Reviews (110)

A SUPERB BIOGRAPHY!!
I bought Alison Weir's THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII to read at the beach. I thought it would be helpful to have a refresher course on Henry VIII and his ladies from one of thebest popular historical writers and scholars. I could hardly put this book down. It is excellent and surpasses most novels in readability and intrigue. Since Henry was married to Katherine of Aragon the longest, there is more about her and I learned more than ever before about that stubborn, passionate, implacable queen. Henry seemed to have so much guilt attached to his marriage with her that one concludes that she was, as he himself said "buxom" in the bedchamber. She was a saint but also a woman. When Anne Boleyn enters the story, one tragedy unfolds after another.However, Weir did not explore all of the sufferings the English people experienced due to Henry's dissolution of the monasteries and break with Rome. I got more of a sense of Jane Seymour's personality from this book, and Anne of Cleves as well. I thought the treatment of Katherine Howard was too conventional, with the same old story of the slutty adulterous. Weir claims that Katherine became sexually active at age 12 or 13. I would not call that being sexually active, I call it being molested or raped. She was a child, for heaven's sake, and whatever happened to her, it may have contributed to some of her later behaviors. I felt sorry for Katherine Parr, who survived Henry only to be made to suffer by her true love, Thomas Seymour. An overall fantastic book - highly recommended!

Fascinating, well-written account of the lives of these six amazing women
Alison Weir is a master at turning historical information into well-versed, readable material.I bought this book and could not put it down for two weeks.We all learn such skewed facts about Henry VIII through ill-informed resources.Weir's unbiased, often shockingly truthful account of this period really opened my eyes to what it must have been like to live in King Henry's court.I can't recommend this book enough!

Impressive, though author doesn't give equal time to all wives.
This really is a decent, informative book on such a complex man and the women who shared his life. My only complaint is that the author focused too much on Ann Boleyn and not enough on the other wives. Still a good book, though! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 16th century    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Europe - Great Britain - General    5. Great Britain    6. Great Britain - History - Tudor And Stuart (1485-1714)    7. Historical - British    8. History    9. History: World    10. Marriages of royalty and nobility    11. Queens    12. Royalty    13. Wives    14. Women    15. Biography: royalty    16. British & Irish history: c 1000 to c 1500    17. England    18. Europe    19. European history (ie other than Britain & Ireland)    20. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Reviews (20)

Critical Reading for those who care about the US in 2004
For a thinking person, the revelations in this book should spawn probing questions about the Mossad's part in geopolitics from pre-9-11 to 2004. Ostrovsky outlines how the Mossad, unlike any other secret intelligence service in the world, uses the vast Diaspora as "assets" to do their bidding. It is organized so that the Diaspora (over 50,000 strong) become temporary Mossad agents on an as-needed basis. EXCELLENT BOOK
This is an excellent book, probably one of the best ones I have ever read. In my opinion it says the real story about israeli intelligence, how they think, how they act, and how dirty they play with everybody, even with people who have helped them. You MUST read this book.

Would Anyone Care to Hunt Dragons?
Without becoming one, that is. Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Espionage, Israeli    4. General    5. Historical    6. Intelligence Operations    7. Intelligence officers    8. Intelligence service    9. Israel    10. Politics / Current Events    11. Espionage & secret services    12. Ostrovsky, Victor   

Reviews (27)

Well researched and controversial
David Irving is with out question the most controversial (and as of this writing imprisoned) historians of the century.I have read all of his books and I will list the strengths and weaknesses of this one in particular.
In spite of the author's claims: inaccurate
I will not join the chorus of those who want to earn Brownie Pointsby saying: "see, what a bad boy he is...". Actually, I didn't see at first why the Austrians threw him into jail (perhaps trying to cover up for their grandparents who cheered the Anschluss by the millions?). After all, all one has to do is read the book to realize he does not deny the Holocaust, he merely says the name was invented in the early 70s... But: here is another British "expert", like John Keegan: inaccurate. I don't know when this started, because Captain Liddell-Hart was certainly very accurate...In any case (pictures after p. 606): Hans Ulrich Rudel was not a fighter ace. He flew the Stuka, an obsolete, slow dive bomber. Otto Skorzeny was not an SS general (the highest he rose was Colonel, and at the time of his perhaps greatest achievement - the Gran Sasso rescue of Mussoling - a Captain). Hungarian Regent Miklos Horthy was certainly not "Von Horthy" - if we want to use the German "von" (which Horth did not use), he was "Horthy von Nagybanya". Irving refers to "Koloman" Daranyi - his given name was Kalman, and "Koloman" is not a Hungarian name... [Sorry, Amazon's reviews unfortunately do not aparently permit ASCII characters over 127, so I could not quite reproduce the necessary accent marks]. The map on the inside back cover is all wrong. Some borders represent those after May 9, 1945, others those 4 years earlier - but at no single moment in history were the ones in Irving's book the borders in Europe. Could it be that the Austrians merely used the "Holocaust Law" as an excuse to throw him in jail for his inaccuracies (which by the way, go into the dozens, and educated Austrians recognize them - for example Otto Skorzeny was an Austrian, they know well that "Bratislava"- a name assigned only after the Versailles peace treaty - has never been German or even Austrian). The book may be worth buying - just barely - but it must be read carefully. The author, in spite of all the much-touted reasearch, just does not know enough...

Do Not Imprison Your Thoughts
How dare they!If a man's ideas and thoughts do not cause violence, who are they to imprison his body?Why restrict his ideas?What are they afraid of?Allow the scholars to refute his research and stop burning books by imprisoning the authors.
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Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. General    5. Historical    6. History    7. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (51)

torn from a family
Having read Becoming Madame Mao before reading Red Azalea blunted the impact.Both essentially use the same plot background.Nevertheless, Red Azalea was a good (and easy) read. The narration almost carries a feeling of a monotone in the telling but the blunt force of the brutal Mao regime balances any intimacies.We need to remind ourselves from what the Chinese are now recovering--and that cruelty and incredible backwardness still lingers in that society.That passion which is revealed is sad, for it comes from great loneliness and lack of family.
Honest but dry
It's clear to see that Anchee Min was a beginner when she wrote Red Azalea. If you appreciate vibrancy, you will not find it in this book. It is a stark autobiography that delivers in a very direct fashion. I would not recommend this for a reader who wishes to be entertained.

Red Azalea
Red Azalea is a wonderfully written book by Anchee Min.Her narrative is rich in description as it takes the reader into her world during Mao's reign.This was the first book I read about that period in China where we see how people had to camouflage their emotions in such a hard and cruel world.As a child growing up in the 70's, the rhetoric used scared everyone to think that the people in China were robots who didn't feel.I thought the Chinese lacked human emotion because I did not realize just how oppressive the government was on its people.
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Subjects:  1. 1949-1976    2. 1957-    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. China    7. Cultural Revolution, 1966-1969    8. Historical - General    9. History    10. Min, Anchee,    11. Personal narratives    12. Political    13. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs   

Reviews (31)

Not Just a History Book
I have read "A Midwife's Tale" so many times that it has fallen apart. I went on Amazon to see if I could find a hard copy to replace the one I wore to pieces. When I saw the reviews, I decided to put my two cents in.I was also compelled to puchase the video based on this book. The video did an excellent job of translating the book to video and putting a voice to Martha. Although I was intrigued by the concept of a complete diary of a midwife, I was not prepared for the impact it would have on me. As an alternative health care provider, I often use herbs to help patients and have actually assisted in the delivery of 3 babies. I am an older woman that has raised my children and now have grandchildren. Martha's life parallelled mine in so many ways. She had a hard time finding help, her children were less then obedient, particularily her eldest son. Premarital sex was rampant. Her husband seemed to often ignore her.He was perfectly happy in jail while she froze at home while her children neglected her. Her faith in a God carried her so many times. I began to casually start reading chapters whenever I was having a particularily difficult day, thinking to myself, "I wonder what challenge Martha overcame this chapter?" She touched my life in such a tender, loving, healing way even though our lives were seperated by 100's of years. I wonder if she ever thought who would read her diary in the future and what an inspiration she would be? I offer this book as a gift of a wonderful woman's life.

Tour de Force
In A Midwife's Tale: The Life of Martha Ballard, Based on her Diary, 1785-1812, Laurel Thatcher Ulrich finds a character who is at turns heroic, strong and exceptional. Yet, it is in the mundane details of Ballard's life as recorded in her diary that Ulrich finds her real value for a history of 18th century America. Historians had looked over Ballard's diary before, but they had never quite known what to do with the virtually endless trivia it recorded. However, Ulrich notes in the introduction that "it is in the very dailiness, the exhaustive, repetitious dailiness, that the real power of Martha Ballard's book lies." (9)
Martha, a unique woman
First, it is necessary to mention the period before the 18th century, when the typical puritan woman was more radical and moral, excluded from any participation in the political life of the colony, typically got married in her 20s, having children in two year intervals with an average of 8 children, which made the puritan population increase steadily. This increase also helped to cover the labor needs on colonial farms when land availability was a given. Women were more cooperative, supportive and faithful to their husbands.
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Subjects:  1. 1735-1812    2. Augusta    3. Augusta (Me.)    4. Ballard, Martha,    5. Biography    6. Biography & Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Hallowell    9. Hallowell (Me.)    10. Literary    11. Maine    12. Midwives    13. Sociology    14. Women's Studies - History    15. Ballard, Martha    16. Biography: historical    17. Social Science / Women's Studies    18. USA   

Reviews (11)

Perhaps she told us more than we need to know
By all means, if you "buy" Etty's diary, be sure to get the book that includes the letters (an early publication was the diary only, no letters). Even with the letters, the book ends abruptly and there is no closure, of course, but the letters provide a bit more about actual events she and her fellow victims were experiencing.The diary, on the other hand, explores more her philosophy on life, and less on the actual living conditions. Etty seemed particularly naive, considering she was 27 years old when she wrote the diary, when it came to personal relationships.It is "5 stars" if you appreciate this genre; if you are asked to read this for a school assignment, or a reading club, and you have no interest in this genre, you probably won't appreciate the book.This is not a book I would go back and re-read.Having said that, it was an important book to read.

Transformative
In these trying times, this book is a gentle reminder that terrible events have the curious power to make us better (more caring, more open, more alive) people. I was utterly transfixed by Etty's swift transformation from a self-absorbed whiner to a spiritual and philosophical mystic who transcended the horrors of her time. This Is Difficult to Get Into, But Well Worth Staying With
I found this book very difficult to get into.Like many spiritual journals this book seemed at first overly self-centered and indulgent; one page read boringly very much like the page that went before.Her sleeping around and her bizarre therapy with Spier put one off.And Etty herself felt very deeply, vehemently, passionately; reading her can be like drinking water from a fire hose.One might feel like giving up the battle, but it will be well worth your while to push on.More and more one begins to see astonishing signs of spiritual growth and maturity and then of extraordinary achievement and grace.Emotionalism passes into selfless and self-sacrificing love.She moves speedily from her first ability to say the word God to constant prayer and even to a mystical union, all the more significant for being so unrelated to any conventional religion.In the midst of ever increasing certitude about coming annihilation, and eventually amid the horrors of the transit camp of Westerbork, this young woman not only manages to preserve her sanity and keep herself from hating her persecutors, but somehow even comes to rejoice in the beauty and meaning of life.It is truly a wonder how anyone could manage to grow to such transcendent greatness of spirit in so short a time.How fortunate for us that it happened to a woman who felt so deeply, knew herself so clearly, and wrote so aptly, and whose writings from the midst of the Holocaust has survived to our time. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Historical - Holocaust    5. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)    6. Jewish holocaust (1933-1945)    7. Jews    8. Netherlands    9. Personal narratives    10. Biography: general   

Reviews (22)

review of wit and wisdom of Winston Churchill
The book is entertaining.It's the kind of book you don't just read through, but pick it up read a few sections at a time.

Utterly Delightful
A compact book with more than 1,000 quotations and anecdotes you can enjoy at any time.
Power of Words in the Majestic Battle of Ideas
In this book, James C. Humes gives his audience an excellent opportunity to conjure up a mental picture of Winston Churchill and his legacy.As a renaissance man, Churchill was more than a skilled politician and a gifted soldier.Perhaps more importantly, Churchill was a man of inspired words, whose work was ultimately crown by the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1953.Churchill often was far from politically correct and did not hesitate to say, write and do what he thought was right.Churchill's bluntness did not make him dear to everybody.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography/Autobiography    3. Europe - Great Britain - General    4. General    5. Great Britain - History - 20th Century    6. Historical - British    7. History & Theory - General    8. Political    9. Political History    10. Reference    11. Humor / General    12. Other prose: from c 1900 -    13. United Kingdom, Great Britain   

Subjects:  1. 1854-1932    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Composers & Musicians - General    6. Genres & Styles - Military & Marches    7. Historical - U.S.    8. Popular Culture - General    9. Sousa Band    10. Sousa, John Philip,    11. Biography: film, television & music    12. Composers & musicians    13. Reference / Bibliographies & Indexes   

Reviews (58)

A very powerful book
This book provides a fresh view of the German people during the Nazi era. I loved how Mr. Massaquoi despite being a victim of racisim pointed out that not all German people supported the Nazi government. Many of the movies and books on the era always give the impression that Hitler and the Nazi party ideals were supported 100% by all the German people. Mr. Massaquoi provides us his life story in a direct and straight forward manner. He gives a balanced view of the ill-treatment that all non-aryans suffered.

Destined to Witness: Growing up Black in Nazi Germany
This is a very powerful look at just how scary it was to be anything other than Aryan in Germany during those horrible dark days, before and during the war. The auther with thte help of his mother was so strong, It took such courage to just be seen in those days. The book reads so well, well written, and makes you want to grab them both and get them out of Germany, to keep them safe.

Destined to Witness : Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany
I could not put this book down - my love for reading has returned. It's an amazing book, one of pain, shock but also hope,success and wonderment. The human spirit can survive against all odds. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Blacks    6. Europe - Germany    7. Germany    8. Historical - Holocaust    9. National socialism    10. People of Color    11. Racism    12. Biography & Autobiography / People of Color   

Reviews (8)

Memoirs of Glueckel of Hameln
Fascinating description of an educated Jewish woman's life in the 1600's with an amazing amount of travel in Northern Europe pertaining to family matters and business.It was not a small world by any means.She was a bit effusive in her thanks and acceptance of her life with moralising, but her description of her life is outstanding.

Awellworth-reading document of historical significance
Almost all of the human beings who have lived on this earth have left behind no name or story. This is also true about the vast majority of Jews even when the Jews are a people for whom remembrance is a sacred act. The great great majority of Jews who have lived on this planet too have no names and no stories.
A window into the past
I loved this book.Perhaps I should say that I like old memoirs and journals, particularly by women [and there are so few of them!] and that I also enjoy reading historical documents and about history of certain places and certain centuries.That may be one of the biases of these lines.I might also add I am not Jewish.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1646-1724    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Germany    6. Glueckel,    7. Historical - General    8. Jewish - General    9. Jews    10. Jews in Germany    11. Women    12. of Hameln,    13. Biography: historical    14. Biography: political    15. European history: c 1500 to c 1750    16. Glueckel    17. Jewish studies    18. Social Science / Women's Studies   

Reviews (1)

A BALANCED PORTRAIT
DORA LIVES is a posthumous biography on Miki Dora, a pioneering surfer from the 1950s and 1960s, and on page 23, it says this about artistic temperament:
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    3. Historical - General    4. Photo Techniques    5. Photography    6. Sports - General    7. Water Sports    8. Photography & Photographs   

Reviews (14)

Great Summer Read
The fact that I was able to read through this book in one sitting speaks volumes for how fascinating the first authorized biography on Laura Bush is.
Interesting information, but poorly written
I enjoyed reading all the many things the popular media has chosen to not report at all or has chosen to distort.However, Laura should have chosen a better writer!Kessler's writing style is very choppy.The book doesn't flow well at all.In spite of that, I am still glad that I read the book.

Not A Stepford Wife!
With his usual attention to the everyday details that really paint the picture of his subject, Kessler delivers a flattering and interesting portrayal of the extremely likeable Laura Bush. How refreshing to read about someone on the national scene who isn't driven by ego and attention seeking! Don't miss this one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1946-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Bush, Laura Welch,    7. First Ladies    8. Historical - U.S.    9. Political    10. Presidents' spouses    11. U.S. President    12. United States    13. Women    14. Women And Politics    15. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

Reviews (2)

founder of modern Europeanism?
Derek Wilson's biography on Charlemagne proves to be well written and nicely researched book. Its pretty short but to the point. The life story of Charlemagne related to this book probably won't add much to those who got a good background on his life already. It basically geared toward novice readers on the subject. However, what make Wilson's book bit more interesting was how he related Charlemagne's concept of an European empire into today's context. The book spent much time discussing the elements of modern European Union concepts and how it traced back to Charlemagne's. The book also followed the mythology of Charlemagne as each secceding would-be European conquerors would used him as an example, guide or symbol to their own needs. In some ways, the author made this ruler of Dark Age Europe, important to the way we see the economic and political unity of Europe today.
They've been thinking about this for over 1000 years!
The nations of Europe have been homes to various wars for centuries, until a bunch of the countries got together after the Second World War to create a common economic market, and perhaps prevent any more of these conflicts. It created a form of European identity that has now become the European Union. But the *idea* of Europe, a unified area of diverse cultures that nevertheless falls under the rule of one authority, can be traced back to Charlemagne, the Frankish emperor of the late 8th and early 9th centuries. In his new book, Charlemagne, Derek Wilson examines the emperor's life, but he also examines the myth of Charlemagne through the ages. He looks at how subsequent rulers have used the Charlemagne for their own ends, and how his attempts to conquer and hold together as much of Europe as possible, to have one Europe, has been a precursor to what we have now. Many rulers have tried to duplicate his achievements, but none of them have done so as completely, or perhaps as fairly, as Charlemagne did, even if it was done through conquest.
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Subjects:  1. 742-814    2. Ancient - General    3. Ancient Rome - History    4. Biography    5. Biography & Autobiography    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Charlemagne,    9. Emperor,    10. Europe - History    11. France    12. Historical - General    13. Holy Roman Empire    14. Kings and rulers    15. Biography & Autobiography / Historical   

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Biography/Autobiography    5. Business    6. Business Executives    7. Chief executive officers    8. Computer Industry    9. Corporate & Business History - General    10. Grove, Andrew S    11. Historical - General    12. Intel Corporation    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / Business    15. Biography: general    16. Business & Management   

Reviews (6)

Hapsburg or Habsburg?
I really enjoyed this book, there was only a minor matter which rather annoyed me. I wonder why nobody seems to have taken the trouble of checking the proper spelling of all those European names?
Reads more like a novel than a biography
Top of Form
Captivating HerStory
I first learned about Sissi during my senior year of high school when my German teacher had a connection with someone in the international airline biz and could get her students back issues of German magazines like "Der Spiegel" and "Gala."I grabbed an issue of Gala and there was the most enchanting woman on the cover.It turned out to be Romy Schneider and the magazine was celebrating the 100th anniversary of Sissi's death.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1837-1898    2. Austria    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Elisabeth,    8. Empress, consort of Franz Jose    9. Empress, consort of Franz Joseph I, Emperor of Austria,    10. Empresses    11. Francis Joseph, 1848-1916    12. Historical - General    13. History    14. Royalty    15. Women    16. 20th century    17. Austro-Hungarian Empire    18. BG-JUVENILE PROP - BG-JUVY YOUNG FICTIO    19. Biography: historical    20. Biography: royalty    21. Elisabeth    22. European history: c 1750 to c 1900    23. History / General    24. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (23)

Chronicles Rule!
I bought a second one for a friend a week after the first copy arrived.Great, concise book.

A useful Reference document
This is a useful reference that places the lives of the Roman Emperors in chronological order. The detail is useful but not onerous and it is quite an easy read.

Great book for curious beginners in Roman history
This book is a superb addition to the library of history buffs.The book is short but packed with information on many different topics on the Roman Emperors.The book covers all Roman Emperors and does contest some myths commonly held regarding some of the more well-known emperors.The book spends a proportionate amount of time in the book compared to the emperor's rule and importance.In each mini-biography of rule, Scarre adds sections concentrating on interesting aspects of that person's rule.For instance, Augustus' section discusses the early lineage of emperors by tracing and discussing the Julio-Claudian family tree.Trajan's section has a two page insert on Trajan's Column.The book acts as a great reference of Roman leadership.Scarre adds hundreds of images consisting of both artistic renderings and archaeological finds from all periods of the Emperors' rule.Scarre ends with a highly abbreviated discussion of the last emperors of the split Roman empire.
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Subjects:  1. Ancient - Rome    2. Ancient Rome - History    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Emperors    6. Empire, 30 B.C.-476 A.D    7. Historical - General    8. History    9. History: World    10. Presidents & Heads of State    11. Roman emperors    12. Rome    13. Royalty    14. Ancient Rome    15. Biography: historical &nbs