book report: Warlords (of WW2)
i got sucked back into WW2 history by this book, Warlords: An Extraordinary Re-Creation of World War II Through the Eyes and Minds of Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, And Stalin by Simon Berthon and Joanna Potts, 2006.
They have ambitiously attempted to synthesize the diaries of the warlords themselves or those close to them in a chronological order to highlight understandings and misunderstandings between them. It was an enjoyable read and did provide some insights for me. For example, i never realized the British reluctance for the cross channel invasion of France, nor the constant delay of that invasion and its effects on Russia. I also never knew how much Roosevelt despised Empire England, and yet, at the same time, did not see the same threat from Stalin.
However, a novice to WW2 history would be under-served by this book. It helps a great deal to know more than the authors provide of the fronts involved simultaneously. For example, you would barely know there was a war in the Pacific from this account.
Overall, it was a good read and it stimulated me to pick up another Stalin biography, which i hope to report on tomorrow.
They have ambitiously attempted to synthesize the diaries of the warlords themselves or those close to them in a chronological order to highlight understandings and misunderstandings between them. It was an enjoyable read and did provide some insights for me. For example, i never realized the British reluctance for the cross channel invasion of France, nor the constant delay of that invasion and its effects on Russia. I also never knew how much Roosevelt despised Empire England, and yet, at the same time, did not see the same threat from Stalin.
However, a novice to WW2 history would be under-served by this book. It helps a great deal to know more than the authors provide of the fronts involved simultaneously. For example, you would barely know there was a war in the Pacific from this account.
Overall, it was a good read and it stimulated me to pick up another Stalin biography, which i hope to report on tomorrow.
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