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I'll give this 1 more star than some other young adult histories - I'm a bit taken aback by a brace of these, but this is one of the better ones. In the process of making these books more accessible, they have non-historians writing them, and as a result, they make some obvious errors.
I happen to have studied quite a bit of WWII history, and I still have more to learn. I did get a better understanding of the Soviet perspective, but the account is marred by what are to me obvious errors, which leads me to question how much of the rest of it is faulty. As an example, the author characterizes a Panther as a 'light tank' - well, perhaps compared to the Tiger, or some of the Soviet behemoths, it certainly was lighter than those -- but not compared to most other Allied or German or Japanese tanks. At more than 44 tons, it was one of the heavier tanks in the war. If you can't get something like this correct - a relatively objective description - what else didn't he get right?
It is important to note that more than 1 'history,' including this one, 'defines' 'communism' as 'ownership by the community as a whole.' This is, at best, a gross oversimplification, of some idealized version of "small 'c'" communism. But in this context, this is simply disingenuous. By the 30's, it was clear that 'the community' (in some kind of democratic or representative form) certainly did not run any 'communist' country, or anything else - they were all controlled and dictated by the State, by then in the name of Stalin and The Party in the USSR. This is beyond trying to be balanced by giving a neutral definition of communism -- again, by the 30s, there simply hadn't been any 'communist' government or economic system that was owned or run by 'the people' - unless one is using the euphemism to refer to 'My People' - and it is misleading to define it as such in the Glossary.
This kind of error permeates this genre - oversimplification & an attempt to be politically correct mars what could otherwise be a decent overview & introduction to the Russian Front.
So, it gets 1 star for a decent overview, and some glimpse at the horrors of Stalin's Soviet Union, but minus 1 for the misleading 'definition' of 'communism' (without any attempt to provide further context to the use of that term), minus another 1 for getting some of the obvious objective details wrong, which leads to another minus 1 for raising questions about its accuracy.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
I'm a bit taken aback by a brace of 'young adult' histories. In the process of making these books more accessible, they have non-historians writing them, and as a result, they make some obvious errors.
Here, this is compounded by breezy, slangy, writing, and what appears to be a 'leftist' slant, notwithstanding some attempt to provide a balanced view of the pros & cons advanced at the time.
Some other reviewers have commented on the choppy style & graphic packaging, so I won't belabor that here.
But I do think it important to note that more than 1 'history' 'defines' 'communism' as 'ownership of the means of production by the people.' This is, at best, a gross oversimplification, of some idealized version of "small 'c'" communism. But in this context, this is simply disingenuous. By the 30's, it was clear that 'the people' (in some kind of democratic or representative form) certainly did not 'own' the means of production, or anything else - they were all owned, controlled, and dictated by the State, by then in the name of Stalin and The Party in the USSR. This is beyond trying to be balanced by giving a neutral definition of communism -- again, by the 30s, there simply hadn't been any 'communist' government or economic system that was owned or run by 'the people' - unless one is using the euphemism to refer to 'My People' - and it is misleading to define it as such in the Glossary.
This kind of error permeates this genre - oversimplification & an attempt to be politically correct mars what could otherwise be a decent overview & introduction to the New Deal.
So, it gets 1 star for a decent overview, and some glimpse at the various controversies, but minus 1 for the misleading 'definition' of 'communism' (without any attempt to provide further context to the use of that term), minus another 1 for the slang - most of which is out of context & wouldn't be recognized by people in the 30s, minus another 1 for the otherwise breezy, casual, writing style, and minus another 1 for the choppy presentation.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
Quirky French graphic novel. Decent translation, but takes a bit to get into the rhythm & flow of the plot, which twists & turns all the way to the end! Tardi's artwork superb. Recommended.
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(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
Ranks right up there with Charlie's War as the best of graphics novels for taking you Over There. Wonderful artwork, and the translation works well. Highly recommended.
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(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
As another reviewer has said - regardless of original format (tv series), this is one of the best westerns ever. Take a few points off for the occasional black-out separation between scenes, and the division into 2 1-1/2 hour 'movies' - that still leaves a great story, and great performances.
Many realistic details - clothing, Chinese language, gritty Western towns, and for those of us in the Northwest references to John Day, Burns, and points east in Idaho.
Great dialogue, with plenty of action in between otherwise measured pace, with the stories unfolding, then being woven into the ongoing plot arc.
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(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
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The Great Fatherland War (Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union) by Ted Gottfried
MAA, March 2, 2011
I'll give this 1 more star than some other young adult histories - I'm a bit taken aback by a brace of these, but this is one of the better ones. In the process of making these books more accessible, they have non-historians writing them, and as a result, they make some obvious errors.I happen to have studied quite a bit of WWII history, and I still have more to learn. I did get a better understanding of the Soviet perspective, but the account is marred by what are to me obvious errors, which leads me to question how much of the rest of it is faulty. As an example, the author characterizes a Panther as a 'light tank' - well, perhaps compared to the Tiger, or some of the Soviet behemoths, it certainly was lighter than those -- but not compared to most other Allied or German or Japanese tanks. At more than 44 tons, it was one of the heavier tanks in the war. If you can't get something like this correct - a relatively objective description - what else didn't he get right?
It is important to note that more than 1 'history,' including this one, 'defines' 'communism' as 'ownership by the community as a whole.' This is, at best, a gross oversimplification, of some idealized version of "small 'c'" communism. But in this context, this is simply disingenuous. By the 30's, it was clear that 'the community' (in some kind of democratic or representative form) certainly did not run any 'communist' country, or anything else - they were all controlled and dictated by the State, by then in the name of Stalin and The Party in the USSR. This is beyond trying to be balanced by giving a neutral definition of communism -- again, by the 30s, there simply hadn't been any 'communist' government or economic system that was owned or run by 'the people' - unless one is using the euphemism to refer to 'My People' - and it is misleading to define it as such in the Glossary.
This kind of error permeates this genre - oversimplification & an attempt to be politically correct mars what could otherwise be a decent overview & introduction to the Russian Front.
So, it gets 1 star for a decent overview, and some glimpse at the horrors of Stalin's Soviet Union, but minus 1 for the misleading 'definition' of 'communism' (without any attempt to provide further context to the use of that term), minus another 1 for getting some of the obvious objective details wrong, which leads to another minus 1 for raising questions about its accuracy.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
FDR's Alphabet Soup: New Deal America, 1932-1939 by Tonya Bolden
MAA, March 2, 2011
I'm a bit taken aback by a brace of 'young adult' histories. In the process of making these books more accessible, they have non-historians writing them, and as a result, they make some obvious errors.Here, this is compounded by breezy, slangy, writing, and what appears to be a 'leftist' slant, notwithstanding some attempt to provide a balanced view of the pros & cons advanced at the time.
Some other reviewers have commented on the choppy style & graphic packaging, so I won't belabor that here.
But I do think it important to note that more than 1 'history' 'defines' 'communism' as 'ownership of the means of production by the people.' This is, at best, a gross oversimplification, of some idealized version of "small 'c'" communism. But in this context, this is simply disingenuous. By the 30's, it was clear that 'the people' (in some kind of democratic or representative form) certainly did not 'own' the means of production, or anything else - they were all owned, controlled, and dictated by the State, by then in the name of Stalin and The Party in the USSR. This is beyond trying to be balanced by giving a neutral definition of communism -- again, by the 30s, there simply hadn't been any 'communist' government or economic system that was owned or run by 'the people' - unless one is using the euphemism to refer to 'My People' - and it is misleading to define it as such in the Glossary.
This kind of error permeates this genre - oversimplification & an attempt to be politically correct mars what could otherwise be a decent overview & introduction to the New Deal.
So, it gets 1 star for a decent overview, and some glimpse at the various controversies, but minus 1 for the misleading 'definition' of 'communism' (without any attempt to provide further context to the use of that term), minus another 1 for the slang - most of which is out of context & wouldn't be recognized by people in the 30s, minus another 1 for the otherwise breezy, casual, writing style, and minus another 1 for the choppy presentation.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
You Are There by Jean-Claude Forest and Jacques Tardi
MAA, October 8, 2010
Quirky French graphic novel. Decent translation, but takes a bit to get into the rhythm & flow of the plot, which twists & turns all the way to the end! Tardi's artwork superb. Recommended.(4 of 7 readers found this comment helpful)
It Was the War of the Trenches by Jacques Tardi
MAA, October 8, 2010
Ranks right up there with Charlie's War as the best of graphics novels for taking you Over There. Wonderful artwork, and the translation works well. Highly recommended.(1 of 3 readers found this comment helpful)
Broken Trail (Widescreen)
MAA, October 8, 2010
As another reviewer has said - regardless of original format (tv series), this is one of the best westerns ever. Take a few points off for the occasional black-out separation between scenes, and the division into 2 1-1/2 hour 'movies' - that still leaves a great story, and great performances.Many realistic details - clothing, Chinese language, gritty Western towns, and for those of us in the Northwest references to John Day, Burns, and points east in Idaho.
Great dialogue, with plenty of action in between otherwise measured pace, with the stories unfolding, then being woven into the ongoing plot arc.
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
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