Reviews (8)

An Interesting Story, But Lacking Depth
Although Breen, I'm sure, is a fine journalist, this particular work is little more than a compliation of Kim Jong-il news wire snippets and passages from memoirs.Breen offers little in the way of biography other than material provided by DPRK itself. Granted, Kim Jong-il is enigmatic, however Breen's work would have been substantially furhtered had he persued his psycho-political research.The author's brief passages subjecting Kim Jong-il to J.D. Barber'sThe Presidential Character methodology was clever and thought provoking.Had he been able to move his argument further in that direction, perhaps drawing new scholarship into the picture, a clearer picture of Kim Jong-il would appear.Still, Breen's descriptions of his own travels through North Korea were enlightening. As it is indeed, "the hermit kingdom" any description of the North proves intersting.In conclusion, for a good compliaiton of Kim Jong-il info, Breen serves well, but if one is looking for a more indepth biography, it would likely be best to look elsewhere.

Entertaining reading but not particularly insightful
Michael Breen is well qualified to write about the Korean peninsular, having lived in Seoul for many years, and visiting North Korea several times.Although no scholar (he is a former journalist) Breen is also the author of "The Koreans - Who they are, what they want, where their future lies", an excellent commentary on South Korea.
Horrible and ill-informed
I purchased this book with the intent of providing some back ground on Kim Jong-Il as I was reading his official North Korean biography, and foolishly thought this would be one additional perspective.
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Subjects:  1. 1942-    2. Biography    3. Business & Economics    4. Business/Economics    5. Dictators    6. General    7. Government - International    8. History & Theory - Radical Thought    9. Kim, Chong-il,    10. Kim, Chæong-il,    11. Korea (North)    12. Korea - History    13. Political Ideologies - Communism & Socialism    14. Politics / Current Events    15. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    16. Business & Economics / General    17. Business & Management    18. North Korea   

Reviews (4)

Excellently Honest
Anyone who doubts that North Korea is an "Axis of Evil" needs to read this book. Kang gives a straightforward first-person account of his life inside an aquarium called North Korea, where there is only fear, propaganda, corruption, prisons, hard labor and starvation. He gives us his memoir of enduring all these hardships and his astonishment at the freedoms of South Korea, which present him with new challenges. If you want to know the truth about North Korea, it doesn't come much closer than this first-hand experience.

A very disturbing look into the world's last Stalinist country
Aquariums of Pyongyang is the story of one man's life through ten years of captivity in a North Korean gulag....an incredible story of struggle against man's inhumanity to man. Many who read this book will probably view his family as highly naive for leaving Japan for North Korea and in believing North Korean propaganda over what they heard firsthand from people who had been there. On the docks before leaving, they were warned about going back and about the conditions to be found in North Korea. But, the elder family members were ardent supporters of Kim Il-Sung, and believed the propaganda put out on a daily basis. Little did they know they were putting their kids into a deathtrap from which they would have to endure many years of beatings and privation at the hands of the guards. The reeducation lessons are particularly noteworthy, as readers can gain valuable insight into how this regime works. Even dead people were not immune from being used to inculcate hate.....the picture of the prisoners being forced to throw rocks at the people hanging on the gallows (because they were enemies of the state no less, even when dead!) until they were unrecognizable is one of the most chilling things I have ever read. All in the name of propping up one of the worst ideologies the world has ever known.
Wow
An exceptional book.A first hand account of life in a NK concentration camp.The account is horrifyingly similar to other diaries of Nazi concentration camps and the Russian Gulag, but fifty years closer to the present. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Christianity - General    4. Personal Memoirs    5. Religion    6. Travelers    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    8. Biography: historical    9. Human rights    10. North Korea   

Reviews (13)

Powerful
This is the most moving autobiography that I have read in a long time. It is brave, haunting, inspiring, and illuminating. It gave me an intimate look at a life I could have never have imagined. More than any textbook or news cast, it helped me to understand what life is like for people in a cruel dictatorship.Salbi has transformed the evil she endured and created an amazing organization that helps women around the world. I feel privileged to know where that strength, dedication and passion comes from. Thanks to Salbi for sharing her story and for all of the work that she does! She is a beacon of hope!

The "missing" book about life in Iraq
"Between Two Worlds" is to the body of writing about Iraq as "The Diary of Anne Frank" was to writings about the Holocaust. This is the missing, personal book that pulls everything together and gives readers a woman and a family to hold on to.
outstanding memoir
In this poignant and perceptive memoir, an Iraqi activist recounts growing up under Saddam Hussein's regime.When her father becomes Saddam's personal pilot, they begin to spend regular time with the President and his inner circle.I had to admit that I was primed to expect some pretty gory scenes.Instead the gatherings come across as any dysfunctional family get together which naturally a teenager would rather do anything than have to attend.The violence, what there is of it, happens at the edges of the action. The intimidation comes more from what could happen than what actually does. None of it happens to Salbi, although the strain of being Saddam's "friends" causes rifts in her parents' relationship.
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Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Abused women    3. Arranged marriage    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Ethnic Cultures - General    9. Iraq    10. Iraq - History    11. Middle East - General    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Social conditions    14. United States    15. Women    16. Women - 20th Century History    17. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (24)

Excellent overview
For one who does not know the details of the history of Iraq, this book provides an excellent overview. Dr. Polk does a good job of explaining rather briefly the panorama of the people who evolved into today's Iraq. Everyone should read this book along with others about Iraq history. I look forward to reading the _How to Get Out of Iraq_ co-authored by Dr. Polk.

Good historical overview right up until that Gulf War thing...
1. Who edited this book? Numerous spelling errors.
A Primer on Iraq
I saw Dr. Polk on C-SPAN a month or two ago.He was addressing a gathering of concerned and apparently well-heeled citizens in the New York Museum of Art--as I recall.He had the crowd and the moderator in the palm of his hands.I found him to be a compelling speaker who obviously was very versed in the subject matter of Iraq.He seemed to genuinely care about the Iraqi people--and the Amercian people.His speech and this book was about correcting our "present march of folly"--to steal from Barbara Tuchman's fine book title.
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Subjects:  1. History    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Iraq - History    5. Middle East - General    6. History / General   

Reviews (8)

Not happy
I ordered this book twice, especially because the picture shows the book with a blue cover which is the Cambridge Press edition.The books I received were not from Canbridge Press and did not have the Appendix III which is the genealogy. These books came from paperbackshop in England. I feel that the genealogy is a very important part of this book and should always be included.

Gripping Tale of the Rise & Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem
This second volume of Steven Runciman's three-volume history of the crusades is a masterful piece of scholarship and historiography.If all historians read Runciman's History of the Crusades and learned of his style, there would be fewer complaints from readers that histories are dry, crusty stories. The Counter-Crusade
Trite as it may seem, this book could accurately be subtitled, "The Arab Empire Strikes Back."Having been introduced to the knights of the First Crusade in the first instalment, the reader rejoins Kings Baldwin and Bohemund, their issue and successors and endures with them the steady erosion and corruption of the Frankish East.Meanwhile, the Arab Caliphs, despite their internal political divisions, undergo a military renaissance, leading, at the very end of this instalment, to the advent of Saladin, the fall of Antioch and the ultimate capture of Jerusalem.Among the highlights in this period are the steady evolution of the special military orders such as the Hospitallers and Templars, and (on the Muslim side) the Assassins. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Crusades    2. Europe - General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History: World    6. Medieval    7. Middle East - General    8. Europe    9. European history: c 500 to c 1500    10. History / Middle East    11. Middle East    12. c 1000 CE to c 1500   

Reviews (1)

Not bad
This book could be considerably better.But it gives me a chance to show that I can be generous, and give five stars to any book that makes a serious effort to inform its readers.This book does that.
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Subjects:  1. Arab-Israeli conflict    2. History    3. History - General History    4. History: World    5. Israel    6. Middle East - Israel    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    8. Postwar period, 1945 to c 2000   

Reviews (39)

Incredible tale!
This is an incredible story of the June 7, 1981, operation that took out Saddam Hussein's nuclear reactor and, as a result, probably alone kept him from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
WHO ARE THESE?
I picked this up having tried to find something to read that was substantive, historical but that was not too dry and long (many pages).I read this quickly one weekend, was a page turner.Seems very relevant today given what some rogue nations are planning these days.
A Fascinating Story Limited by Constant Errors
This account of Operation Babalyon is a fascinating story of the people and circumstances that lead to Isreal's decision to bomb the Iraqi nuclear reactor.The author, Roger Claire, states that he had extensive contact with the pilots and the various decision makers involved in the operation.
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Subjects:  1. History - General History    2. Middle East - Israel    3. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    4. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    5. Political Science    6. Politics/International Relations    7. History / Middle East   

Reviews (26)

A time capsule
I have always loved this book - I took Robert Fernea's class at UT in 1973 and this was the textbook.Actually, I did not do so well in the class and I discovered this book after I left college, but it is so well written I read it over and over.
A Great Ethnography
The Guests of the Sheik is a great ethnography about a newly wed American couple who visit a small Iraqi village called El Nahra, and the American couple's encounters with a third world country. While adapting to the new custom's like the clothing, the Arabic language, the Muslim religion, the celebrations, and getting along with the people. The story was mainly centered around Elizabeth Fernea (the wife) because she does not know the culture well unlike her husband Bob (the husband) who is an anthropologist.
Great book
I really loved this book. She travelled as a new bride with her anthropologist husband to Iraq in the 1950's or '60's, I believe. She had so much to learn and go through adapting to a new culture. It's great that she's there because her husband would never have been allowed to talk to the women. They were very segregated, so Ms. Fernea learned all about the half of the society that male anthropologists usually can't even learn about due to lack of access. She made friends, had to relearn how to cook rice (different water amount), and you really get a personal look at the culture. She kept in touch with many of her friends from that time. I can't wait to read her other books. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthropology - Cultural    2. Ethnic Studies - General    3. General    4. History - General History    5. Iraq    6. Middle East - General    7. Nahr    8. Nahr (Iraq)    9. Social Science    10. Social life and customs    11. Sociology    12. Women    13. Social Science / Ethnic Studies   

Reviews (7)

An honest witness to the struggle of Israel
Daniel Gordis is a Jewish writer and educator. When he brought his family to Israel for a year he did not know the dramatic turnabout they would come to face. The terror- war which the Palestinians launched when the Clinton brokered peace - process broke down in late September 2000 means his family is exposed to a kind of violence they had never imagined. In clear and informative E- mails to friends he tells the story of this year of what his family goes through. A person of the liberal left, a super- tolerant idealist he comes to understand that it is not enough for one side to want peace, but rather that both sides must. He becomes more passionate in his defense of Israel when he understands that really it is a country subject to aggression fighting for its own life . He too confronts the hard questions of his own family members, his childrens' suspicions that they are being sacrificed on the altar of their parents idealism. This book is important precisely because Gordis is clearly such a ' man of peace and good- will'. And because it shows how complicated and difficult the struggle ofIsrael is for life and peace.
A moving story
Yes, this is a splendid account of what it has been like for the Gordis family, moving to Israel from California.And it's worth reading.
A personal and informative account of life in Israel
Began as e-mails back home to family, this book's strength is the description of day-to-day life in Israel through good times and bad.For the book, Gordis intersperses the letters with political commentary to give some context to the letters' time of writing.More personal than David Horovitz' A Little Too Close to God, it is similar in bringing the political and personal together as a family debates the wisdom of staying in Israel when the peace process goes bad.You will get drawn into experiencing the emotions and ambivalences the Gordis parents and children have about their life.Very readable! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1993-    2. Arab-Israeli conflict    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Ethnic Cultures - General    8. Influence    9. Israel    10. Jews    11. Jews, American    12. Literary    13. Middle East - Israel    14. Personal Memoirs    15. Social life and customs    16. Correspondence    17. Current Events / International    18. Gordis, Daniel   

Reviews (8)

Terrified and terrifying
Prof. Chandler gives us a remarkably deep analysis of Pol Pot's secret prison S-21, which within the autogenocide of the Cambodian people stands out as a haunting symbol. It reflected the unlimited paranoia of Angkar and its schizophrenic regime that 'was at once terrified and terrifying, omnipotent and continually under threat'. Disturbing
David Chandler has made extensive use of the archives of S-21, with photographs and "confessions" to show the absurd paranoia of the leaders in Democratic Kampuchea. An excellent book, with some aspects that put me off, though: blunt anticommunism, some assertions about Soviet, Chinese and Vietnamese leaders that are rather anecdotal than based on serious historic scholarship, and weird comparisons between the turturers at S-21 and psychoanalysts.

The Psychology of Horror
David Chandler's "Voices from S-21: Terror and History in Pol Pot's Secret Prison" is a good book for a novice like me. Chandler starts by framing the book around the S-21 institution and its configuration. Chandler then dedicates and entire portion to the memoirs of the purges; the allegation santebal leveled at prisoners; and the various approaches of "politics" and"torture." The book concludes with short commentary of the "why" of S-21. Chandler's "Voices from S-21" is effectively a detailed history of the inner workings of the Khmer Rouge's secret police. Known as "santebal", and working out of a prison complex called S-21, the Khmer Rouge killed, tortured and interrogated "enemies" of the Democratic Kampuchea (DK). Due to the secretive nature of the Khmer Rouge, S-21 was "the place where people went in but never came out" (p. 7) - and this is an important issue to consider. Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - General    2. Asia - Southeast Asia    3. Cambodia    4. Genocide    5. Government - Comparative    6. History    7. History - General History    8. History: World    9. Political persecution    10. Political prisoners    11. Torture    12. Violence in Society    13. 20th century    14. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    15. Central government    16. History / Asia    17. Political imprisonment   

Reviews (1)

An important book to discern truth
Iraq 2003 was a long time acomin' and will be a long time agoin'. Last night, before writing these lines, I watched BBC World. It showed one of its extended conference call interviews with media people in the US, the Arab world and Europe. Subject: the effects of Iraq 2003 on the media.Participants from the large media groups were worried about safety of their staff - some are still being killed. Those from Washington were worried about how they can extend embedding. The obvious response "embed on both sides," say Fridays and Saturdays with the US forces, Monday to Thursday with their opponents, was never mentioned. Why? Because the issue of reporting from all sides has never really been tackled. Arab speakers in the program focused on the politics of what's happening now in the region and its connections with the war, an understandable choice coming straight after the death of Arafat and the re-election of Bush.
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Subjects:  1. Globalization    2. History    3. History - General History    4. Iraq War, 2003    5. Iraq War, 2003-    6. Mass media and the war    7. Middle East - General    8. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Reference   

Reviews (75)

Enthralling read, with a few blemishes/Worth the re-reading/Intriguing and provocative
I'd heard many comments about Mike Tucker's courage and about AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ. As I'd previously read, and been impressed by HELL IS OVER: VOICES OF THE KURDS AFTER SADDAM--what attracted me to that book was former US Senator Bob Kerrey's praise of Mike Tucker's courage--I felt compelled to read AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ.
Poorly Written
This book suffers from poor or perhaps no editing.The writting is just poor.There are many incomplete sentences and paragraphs are often poorly structured and fail to convey any organized thought or idea.
Splendid combat narrative. Rewards in the re-reading, also. Five Stars.
AMONG WARRIORS IN IRAQ by Mike Tucker, the only author
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Subjects:  1. Army    2. Campaigns    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Iraq War, 2003    7. Iraq War, 2003-    8. Middle East - General    9. Military - Iraq War    10. Personal narratives, American    11. United States    12. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    13. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Iraq    15. The Americas   

Editorial Review

For years the popular myth surrounding the Vietnam War was that the Joint Chiefs of Staff knew what it would take to win but were consistently thwarted or ignored by the politicians in power. Now H. R. McMaster shatters this and other misconceptions about the military and Vietnam in Read more

Reviews (49)

How we stumbled into the Vietnam War
H.R. McMaster's "Dereliction of Duty" is an excellent account of the Johnson Administration's run-up to - and failures preparing for - the Vietnam War.McMaster (a U.S. Army major when he wrote the book, now a colonel) details the decisions and actions of President Johnson, Secretary of Defense McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other presidential advisors from 1963 to 1965.
THE LAST STEP TOWARD WAR
Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies That Led to Vietnam by H. R. McMaster is an exceptionally well researched and well written book.One certainly gets the impression that McMaster has studied the main decision makers of Vietnam so well that he wrote about them with the familiarity and insight that is normally only reserved for siblings. While a bit long, this book explains the blow-by-blow decision making that led to the Vietnam War.
Well Documented But Highly Slanted
McMaster has taken upon himself the task of blaming the civilian leadership in the U.S. for the disaster in Vietnam.How they misled and lied to the public and ignored the advice of the military.
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Subjects:  1. 1963-1969    2. Asia - Southeast Asia    3. History    4. History - General History    5. Military    6. Military - Vietnam War    7. Politics and government    8. United States    9. United States - 20th Century/60s    10. Vietnam War, 1961-1975    11. Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975    12. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    13. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    14. Central government policies    15. History / General    16. International relations    17. USA    18. Vietnam   

Reviews (6)

Understanding Vietnamese writers
I bought this hoping to learn more about the Vietnamese people and their history. I got bogged down with all the poetry and prose quoted by the writer. While he brushes off the importance of the battle of Dien Bien Phu in a couple of lines; he drones on quoting (translating) obscure Vietnamese writers until the reader becomes weary. His premise seems to be that if you understand some writer (who he thinks is interesting) and attach importance to what he said then you will understand Vietnam. His annoying treatment of Yin and Yang finally caused me to put the book down and look for another way to understand Vietnam. If you like words such as "efficacy" and "entropy" you will love this writer; if such words irritate you, give this book a pass.

WOW
This book's focus on contemporary Vietnamese literary sources through the years makes it absolutely unique in the field. Its blend of straight history narrative and multiple-voice literature excerpts fleshes out Vietnamese society in a way that was sorely needed in the field. To those well-read in Asian studies: this book can almost be seen as a Vietnam analog to Patricia Ebrey's book "Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook," which is a collection of contemporary Chinese sources through history. Excellent!!! Very accurate!!! Must Read!!!!!!!!
I think this book is amazing! Jamieson accuately protrays Vietnam and Vietnamese culture through the eyes and views of the Vietnamese in a way never before written by a Westerner. He is articulate of the moods and feelings faceing the Vietnamese, well educated in the arts and literature of Vietnam, understands the importance to the core family structure, and scholarly in his research of what it means to be Vietnamese. I highly recommend this book if you want to understand the Vietnamese people who live in Vietnam, in the US, or anywhere... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast Asia    2. History - General History    3. History: World    4. Military - Vietnam War    5. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    6. Anthropology    7. Asian / Middle Eastern history: postwar, from c 1945 -    8. Social Science / Anthropology / General    9. Social history    10. USA    11. Vietnam    12. Warfare & Defence