The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II

Book Reviewed by J.C. Danville

I reviewed this book that was not intended for me, well maybe, except the first part of the title: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to World War II".  It happens that I know more than many about WWII but was curious as I find it hard to explain things that should be easy and natural for me and I always try a look at how others do it.

This book will help the innocent and naieve look less so in a discussion around a beer after watching a film about World War II.  This is an American book written for Americans and skimms skims over many British operations.
Some of the chapter's titles will make you smile, tongue in cheek jokes and all, such as "Poles Apart" for the battle of Poland 1939.  It does makes it easier to read.  The whole book is pleasing and well done.  It starts clearly with the causes of World War II which dated back from World War I to it's bunched end to the UN and the beginning of the Cold War, and explains the nazi "doctrine".  It covers a lot of material in clear short bursts of writing with side-bars on people, statistics and some trivia that might even win you a quiz.

It skips over many controversial issues of the war, presenting it all in a very American crusade, black and white, good against evil (That it was!  Except maybe not all the evil was on one side.  Think Staline…). The extensive reading list at the end is possibly one of the great readymade assets of this book for the "idiot" to read.  Some internet links might have been included too, perhaps in the 4th edition?

As a reference book it is well constructed with a "contents at a glance" first followed by detailed content with an alphabetical index at the end.

I regret the absence of footnotes over some of the civilian slaughter and waste of assets from Allied strategic bombings (160000 airmen died from both the US and UK, nearly as many as half the total US casualties!), the delivery to the east block of refugees, and POWs originating from there directly for the goulag or execution squad, the arsenal for the democracies in 39-40? (All was to be paid and delivered by the buyer, the "cash and carry" law which allowed France to pay for but never receive hundreds of planes, the useless destruction of the old Manilla intramuros…)

Of course this was not intended to be something else than what its title said and in that it does the job!

The Fire Lord's Lover by Kathryne Kennedy

Fighting for control of a kingdom that is split into seven domains, Elven warlords use their human slaves to breed soldiers for their armies. Dominic Raikes, the half-blood son of the Fire Lord himself, is one such warrior. Betrothed to Lady Cassandra, he little suspects that she's been raised in outward purity and innocence, she was secretly trained as an assassin to murder his father…and him. But when she gets to court, they both discover that nothing is what it seems, least of all the person they married…

This was a fun, sexy romp in the hay, the garden, the bedroom… oh, just anywhere. If anything, I thought the sex scenes went a little over-the-top in the quantity and language, but that could be because I’m not accustomed to reading romance, let alone erotic romance.

That said, I enjoyed the tension in the love story and adventure aspects of the novel. The fantasy has a few original sparks in that magic has elemental affinities and the elves are angelic psychopaths instead of Tolkien-esque heroes or Shakespearian faeries. There are also nice moments of pathos between Dominic and Cassandra, such as:

‘“Now it’s my turn,” she softly whispered. “Tell me of Mongrel.”

Dominic started. “How do you know of my dog?”

“Cook told me …nay, do not be angry. She sought only to comfort me with a bit of knowledge about the stranger I married.”

He ran a hand over his forehead. Cook had known him since he was a lad, and although they treated each other with indifference, he’d always suspected that the redhead had a softer heart than she revealed. And Mongrel…just the name brought a memory of shared warmth and unquestioning loyalty. Words flowed from his mouth without thought. “The stable master tried to drown the runt, but he had more will to live than anyone credited. I found him on the bank of the Thames, weary and half-dead, and could only admire his spirit. I nursed him back to health and he shadowed me from that day on until he died…”

The vision of fire blackening fur and the sound of Mongrel whining in agony brought Dominic back to himself. But too late. For his wife held his cheek in one soft hand, and the sound of her sigh held too much sympathy. “I’m so sorry. You must have loved him so.”

Dominic jerked away from her touch.”

And the push and pull continues between the two of them, though there’s never any doubt how each feels. The greater question is whether they’ll survive, since Dominic’s father has a habit of burning everything Dominic loves. To find out what happens, you’ll have to read “The Fire Lord’s Lover.”

I look forward to Ms. Kennedy’s next, as this is the first in the Elven Lords Series.

Onaedo: The Blacksmith's Daughter by Ngozi Achebe

Maxine is a modern woman who will soon be reunited with her Nigerian father after a 30 year absence. Coincidentally, through an old friend, she discovers a box of ancient hand-written journals. She becomes intrigued when she discovered they were written over 400 years ago from a young woman in the same tribe as that of her father. As she reads the diaries, she finds herself drawn to the poignant tale that sweeps her into 16th century Africa to the roots of the slave trade.

The journal is that of a 15 year old girl, on the verge of womanhood, named Onaedo. Onaedo leads an idyllic life where she experiences first love, marriage, motherhood, and lives in relative peace with her family and friends. Her father is a talented blacksmith, renowned for his intricate work who wants her to marry an eligible man of equal wealth. Her kind, elder brother, Udemezue, escorts Onaedo and her best friend Adanma to a gathering. There, Onaeda meets her secret love, Dualo, a poor young man considered unsuitable to be her husband. Later, when Onaedo learns that Dualo has suddenly left town without word of his return, she reluctantly marries Amechi, a man who ultimately disappoints her.

But Onadeo makes the most of her unhappy marriage, until one day when Portuguese men pluck her from the land and abduct her.  She is placed on a slave shift and taken to Sao Tome where she is thrust into slavery.  But good fortune smiles upon her and she encounters a kind slave master and works as a servant inside the manor.

The novel is a gentle read, easy to escape into and relish its vibrant descriptions. Because the author, Dr. Ngozi Achebe’s roots are in Nigeria, her passion for the country and its history became evident on every page. As I read, I could not help but become enthralled with Onaedo whose adolescent life mirrors our own, but also differs because of fascinating cultural differences. There are strong, endearing characters, onerous villains, and plenty of ancient superstitions and beliefs that weave through this rich tale. But above all, this is the story of a humble, but wise, young woman who must endure incredible loss, who bravely faces an uncertain future and endures slavery in order to survive. The tale also encompasses the loss of the family and clearly depicts their pain as they search for their stolen loved ones.

I truly enjoyed reading this novel because of its unique setting and because it exposed me to a an old culture I knew little about. And that is the essence of what a good historical novels should do! The story ended soon after Onaeda became a slave, far too soon for me, and it left me longing to read on. However, I suspect that there will be a sequel which will continue Onaeda’s story, and I eagerly anticipate its release. Dr. Acebe has created a memorable, true to life, female heroine who defines innocence and courage and brings to life a colourful, but shameful era of history.  A very well written, endearing story.

In The Fullness of Time by Vincent Nicolosi

Book Reviewed by L. Gregory Graham

This book is about Warren G. Harding in the same fashion that the play ‘Waiting for Godot’ is about Godot. Our most dubious president of the twentieth century does make a brief appearance early in the book, but then his life is explored through flashback, recollection, hearsay and good old-fashioned gossip among the good people who live in Marion, Ohio. That is the hometown of Warren G. Harding, and of the main character.

Who is the book about then? It is about Tristan Hamilton, a man who decided very early in life that Marion, Ohio was the center of the universe; that all good things come from Marion; and who never changed his mind despite two world wars and a major depression. By turns he is cheerleader, apologist, campaign operative, and acolyte at the altar to Warren G. Harding. The president steals his lover, disappoints him repeatedly with his dalliances and philandering, and eventually leaves him wondering how a man with such a good start could end so badly. When there is nothing else to do, Tristan buries the president, builds his memorial, and becomes keeper of the presidential papers.

In addition to Tristan, there is his mysterious sister Adeline who may or may not have helped the president’s wife kill the president, and Mitzy von Leuckel, a local girl too ambitious and too pretty for her own good. The three of them swarm around Warren G. Harding like so many moths around a porch light.

A single question casts a long shadow across this entire book. Did Flossie, the president’s wife, kill him? The author coyly has Tristan vigorously defending Flossie for the entire book while at every turn repeatedly dipping into the supposed conspiracy from every angle. A secondary question is did Adeline help Flossie kill the president, and then kill a historian snooping around trying to implicate her in the assassination? Both questions remain unanswered leaving the reader swinging like an unlatched gate in an Ohio snowstorm.

Tristan’s recollection begins in November 1963 when the assassination of President Kennedy reminds him of all the controversy that surrounded the death of Harding. He spends much time on the similarities and the differences. He also reminds us again and again that Harding convened the first disarmament conference, initiated the first highway system in the United States, fortified Pearl Harbor, and reformed the Veteran’s Administration.

If this is beginning to sound like a big complex book, it is.

Tristan, the main character, remains a cipher at the end of 500 pages. One gets the impression that he would have fit in well with European nobility with his sense of honor, duty, and noblesse oblige. Why does he back Harding? It is hard to say. It may be because his father did, it may be because Harding is from Marion, and it may be because he likes the man. The reader is never sure. That sense of honor, duty, and perhaps a little blindness extends to the president’s wife, to his sister, and to some decidedly unpleasant facts about Harding’s administration.

This book is like an evening with your great aunt who wants to talk about a very old charm bracelet she is wearing. Every charm has a story surrounding it, and each story interconnects with the others in such a way that in the end it sums up to a telling of the wearer’s life. As such it is not a quick read. The reader will not find a story where the evil are punished and virtuous are rewarded according to some cosmic balance sheet.

Instead, you will find life. Good people make decisions that make sense within the logic of their lives. Opportunities are lost, bad judgments are made, people act heroically for the wrong causes, and still somehow people get on with their lives, and derive meaning from the chaos. It is a messy imperfect process in Marion, Ohio, and I suspect in the rest of the world also.

Contest Winner - The Last Leaf by Stuart Lutz

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to enter our contest and learn more about this incredible book.  

Interview with Stuart Lutz

Today I'm pleased to have Stuart Lutz, author of The Last Leaf, join us.

Stuart, The Last Leaf was one of the most memorable books I've ever read. What inspired you to write this book?

When I was young, my older relatives would, during family gatherings, tell me the stories of their lives, and this got me interested in oral history. My great-grandparents were married for 77 years, and they related what it was like to live in Russia before 1900, and how they came to America on a passenger boat (what I wouldn't do to hear their stories again!). They also told me about their first brushes with modernity, such as light bulbs, airplanes, and women suffrage. All things that we consider mundane today. Likewise, an older cousin had been in the Flying Tigers during World War II. When his plane was shot down, he parachuted out over China. He was tangled in a tree and remained up there for two weeks, surviving on rain water, until the Chinese underground rescued him. So I had a great history education right in my own boyhood home. It led to an ongoing interest in last survivors. When I was in college and took a Soviet history class, I was amazed to learn that the last Bolshevik died in 1991. He helped create the USSR, was responsible for the famines in the 1930s that killed millions, and watched the country crumbled. I thought that a book about last tales would be an interesting and unique concept.

What makes this a book that people MUST read and WHY?

I get emails and letters from readers (and authors are ALWAYS grateful to hear from people who have chosen to spend their rare free time with my book). One of the most gratifying messages states something like, "I knew about Pearl Harbor and the Hindenberg, but I didn't know there were two Iwo Jima flag raisings and the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. I learned a lot of history by reading your book." One of the goals of the book was to write about both the famous people (FDR and Harry Houdini) and important events (the Scopes Monkey Trial and the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake) in American history, but also to recount our forgotten history that was equally important. Such chapters include the Lusitania (the sunken ship that helped us get into World War I), the ENIAC (the first computer, and if you are reading this, you know how important computers are to our lives), and Philo Farnsworth (the inventor of electronic television who should be a household name like the Wright Brothers and Thomas Edison). This history is as important and influential as Babe Ruth and Amelia Earhart. I do think there is something for everyone in The Last Leaf. I also hope the book inspires older relatives to tell their younger kin the stories of their lives, much like what happened to me as a boy.

How did you research and find the people you have interviewed?

Finding final survivors was a long and challenging process. My first interview was in 1998 with the last pitcher to surrender a home run to Babe Ruth in Ruth's historic 1927 season, and the book was not released until this year. I have always been an avid newspaper reader, so I read about the final Babe Ruth pitcher in The New York Times; he was being honored at Yankee Stadium on the 50th anniversary of the Bambino's death. So I wrote to Mr. Hopkins and secured an interview. Other methods were more active than just reading the paper. I wanted to know if there were any last soldiers who served in World War I under Captain Harry Truman. I called up the Truman Presidential Library in Missouri and they said there was one last Battery D soldier, and gave me his name and hometown. So I wrote to Mr. Wooden and secured an interview. Google has also been very helpful, so there are times I enter in the name of an historically important event and the word "survivor", and sometimes I find local newspaper articles on a last participant. I then write to that person and secure an interview. Also, historical societies located near where an important event occurred have been terrifically helpful over the years.

What has been the biggest stumbling block in putting this book together?

If I had to pick one stumbling block, it was the sheer challenge of finding the "Last Leaves." The worst thing for me was reading an obituary and seeing that So-and-So was the final survivor of an event, and it would often be an event that I had not thought of. I had to be proactive, and come up with lists of famous people and historic events that *might* have very few survivors left. Then, I had to find them, if there were any people left, and convince them to be interviewed for a book project. I did find that once I tracked down people, they were overwhelmingly willing to be interviewed, with a few exceptions.

What is your current work in progress?

I would love to do The Last Leaf, Volume 2, and I have a list of about a dozen possible people for it, including the last man from the first NBA game and the final participant in the "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast. I would also like to write a book on the aftermath of the Vietnam War in the United States. It took the country a long time to recover from the actual war and the societal traumas caused by the conflict.

Can you tell us where to find more information about you and your books and how readers can reach you?

The book's website is http://www.thelastleaf.com/, and there you can read a sample chapter, see book photos, read my blog, and watch a two minute video. My email is TheLastLeaf@aol.com. I look forward to answering reader email.

We Have a Winner - PeaceWeaver by Judith Arnopp

Soft Fuzzy Sweater, you've won a copy of Peaceweaver by Judith Arnopp! Thanks for leaving a comment on her review. Please contact Lisa with your full name and mailing address, so Ms. Arnopp can send your copy.