Having gotten lost in complex mathematics, which helps explain the theory of relativity, I thought I’d briefly go back to basics with this short explaHaving gotten lost in complex mathematics, which helps explain the theory of relativity, I thought I’d briefly go back to basics with this short explanation of the history of this academic discipline.
I wasn’t too bad a maths when I was at school, but in retrospect, it was really all quite basic. When I started work and particularly when I became a bank teller, I was required to add up huge columns of numbers in my head, often with my branch manager leaning over my shoulder, checking my accuracy. Needless to say, I eventually became proficient in this exercise, a trick I retain to this day! But much of the other mathematics I learned at school - geometry and trigonometry, to name but two branches - have, to be honest, been of limited use to me. Or, perhaps more accurately, I’ve made limited use of them.
The history of mathematics starts, it seems, with the ancient Greeks and Phoenicians (Pythagoras was a Phoenician). They graduated from a basic abacus to basic arithmetic: additions and subtractions and gradually through to multiplications and divisions – though first in a very clumsy (to us) way. Algebra, geometry, factors, ratios, etc. would follow in time. This brief explanation doesn’t take us any further than this, but it’s interesting enough in and of itself....more
I recently listened to an audiobook in which singer/songwriter Paul Simon talked about how his father always felt that he was undereducated. Keep in mI recently listened to an audiobook in which singer/songwriter Paul Simon talked about how his father always felt that he was undereducated. Keep in mind, he was talking about a man who’d achieved a PhD. qualification late in his life. But I share that feeling with Simon’s father and with a greater merit. I was schooled at the local grammar school, and after achieving a set of very average O level results, I abandoned A level studies to start work at the age of seventeen. I picked up professional qualifications along the way, and yet I couldn't rid myself of the feeling I was undereducated. After forty years of working for essentially the same company (a bank that went through a number of mergers/takeovers during my time with them), I realised I’d had enough of them at the same time they potentially reached the same conclusion about me. We parted ways.
Ever since, through reading (and listening to) books, I’ve attempted to fill gaps in my knowledge. What could have made me a better manager/leader/innovator? I’ve consumed books about many successful people: famous politicians, brilliant businessmen, and other high achieving historical figures. Could I ever have been more than just an average sportsman? Ok, let’s binge on bio’s and technical instruction books. Oh, and what about the sciences, always a particularly weak area for me? After all, I’d given up on physics, chemistry, and biology very early in my scholastic life. Well, in truth, my reading in this area has been pretty limited, but at least my ambition to learn more led me to this book.
Of course I’d heard of the theory of relativity. Who hasn’t? But what does it mean? I really had no idea. Something to do with mass, light, speed, gravity, and the curving or warping of space I was to learn. All this with good dose of complex mathematics thrown in for good measure. It’s all very clever, though the detail really flew straight over my head. But just how Einstein develops and fine-tunes his theory (or really theories, as there’s also quite bit here concerning wider cosmological issues) over the course of a decade or more really is a good story, and very well told too....more
Like many people interested in American history, JFK and Bobby Kennedy have created a particular point of interest for me. I’ve already read a number Like many people interested in American history, JFK and Bobby Kennedy have created a particular point of interest for me. I’ve already read a number of books focused on the life and actions of this pair:
But I’ve also enjoyed a quite a few of Audible’s Great Courses, and when I spotted this one on offer as a freebie I concluded that another commentary on JFK’s short presidency would be a good way to keep me company during around 6 hours of dog walking time.
The lectures are written and delivered by Michael Sheldon, a Pulitzer Prize finalist who has written six biographies and, for ten years, was a feature writer for the London Daily Telegraph. His aim here is to take a balanced look at JFK’s presidency by examining both its successes and failures. Much of the input comes from a rich archive of eyewitness accounts from people who saw him up close as both a candidate and as a president. A good deal of this material has been drawn from a library of oral histories at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston.
We’re walked through a brief family history, followed by his route to the presidency (the first Catholic to achieve this status, of course). Then there’s quite a bit of focus on his private life: he was, as been widely reported, a serial womaniser. The remainder takes a look at the big issues he was required to deal with in his time in office, which amounted to a little less than three years. His major challenges included: his health (he struggled throughout his life with issues connect to Addison’s disease); the Bay of Pigs fiasco (very soon after he gained office); the Cuban Missile Crisis (which arrived not long after he’d been bullied in his first meeting with Khrushchev); his pledge to reach the Moon by the end of the decade (this was subsequently achieved after his death, in July 1969); the civil rights battle (legislation with eventually be pushed through by Kennedy’s successor, Lyndon Johnson, some eight months after Kennedy’s assassination); Vietnam (there were just 685 military advisers in country at the start of his administration, but this had increased to more than 16000 by the time of his death). His assassination is covered, but only really in a political context.
Kennedy’s presidency it might not have been the longest, but it was certainly a busy one.
The author concludes that on the plus side are: JFK’s youthful ambition, energy, and his willingness to address the racial divide in America. In addition, there are his grand visions for scientific and technological changes together with his success at resisting American involvement in a major war (with the Soviet Union).But he admits that Kennedy divides opinion. There are many who can’t hear anything negative about the man but also a lot who can’t say anything positive. Either way, he says, he changed the way Americans look at the office itself. He was truly the first modern president.
Overall, I found it to be another useful and interesting look at one of the most fascinating men of the 20th century....more
Tim Marshall was formerly Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News, his 2015 book Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You EveryTim Marshall was formerly Diplomatic Editor and foreign correspondent for Sky News, his 2015 book Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Tell You Everything You Need to Know About Global Politics explains the geographic lottery: who wins, who loses, and why. This more recent book explores ten regions that are potentially going to be central to how global politics will play out going forward. The regions are: Australia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Greece, Turkey, the Sahel (bordering the Sahara Desert), Ethiopia, and Spain. Interesting, the final area is Space. Russia and China aren’t explicitly covered, but their tentacles are everywhere, here.
The author walks us through the history of each region – interesting enough in itself – and examines what opportunities are available and what threats are posed to each. There’s the full range of ancient disputes, religious divisions, friction over boundaries, and other elements at play. Russia and China are presented as active predators, the colonisers of the modern age. Marshall discusses the advantages of cooperation for these regions, the draw of establishing new partnerships. But he also identifies the potential risks, for instance: drives for independence in a number of regions, the desire by potential partners to grab scarce natural resources, or to acquire strategic footholds.
It’s a fascinating book that’s an education in and of itself, but particularly when read as a follow up to his earlier publication. Highly recommended....more
I like Stephen Fry. He’s an engaging comedian, actor, writer and renowned brainiac. He’s been on British television for years, and as someone always aI like Stephen Fry. He’s an engaging comedian, actor, writer and renowned brainiac. He’s been on British television for years, and as someone always attracted to all things American, I couldn’t resist grabbing an audio copy of this book, narrated by the man himself. It’s effectively a follow-up, or accompaniment, to a BBC television series which was released in 2008. Therefore some elements are somewhat dated, but nonetheless the opportunity to follow him as he visits every state in the Union was too tempting to miss.
It’s fair to say that his adventures are somewhat whistle-stop. I’d even say that some states barely get a visit. But Fry is amusing and interesting company as he scoots around the country in a black London Taxi. He’s clearly in love with, and in awe of, America and his enthusiasm for (nearly) everything he comes across is, in a sense, uplifting. But one of the more irritating elements – despite his pledge in his introduction to avoid such things – is the obvious set-ups for the television series which was the prime motivation behind his journey. These set-piece ‘adventures’ felt trite, and I skipped through a few of them. He’s much more interesting when he talks about things he came across, and people he met, whilst not being filmed.
A few takeaways:
Grimmest place: Trump’s casino in New Jersey
Most boring states: the Dakotas
Most beautiful state: Utah
Most friendly state: Actually, practically everywhere ...more
The Middle East region is seldom out of the news these days, the current Israel-Hamas war being the latest in a long line of conflicts. Jeremy Bowen, The Middle East region is seldom out of the news these days, the current Israel-Hamas war being the latest in a long line of conflicts. Jeremy Bowen, the International Editor of the BBC, has been reporting from the region for over thirty years. He clearly knows his patch well and here he’s documented his appraisal of where things currently stand and how this point was reached, with a particular focus on the time since he began his regular reports.
He does cover some of the earlier history too, from the point Britain destroyed the Ottoman Empire in 1918 (it continued to rule the area until 1948). He’s scathing in his appraisal of the way Britain became the catalyst for many of the issues witnessed since, particularly as a result of disastrous decisions made during WWI and after WWII. He states that by the 1990s the region was stagnant with countries waiting for the demise or death of dictatorial leaders, but eventual outfall from the collapse of the Soviet Union and later the events of 911 were to kick-off events that are still reverberating today.
Bowen lays out his book in a series of interlinked essays. He trots through Russia’s invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf War, the Israel-Hezbollah War, the Arab Spring, the brutal murder of Gaddafi, the rise and fall of Al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Iranian nuclear programme. It’s worth stating that the current conflict kicked off after this book was completed and is therefore not mentioned – though it is forecast!
In truth, I found it all rather overwhelmingly grim and also hard to follow. This is partly down to how the book is structured with themes often being repeated and events overflowing from one section to another, but also due to that fact that it’s complicated – damned complicated. Another factor is that to my Western ears the long, difficult names just didn’t stick in my head and I found that I lost track of some the figures mentioned on a regular basis. But mostly it was the fact that Jeremy’s job was, in part, to visit the scenes of death and destruction and report what he saw. I don’t know how he did it for the length of time he did. I became distinctly battle weary quite early on.
I did learn a lot, but to be honest I was glad when I was fully through the book. I listened to an audio version read by the author, I voice I’ve become well acquainted with over the years. It’s a good way to obtain a comprehensive overview of the regions recent history, but my advice is to ensure you’re not already in a dark place before you begin, and have a decent tot of something strong within easy reach throughout....more
English writer David Reynolds starts his journey at Ocean City, Maryland. It’s a place I’ve never heard of but it’s one end of America’s Route 50, a 3English writer David Reynolds starts his journey at Ocean City, Maryland. It’s a place I’ve never heard of but it’s one end of America’s Route 50, a 3000 mile road that that once traversed the country, ending (or beginning, depending from which side you begin your journey) at San Francisco. On the map the route looks like a pretty straight line, passing through Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. He’s completing the journey alone, taking as much of the original road as possible and he’ll be taking his time, driving for around seven weeks.
Reynolds is good company as he travels sans Sat-Nav and therefore frequently gets lost. This isn’t helped by the fact that he has to navigate himself around regular interruptions to his chosen path. He stays at cheap hotels, accommodation he hasn’t booked in advance as he’s not sure where he’ll be at the end of any given day. In the evenings he usually grabs a stool at the bar in a promising looking joint and grabs a beer or two as he chats to locals about his journey, their life and Donald Trump.
Set in the year 2000, Trump is in the White House and the author is clearly not a fan, being a self-confessed middle-class, white, liberal. In fact most of the people he chats to aren’t Trump fans either, though some of them confessed that they did vote for him. It seems that many found the appeal of Hilary Clinton to be even less attractive than that of The Donald. Many, it seems, liked neither and chose not to vote at all.
En route, he visits a good number of museums, meets some interesting people (nearly everyone he meets being extraordinarily friendly) and reflects on the history of the places he passes through. I’ve read quite a bit about ‘manifest destiny’ and the Westward expansion, but this book still filled in some gaps in my knowledge. But above all, the author filled me with the pleasure of the journey – his journey. I loved the pure adventure of it. I’ve taken one road trip of around 2500 miles through parts of California, Nevada and Arizona and I’d love to take another trip, plotting a very different route. This book fuelled my ambition no end. ...more
I like history - it was my favourite subject at school – and I’ve worked my way through a number of books on the history of Britain, but the events coI like history - it was my favourite subject at school – and I’ve worked my way through a number of books on the history of Britain, but the events covered in this book had certainly passed me by. In the mid 1600s Charles I (not likely to be seen in any list of the country’s top monarchs) was executed, to be replaced by Oliver Cromwell who took the title of Lord Protector. But shortly after Cromwell’s death the monarchy was re-established and a pardon was issued to all of those who, under Cromwell, had taken up arms against the King. That is to say, all except those who had signed the death warrant for Charles I.
The Act of Oblivion called for those that had a direct hand in the execution of the King to be arrested and charged with treason. The punishment for this crime was gruesome: to be executed by being hung, drawn and quartered. Some of the so called regicides had already died and a number of others voluntarily handed themselves in, hoping to avoid execution. Others ran to Europe, but this tale follows the fate of two men who escaped to New England, their names were Colonel Edward Walley and Colonel Will Goffe. Walley was actually a cousin of Oliver Cromwell.
Having said that I enjoy history, I’d have to temper that by admitting that I typically don’t enjoy historical fiction. I’m not quite sure why that is but I think it’s linked to the fact that I struggle to feel at home with arcane language and unfamiliar and somewhat obsolete behaviour – give me a contemporary tale any day. But this novel felt different, steeped in truth as it was. In fact the author’s forward told just how meticulous he had been in researching the plight of this pair, to the extent that virtually the only fictional character featured here is the manhunter himself, the despicable Richard Naylor. Though as Harris states in his preamble, there must have been such a man.
Walley and Goffe are forced to flit from town to town, seeking temporary refuge in the Puritan communities, those being no great fans of the British monarchy themselves, and sleeping rough. It’s a game of cat and mouse as the canny Naylor picks up their scent and is determined – for personal reasons we learn early in the tale – to catch them and see them brutally executed. Meanwhile, we’re we’re treated, in horrifying detail, to accounts of the executions being carried out back in England – even to those who handed themselves in.
It’s an exciting, terrifying and truly thought provoking tale that made me feel relieved that my time wasn't spent in 17th Century England (or America, in truth). There’s very little that appeals to me about life amongst these people and at this time. But what a story this is, and it's brilliantly told. It's is not a book I’ll easily forget....more
I’d come across Professor Patrick Allitt before, whilst working my way through a number of the excellent American history courses available on AudibleI’d come across Professor Patrick Allitt before, whilst working my way through a number of the excellent American history courses available on Audible. Born in England, I continue to find a little incongruous to listen to his Derbyshire lilt talking authoritatively on this subject. But his enthusiasm and obvious knowledge do tend to make his lectures compulsively listenable.
The only issue I have with this set is that the history is just too recent and as a result I found that, for the most part, it simply provided a reiteration of news I’d already absorbed. To be fair, Allitt does a pretty good job of refreshing my memory on this recent period and he also provides some additional insight and analysis new to me. But overall I found this set to provide pretty slim pickings compared to other courses I’ve listened to....more
I suppose Rory Steward first clearly appeared on my radar when he stood as one of many candidates for Tory leadership (and therefore Prime Minister) fI suppose Rory Steward first clearly appeared on my radar when he stood as one of many candidates for Tory leadership (and therefore Prime Minister) following Theresa May’s resignation in 2019. I recall it being claimed that he’d been a ‘spook’, working for the British Intelligence Service, MI6, for several years after completing his degree at Oxford. It made him sound interesting and whenever I’d heard him talk he did seem to have some engaging things to say. He definitely came across as somebody a little different from the normal boring MP’s that turn up on British television, churning out their party’s policy by rote.
The spy element to his past is unverified, what is known is that he’d spent time as a diplomat, a charity worker and a Harvard professor before becoming a Member of Parliament. This book largely covers the period immediately before his election and up to the time he left Parliament, not long after his abortive leadership campaign. Rory talks us through what he considers to be his major successes (which might just be the least interesting element of this memoir), explains why he chose to become and MP and also what his constituency duties comprised. All this is interesting enough, but it’s hardly what has made this book such a hot topic since it’s release. What people (myself included) are interested in is what it was like to have David Cameron, Liz Truss, Theresa May, and Boris Johnson as a boss?
Stewart doesn’t pull any punches. He lets rip at each of them, with the exception of May, whom he admired. He has nothing good to say about Cameron, whom he found to be disinterested in him and his ideas, a man who populated his office exclusively with ex-classmates from Eton. Of Liz Truss, he says that she valued announcement and polling over implementation and delivery. In fact, he paints a picture of someone who is totally unbearable. But it’s Boris that comes in for most disparagement, described as a feckless blowhard and, above all, a compulsive liar. Others that face harsh criticism include ex-Cabinet ministers, Michael Gove and Gavin Williamson. But in truth there’s very little positive language aimed at any of his fellow MP’s here. Other than May, the only close allegiances he mentions are those with his one-time boss, David Gauke and veteran Conservative Ken Clarke.
The parliamentary machine, he claims, doesn’t work. Ministers are often appointed without the requisite knowledge or background to fulfil their briefs and usually only for a short period of time - often no more than a year. They are then shuffled up, down or sideways, making room for another unqualified appointee to occupy their barely warmed chair. Meanwhile, senior civil servants, who can see that yet another change of direction is in the wind, try their darndest to either explain that the latest idea is ‘not possible’ or frustrate it in other ways, until their new minister is also moved aside.
Interesting though all this is, it does paint a truly horrible picture of our government in action. Moreover, many unnamed MP’s flit in and out of the frame, each seeming to fit one or other of the following stereotypes: an eccentric, an entitled snob, or a weirdo. Is it really this bad? Are the people who run our country really so self-serving, so self-aggrandising? Is Britain’s government system really so flawed and so filled with inappropriate members? I wasn’t always so cynical, but these days, I fear there is only one answer to all of the above....more
I must admit, it felt to me that the digital revolution started at some point after I commenced work at a local bank branch, in the mid 1970s This wasI must admit, it felt to me that the digital revolution started at some point after I commenced work at a local bank branch, in the mid 1970s This was just a few years after decimalisation and it seemed that every task was completed manually. My branch manager didn’t even allowed me to use an adding machine to complete my till balancing task - all calculations had to be done manually. But according to Isaacson, the revolution’s genesis goes way back to the 1830’s, when the daughter of poet Lord Byron – an amateur mathematician of some repute – began to forecast progressions that lay in the future, in the course of her work with English inventor Charles Babbage.
It seems that the author has two goals here: firstly to walk readers through the major steps taken from these early ideas right up to the date this book was published, in 2011; secondly, to highlight the fact (sometimes to the point of labouring the point) that these progressions were the work of many and that just about every step forward was facilitated through partnerships and collaborations, not by the work of individuals working alone.
He starts by saying that it took about a hundred years from the date that early ideas were propounded to delivery of a really meaningful step forward. We learn that the early ‘wins’ were delivered by people with very specific skills – mathematicians, metallurgists, quantum engineers, physicists and chemists – working collaboratively. There were two basic types of individual involved: theorists (those with the ideas) and experimentalists (those that brought the ideas to life). Through the establishment of symbiotic relationships, these people started to make significant headway from the 1930’s.
In addition to his later work decoding the encryption of German Enigma machines during the Second World War, Alan Turing also advanced the idea that all mathematical computations can be performed by a machine that follows a set of rules. The author shows that in addition to Turing many others – mostly Americans – began building machines, with the first electronic general-purpose digital computer, called ENIAC, being built in 1945. From this point on a series of inventions (the transistor, microchip and microprocessor) gradually allowed the development of smaller and better computers and also the ability to network devices.
ARPANET, in 1969, was the first operational computer network, and this also signalled the birth of email, with the internet being officially born in 1983. The book introduces many key figures up to and including this point but it isn’t until the 1970s that I started to recognise names, such Bill Gates & Paul Allen and Steve Jobs & Steve Wozniak. From here Isaacson launches into a discourse on how continued growth was facilitated by a combination of an open source model, in which software and other developments are openly shared (a concept favoured by some, including Apple co-founder Wozniak) and a proprietary approach, in which developments are owned and closely guarded (Microsoft's Gates and Jobs aggressively promoted this route). Finally, there is a section on artificial intelligence and a discussion on where this might lead in the future.
I found the book to be informative, if a little soulless. Personally, I prefer the author’s biographies (e.g. Jobs, Musk and even Leonardo da Vinci) to this lesson in history. In his bio’s, he’s able to get under the skin of a person – even da Vinci – but his brief account of the many personalities involved here just didn’t hold me in the same thrall. Also, at times it’s quite technical and that’s an area in which I’m particularly weak, so I found some of the text hard to follow. But I did find it to be a comprehensive account and from a purely educational standpoint I’m really glad I spent time with it....more
The Battle of the Bulge was (16/12/44 – 25/1/45) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during WWII. It was also the largest and bloThe Battle of the Bulge was (16/12/44 – 25/1/45) was the last major German offensive on the Western Front during WWII. It was also the largest and bloodiest single battle fought by the United States and the third-deadliest campaign in American history. In fact it’s really inaccurate to call it a single battle as it was really a series of fights between German and largely inexperienced US troops, fought through the densely forested Ardennes region of Belgium.
This book covers of the context of the battle and walks through the significant events that took place during those terrible five weeks. The detail imparted also includes: troop movements, intelligence gathered, equipment and armoury deployed, condition and terrain. Aside from this there are quite a number of first person accounts of actions witnessed – some of these extremely harrowing. Incidents touched on include atrocities carried out by German troops, such as the Malmedy massacre, a war crime committed by soldiers of the Waffen-SS.
What comes across strongly is just how much confusion was caused to Allied troops, who were caught completely off-guard by the offensive. Also, very evident is the chaos, confusion, random luck (both good and bad) and sheer brutality of war. One surprise to me was the degree of antipathy senior American soldiers felt towards British Field Marshal Montgomery, who after the event tried to grab much of the glory even though he only really got seriously involved after the battle had been pretty much won.
I listened to an audio version, competently read by Mack Gordon. My only reservation here being that trying to keep tabs on what was a complex and confusing event was very difficult without a map to hand or a good working knowledge of both the area and the makeup of the various American units deployed. An easy one to remedy, perhaps, but tough when you’re largely listening to the book whilst walking your four-legged friend.
My thanks to Arcturus Digital Audio for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
Matt Hancock became a household name and face in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Secretary of State for Health and Social Care he regularly feMatt Hancock became a household name and face in the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic. As Secretary of State for Health and Social Care he regularly featured in the daily televised press conferences provided by the government. Essentially, he was the man largely responsible for co-ordinating the country’s efforts to combat this plague. To me, he came across as energetic and largely on top of his brief… if a little smarmy. He was forced to resign in June 2021 after his affair with a colleague – and a photograph of the pair disobeying social distancing guidelines – was revealed by a national newspaper. Here he provides his own recollections of the period, from the outbreak of the pandemic through to his resignation.
Set out as a series of diary entries, there’s a good deal here about how key people worked together and sometimes feuded as information was gathered, actions debated and decisions made. The key medical people come out well but a number Hancock’s colleagues less so. Dominic Cummings (Chief Adviser to Boris Johnson) comes across as a real snake, in fact he is accused of doing pretty much everything he could to bring Matt down. He’s clearly a hated figure: again and again he crops up, but never in a good way. It seems that Cummings had been totally let off the leash by Johnson and was a bully who ruled simply by fear, seeking to grab control of pretty much everything. Others that attract the ire of the author include Kate Bingham (chair of the UK Vaccination Taskforce), former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham. Bingham for constantly trying to undermine efforts to maximise the purchase of vaccine doses and the other two for blatantly playing politics throughout the crisis.
It’s hard to judge how much of what’s here is simply Hancock telling the truth as he saw it or alternatively a tempered version painting him in a better light than he deserves. But he’s a politician and it’s his version of the truth, so there’s are undoubtedly elements here that are self-serving. Either way, I found it interesting to re-visit this grim and dramatic period of our collective history with a decent insight into what went on behind closed doors at the highest level.
As I listened to an audio version of this book, read by Hancock, I realised that I’ve become attuned to his voice, having heard it so often in the past couple of years. I think this added positively to the experience; he’s a persuasive speaker and listening to him walk me through his recollections of this troubled time reminded me just how dark a time this truly was.
My thanks to W.F. Howes Ltd for providing a copy of this audiobook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more
This 42 hour long audiobook comprises 84 half-hour lectures on the history of the United States of America from its colonial origins to the beginning This 42 hour long audiobook comprises 84 half-hour lectures on the history of the United States of America from its colonial origins to the beginning of the 21st century. It’s broken into three sections, each presented by one of three award winning historians.
Section 1
Focuses on the discovery by Europeans and their subsequent settlement, how this impacted the native population and also how this mix of people created a country unique amongst other, older nations of the West and of the world. It discusses how the United States managed to assimilate many different peoples from many different places and how this eclectic group, planted along the eastern coast of North America, developed such unprecedented religious, political and economic freedoms. Finally it talks of how the natural resources found in this land enabled its inhabitants to generate an abundance of wealth and of the many confrontations that transpired as it worked out how best to use it.
Led by Professor Allen C. Guelzo it’s told as the big story it is, in a really engaging way. It’s almost like a huge fictional tale, with the history being allowed to unfold with plenty of cliffhangers and loads of dramatic events. I really enjoyed the telling of this element of the country’s history.
Section 2
This section covers the events leading up to the American Civil War, the war itself and it’s immediate aftermath.
I’d previously listed to and extended series of lectures covering this period from Professor Gary W Gallagher, who delivers the sessions here. Again, it’s set out in the style of a good story and as in the Section 1 events are covered pretty much chronologically. But I think because I’d enjoyed the extended series covering this period so much I felt a little short changed by this section.
Section 3
This time the lectures are presented by an Englishman, Professor Patrick N. Allitt. After listening to two American voices, Allitt's East Midlands twang did feel a little incongruous but I soon got used to the change.
It picks up the period from the late 19th Century and takes us through to just beyond the start of the 21st Century. This time the style is different and the lectures are diced up according to various themes, such as industrialisation, railroads, indian wars, religion etc. It does follow a rough timeline through the period and, actually, I think this way of covering the period does work well. As with previous sections, I found it both entertaining and informative.
The series is supported by a 408 page document which provides additional information and pictures, recommended supporting reading and detailed timelines. It’s a very comprehensive document.
It’s a superb series of lectures and I’d recommend it to anyone interested in the history of this vast land. Despite its length it is positioned as an ‘introduction’ to the history of America and I can see why that is: despite providing a huge amount of information I kept thinking I’d like to know more about quite a number of themes and events. More study will certainly follow....more
A series of forty eight lectures, each lasting around thirty minutes, delivered by Michael E. Wysession, PHD – Professor of Geophysics at Washington UA series of forty eight lectures, each lasting around thirty minutes, delivered by Michael E. Wysession, PHD – Professor of Geophysics at Washington University in St. Louis. Part of the Great Courses collection provided by Audible (many of them free to members.). This set takes us from the formation of everything – the Big Bang – right through to speculation around whether life exists beyond this planet. It’s thorough, sometimes a little too detailed for me but enthusiastically delivered by a man who clearly knows his subject.
There’s a lot of geology here, but all of the other major sciences feature too. Some early facts that grabbed me included:
- 20% of all humans who have ever lived are alive today
- Most of what each of us is – the atoms- are actually billions of years old
We’re walked through the formation of our planet and a good deal about how it functions, which includes some pretty eye opening news (to me) regarding how Plate Tectonics work and how this has delivered substantial changes that to Earth’s geography over time. There’s also a lot here about weather and severe events that impact us, such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Towards the end there’s a really interesting section on natural resources: how they’re being depleted and what options are open to us in the future. Some more facts stood out to me here, such as:
- The US uses circa 25% of the world’s oil but only has around 2% of the world’s reserves
- Saudi Arabia covers a third of one percent of Earth’s surface but owns 25% of the world’s oil
The final sections looking beyond planet Earth were possibly the highlights for me. It seems that in our galaxy only Mars offers a haven should we be forced to leave our planet – but this presupposes that water is found there (the scientists think this is likely). Though even on Mars life would be tough – and very cold! Wider afield, it all becomes pretty much guesswork but there seems to be a distinct possibility that we are indeed the only planet on which life as we know it exists. ...more
Paul Auster has written some of the finest books I’ve read, he’s nimble of mind and without doubt a master wordsmith. Aside from many (perhaps all) ofPaul Auster has written some of the finest books I’ve read, he’s nimble of mind and without doubt a master wordsmith. Aside from many (perhaps all) of his novels, I’ve also read some of his non-fiction, these being almost entirely introspective and largely biographical. But this one is different, here he turns his attention to guns and wonders why has America allowed itself to become a place where the number of guns owned exceeds the number of its citizens? But more importantly, what is it do do about the fact that the country accounts for around three quarters of the world’s mass shootings.
He takes us through the history of guns in his country, explaining how and why this point has been reached. He provides a pretty exhaustive breakdown of legislation and the political backdrop impacting this growth and also talks about power that the NRA has garnered, which pretty much ensures that the impasse between the anti-gun and pro-gun proclaimers will not be resolved any time soon. Accompanying the text are a good number of unpopulated photographs showing sites where mass shootings have occurred: a car park, a nightclub, a school and other such everyday places. The impact of these photos, I found, was to draw my attention to the fact that these terrible events can happen anywhere. In fact, just a few short weeks after I’d visited Las Vegas on holiday the worst mass shooting ever recorded in America unfolded in this city, just a short distance from where I was staying.
Auster doesn’t offer any solutions, just a few suggestions as to minor first steps that could be taken, but he does make his own views clear with a clarity you’d expect from a man with his gifts. The tone here is one of horror but also of resignation. It’s a short, sobering and ultimately scary summary which purveyed a prognosis that I could only read as ‘hopeless, more of the same to come’. As a footnote, on the morning I finished this book I opened up the BBC news page on my phone to be greeted with a headline announcing that a six-year-old child had shot his teacher with a handgun, in America.
My thanks to Grove Atlantic for supplying a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review....more
I’ve got to be honest, I was really disappointed by the audio version of this book. My issues are threefold:
1. In my naivety I’d assumed the story wasI’ve got to be honest, I was really disappointed by the audio version of this book. My issues are threefold:
1. In my naivety I’d assumed the story was going to centre on Alan Turing and his work breaking codes during WWII at Bletchley Park. I hoped it would be the whole big story alive for me as I only really knew the very basics. After all, that’s what Robert Harris does, isn’t it, take real life events and add a narrative around them? But in fact, this was nothing of the sort, instead it’s was a rather insignificant fictional tale about a spy and a man who suspects that something odd is going on at BP. The only link to Turing (his name was only mentioned once - in passing - throughout the whole piece) is really the setting for the story and some background work that’s going on. The foreground story here is unconvincing and not even particularly interesting. But my bad, I suppose, as I didn’t read the blurb (I seldom do) and thus went into this one blind.
2. I usually don’t listen to abridged versions. In fact, I try to avoid them at all costs. But I couldn’t track down an unabridged version (perhaps there isn’t one) and I really wanted the immersive experience of listening to it, it’s how I imbibe most of my non-fiction (or close to non-fiction). Unfortunately, this was everything I hate about abridged versions. It was jumpy and confusing, and the character development was painfully under done.
3. The reader of this book was able enough but, perhaps because the story demanded it, the dialogue throughout was delivered in a plummy posh English accent and seemed to feature mostly inconsequential and rather camp banter between the various protagonists. It neither suited my ear nor piqued my interest. In fact, in the end, I got rather lost in the hectic scrambling around and the rather confusing chatter concerning the background code breakthrough.
I’ve saved it from a one-star rating because I did listen to it all the way through - rather hoping that something interesting would happen eventually. It never did, so two stars it is....more
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Will Bunch poses a number of pressing questions here and proposes some interesting solutions too. The issues coveredPulitzer Prize–winning journalist Will Bunch poses a number of pressing questions here and proposes some interesting solutions too. The issues covered include:
Has the cost of higher education in America now made it a club for the richest families only?
Should colleges seek to expand a student’s broad education or should the primary focus be to prepare them for an identified career path?
And what about, so called, blue collar jobs – what’s the route for students wishing to learn a trade?
The author takes us through a history of further education in America from the end of WWII, explaining how the introduction of the G.I. Bill significantly expanded not only the number of students experiencing further education but also radically changing the age profile. He explains how sceptics were proved wrong in their prediction that many returning soldiers would simply accept the benefits on offer but would fail to complete their courses. Then when the baby boomer generation, spawned by the war’s conclusion, was added to the mix an exponential growth in the overall number of students attending college was confirmed. The result was, of course, a huge expansion in the number and scale of colleges.
The immediate post war era was a time in which egalitarian aims held sway over those seeing the profit potential on offer. But a string of student protests in the late 1960’s - regarding the draft, civil rights issues, discrimination and woman’s liberation - created an atmosphere in which some saw education as a threat (to white supremacy, for example) rather than something offering a positive benefit to society. Bunch digs into the political debates and machinations of the time to explain how this has driven the country to the position it finds itself in today. Essentially this requires students to who don’t come from wealthy families to take on significant debt in order to fund a degree course that will give them access to the most remunerative job opportunities.
The average debt facing graduating students is said to be circa $30k. And with repayment required to commence within six months of graduation the financial pressures are quick to take hold. The author states that this demonstrates how the majority of would be college students face the dilemma of whether to gamble on their ability to quickly secure a well paying job after completing their course or to miss out on the opportunity such an education offers. To emphasise this point, he supplies brief case studies of a range of individuals who have one way or another become disenfranchised by their experience.
There’s a good deal of political history here, mixed into the story, and it’s clear that Bunch has little time for Donal Trump and, in fact, the GOP in general. On top of this, he stresses the point that cheating and dodgy dealing have been rife in terms of allowing cash rich families to inveigle routes into the most high profile colleges for their offspring. Amongst those cited in this respect are Trump and his son-in-law Jared Kushner. And what is stressed throughout is that a college degree isn’t simply a ‘nice to have’ in the current knowledge based economy, it now offers what a high school diploma did 80 years ago. In other words, the route to these high paying careers is only now open to those with a college degree.
In terms of a way forward, a number of steps are proposed which would, the author says, open up the opportunity of a college education to a much wider population. He also suggests that the introduction of a ‘gap year’ for students at around the age of 18 - i.e. after high school and before college - might recreate the environment achieved post the G.I. Bill by bringing students into higher education with a broader view of life. This gap year might take the form of compulsory non-military public service. There are also suggestions concerning the set-up (or rather expansion) of institutions for training those who are intent on a specific trade and have no interest in a broader education.
Finally, there is a fairly comprehensive debate on the issue of who should pay for these proposed ‘improvements’ and whether higher education should be free to students or merely subsidised. Various options are explored but interestingly the English method is not amongst them. Here, the cost for students is capped and the phasing of any repayment of the government loan funding study and other associated costs is put on hold until a salary roughly equivalent to the national average is achieved, post university. Thereafter the amount of any repayment is governed by the salary level and if the loan is not fully repaid within 30 years it is written off. The reality is that many student will never fully repay these loans, so the excess cost falls to the general tax payer.
I found this book to be highly informative, opening my eyes to issues and possible solutions that I was previously blind to. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a key issue facing all highly developed countries at this time.
My thanks to publishers William Morrow for supplying an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review....more
Written for children by an Austrian-born historian in 1935, this book was subsequently updated in the 1980’s. It tells the history of man since the NeWritten for children by an Austrian-born historian in 1935, this book was subsequently updated in the 1980’s. It tells the history of man since the Neolithic Age, when humans humans first inhabited this planet. There’s a brief section on the subsequent evolution of our species before the author embarks on a journey through the ages. The length of the book (I listened to an audio version of some 9 hours) dictates that it’s something of a whistle stop tour.
A few things to note:
1. Previous histories I’ve come across have been written by British or American historians – this telling focuses more on central European history than others (there’s actually relatively little here on Britain), with particular focus on Germany. I don’t mean this as a criticism, and in fact it opened my eyes to events of which I’d been previously been unaware.
2. There is a lot of focus on wars. I’d go as far as to say that the book is dominated by the various conflicts that have drawn and re-drawn the borders of the world.
3. Oddly, very little here on science, technology, art and religion.
I prefer the style over the substance here, though I do think this is an engaging introduction to history for children. If nothing else, it’ll enlighten them as to the perils of conflict and war – something we could well do with less of in our future than in our past.
Mark Stoler, a renowned historian, sets out to debunk a list of commonly held myths and half-truths about American history, unpicking these with factsMark Stoler, a renowned historian, sets out to debunk a list of commonly held myths and half-truths about American history, unpicking these with facts and analysis which show them up to be the falsehoods he always knew them to be. The list he produced of subjects and events is rather eclectic but did include a few areas I’m particularly interested in – especially a couple concerning the American Civil War. This audiobook comprised a series of lectures, each lasting 30 – 40 minutes.
It quickly became apparent that some knowledge of American history is a prerequisite here as Stoler isn’t looking to explain the history here but rather to challenge the interpretation of the outcome of a series of steps he references but does not explain (typically this might be a legal change introduced by the government of the day, a specific battle - or series of battles - or any other event which might have prompted an important action or reaction). Each section had a theme or a question, but I found some of the early lectures hard going as I just didn’t have enough background knowledge to fully appreciate or challenge the professor’s analysis.
When it came to areas in which I did have some knowledge I was somewhat surprised to find that the arguments put forward, whilst firmly set in logic and underpinned by plenty of historical detail, didn’t really debunk myths or half-truths so much as take a side in what had always been, in my view, a lively debate. One example of this was his lecture entitled Did Slavery Really Cause the Civil War? In short, there was really nothing new here. So after picking my way through quite a few I decided to skip the remainder. In truth, I found it all rather disappointing....more
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