War and the Balfour declaration which, well, I guess you could say was advantageous to the European Jewish population.  Golda quickly becomes an activist, and with her new young husband, sets off to Palestine to help the fledging young locale.  Such an effort demands grit and sacrifice.  She soon becomes a mother, yet Golda isn’t particularly suited for home life. As great as a leader as she would come to be (and we already see examples of this in her young adulthood) she wasn’t a very good wife and mother.

We can almost excuse this, though. There is a lot of work forming a nation for her dispersed people, and through a lot of coffee, cigarettes, and various ailments, Golda Meir has what it takes.  It’s not easy. It’s never easy. Being a woman definitely doesn’t help, but such a handicap is quickly overlooked due to her ferocious persistency. There is an awful lot of politics here, but that should be expected.

She rises in the ranks; eventually becoming Prime Minister, but again, nothing is never easy. We then must remember the turbulent history of Israel once it becomes a state. Imagine the whole world bullying you when the only thing your country is really guilty of is winning wars that other countries keep starting.  So Golda perseveres. She has a sharp mind and an acerbic tongue, yet she never really says or demands anything out of the ordinary that someone in her position would want.

A book that’s both sad and yet somewhat uplifting.  Sad because of the history of the Jewish people; never easy even in the twentieth century. Yet uplifting when someone with so much determination is able to make positive dents despite the insurmountable odds.  An incredible figurehead.