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Post by Redd on Jan 7, 2010 21:39:41 GMT -5
Generals Die in Bed by Charles Yale Harrison. A novel about WWI from a Canadian soldier's perspective. It's short, but apparently it's a very, very bitter account of the war. Once I finish that, I'm going to start Solzhenitsyn's third and last volume of The Gulag Archipelago. Everything about WWI was bitter. Just a big waste of lives.
Gulag is pretty depressing too.
It is a big part of world history though.
You have to travel to Europe at some point and visit all the locations of WWI and WWII. Sweden was never part of any of them though (in WWII we had a nasty little deal with Germany however, we supplied them with iron and they exported soldiers through Sweden. We also supported Finland against Russia).
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweden_during_World_War_II (if you are interested).
I know my granddad was participating in the Finnish winter war as a medical helper.
The Finnish Winter War
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Winter_WarI like the way Solzhenitsyn writes about the gulag. He adds in a lot of dark humor so you never want to close it and walk away from it. Yeah, I really want to vist Ypres and all those places one day, as well as some of the cemeteries. Did you know that on the last day of WWI, more men died than on the first day of the Normandy invasions? Completely messed up, especially since many commanders knew about the armistice. I can understand why Sweden did what they did though. The Germans snatched Norway up fast. And the U.S. did a pretty similar thing in both world wars. We supplied Britain with war materials (we ended up putting an emargo on the Germans in WWII) while claiming to be neutral, which is against the rules of war. And the Soviet Union attacked Finland; the USSR was an aggressor so there's nothing wrong with supporting the Finns there. That's pretty interesting about your grandfather. Did he stay for the entire duration of the Winter War/WWII? Generals Die in Bed was like a mix between Hemingway and Remarque. It had the bad character development of Hemingway but the war scenes of Remarque. And most of the book takes place in the rear, so you have to put up with the narrator getting drunk often. But it was okay. Not something I'd recommend though. Started the third volume ofthe Gulag Archipelago.
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Post by Kamikaze Parrot on Jan 8, 2010 15:03:28 GMT -5
I like the way Solzhenitsyn writes about the gulag. He adds in a lot of dark humor so you never want to close it and walk away from it. Yeah, I really want to vist Ypres and all those places one day, as well as some of the cemeteries. Did you know that on the last day of WWI, more men died than on the first day of the Normandy invasions? Completely messed up, especially since many commanders knew about the armistice. I can understand why Sweden did what they did though. The Germans snatched Norway up fast. And the U.S. did a pretty similar thing in both world wars. We supplied Britain with war materials (we ended up putting an emargo on the Germans in WWII) while claiming to be neutral, which is against the rules of war. And the Soviet Union attacked Finland; the USSR was an aggressor so there's nothing wrong with supporting the Finns there. That's pretty interesting about your grandfather. Did he stay for the entire duration of the Winter War/WWII? Generals Die in Bed was like a mix between Hemingway and Remarque. It had the bad character development of Hemingway but the war scenes of Remarque. And most of the book takes place in the rear, so you have to put up with the narrator getting drunk often. But it was okay. Not something I'd recommend though. Started the third volume ofthe Gulag Archipelago. maybe I should read it.. ...
I didn't know that about WWI no, ... wow. I think that entire war was a complete disaster (well all wars are) but this one was just dreadful.
Yes, I do understand why too.. it is easy to be judgmental 70 years later. We never got invaded, (the Germans would most likely just have taken us and continued doing what they were doing anyway even though I don't think Sweden would have been as easy to invade as Norway and Denmark) . A lot of people (Jews and others) actually got saved by fleeing to or through Sweden during the war. Also indeed, Russia and Sweden were old arch enemies (this goes way back) so yes, most logically I think my country was more keen on being "friends" with the Germans and keeping a close eye on what Soviet was up to.
I'm not sure how long my granddad stayed there unfortunately. He died long before I was born so naturally I have never talked to him about it. My mum has mentioned that he was there though.
I hope you enjoy the reading,
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Post by Redd on Jan 8, 2010 20:25:31 GMT -5
Yeah, World War I and II never had to happen. WWI was a regional conflict that got way out of hand, and if the French hadn't been so tough on Germany, maybe Hitler never would've risen. And WWI was really Austria-Hungary's fault, if one feels the need to blame one particular country. Yeah, I think Sweden really had no choice in the matter. If they didn't submit to the Germans' few demands, they would have been invaded and Britain, the USSR, U.S., etc would not have been able to help (and maybe not even willing to help). Trading iron ore or having your country occupied by genocidal maniacs... take your pick. Thank you. I aim to.
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Post by INeverLikedYou on Jan 9, 2010 0:54:46 GMT -5
It's fiction and i've stopped reading it. I'll keep those books in mind. I need to go back to the library anyways. Who is the author? -------------------------------------------------------------- Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander. She wrote Elizabeth: The Golden Age (film with Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen). Anyways, too lazy [and tired] to write the plot: Looking forward to the joys of connubial bliss, newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves set out toward Turkey for an exotic honeymoon. But on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered--strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan's lavish Topkapi Palace. Sir Richard St. Clare, an Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople, is present and recognizes the girl as his own daughter who was kidnapped twenty years earlier. Emily and Colin promise the heartbroken father they'll find her killer.
As a woman, Emily is given access to the forbidden world of the harem and quickly discovers that its mysterious, sheltered walls offer no protection from a ruthless murderer. Soon, the Valide (mother to the Sultan) is found strangled with a silken bowstring and the head Eunuch is brutally slain.
When the killer strikes again, kidnapping a concubine and threatening to kill her unless Emily agrees to meet him in secret, she cannot wait for Colin or the authorities to come to her rescue. In a heart-stopping finale, Emily must rely on her own sharp wits if she is to stop a killer bent on taking revenge no matter how many innocent lives he leaves in his wake.
It's actually pretty interesting. yeah.. it sounded a bit dull to be honest.
Stieg Larsson, is the author. It is a best seller all over Europe so I think it cant be that hard to find in the states.
I loved Elisabeth, it is an amazing movie.
the story seems pretty interesting. Is it better than the Aria book so far?
Well, I will see if I can find them at the bookstores and library here. I've seen a little bit of both Elizabeth movies. From what I've seen, Cate is spectacular. Tears of Pearl is 5x better than Aria. Probably one of the longest reads and it's only 303 pages long! Which is not alot but it taking forever to finish. Anyhow, I'm enjoying it quite much and it's very witty.
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Post by INeverLikedYou on Jan 9, 2010 0:56:57 GMT -5
I like the way Solzhenitsyn writes about the gulag. He adds in a lot of dark humor so you never want to close it and walk away from it. Yeah, I really want to vist Ypres and all those places one day, as well as some of the cemeteries. Did you know that on the last day of WWI, more men died than on the first day of the Normandy invasions? Completely messed up, especially since many commanders knew about the armistice. I can understand why Sweden did what they did though. The Germans snatched Norway up fast. And the U.S. did a pretty similar thing in both world wars. We supplied Britain with war materials (we ended up putting an emargo on the Germans in WWII) while claiming to be neutral, which is against the rules of war. And the Soviet Union attacked Finland; the USSR was an aggressor so there's nothing wrong with supporting the Finns there. That's pretty interesting about your grandfather. Did he stay for the entire duration of the Winter War/WWII? Generals Die in Bed was like a mix between Hemingway and Remarque. It had the bad character development of Hemingway but the war scenes of Remarque. And most of the book takes place in the rear, so you have to put up with the narrator getting drunk often. But it was okay. Not something I'd recommend though. Started the third volume ofthe Gulag Archipelago. Noelle, I remember you saying that you have great interest in becoming a History major when you go to college (whenever that time will be). Curious, what type of history do you wish to concentrate on?
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Post by Kamikaze Parrot on Jan 9, 2010 5:17:20 GMT -5
Well, I will see if I can find them at the bookstores and library here. I've seen a little bit of both Elizabeth movies. From what I've seen, Cate is spectacular. Tears of Pearl is 5x better than Aria. Probably one of the longest reads and it's only 303 pages long! Which is not alot but it taking forever to finish. Anyhow, I'm enjoying it quite much and it's very witty. Do that.
Ive seen both, in particular the first one is amazing.
Great that this book was better. I tend to enjoy long books more because there are more to enjoy. (If the book is good that is).
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Post by Redd on Jan 9, 2010 18:15:27 GMT -5
Noelle, I remember you saying that you have great interest in becoming a History major when you go to college (whenever that time will be). Curious, what type of history do you wish to concentrate on? I might focus generally on U.S. history or military history, as I'm going to most likely end up as a high school teacher. I'll probably try to study other eras and areas as well. I've taken an interest to Russian/Soviet history. That being said, I don't know too well how the whole majors thing works honestly. I need to talk about it with my guidance councilor and check out some colleges and their programs.
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Post by INeverLikedYou on Jan 15, 2010 11:26:51 GMT -5
Noelle, I remember you saying that you have great interest in becoming a History major when you go to college (whenever that time will be). Curious, what type of history do you wish to concentrate on? I might focus generally on U.S. history or military history, as I'm going to most likely end up as a high school teacher. I'll probably try to study other eras and areas as well. I've taken an interest to Russian/Soviet history. That being said, I don't know too well how the whole majors thing works honestly. I need to talk about it with my guidance councilor and check out some colleges and their programs. Okay. I'm taking History 316: Modern 20th Century Europe, which dabbles on both World Wars; the Cold War, Leninism and Stalinism; Nationalism, Nazism; The fall of Communism and other stuff in between. Well, as for History, you could concentrate on American/U.S. History as you mentioned, European History, Northeast Asian History, Alaska Native History,.... it really depends. Also, depending on the college or university you apply for, you'd have to look into their History degree program. Alaska has a small selection, so since you're from NJ and you have your pick of great schools over there, I'm sure the field will being expansive. But definitely discuss it with your counselor. You're a senior? You have a school in mind you want to attend?
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Post by INeverLikedYou on Jan 15, 2010 11:27:57 GMT -5
Finished the book. I enjoyed it! The ending was kind of sad, but not too tragic.
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Post by Redd on Jan 16, 2010 1:06:33 GMT -5
Ahh Lenin and Stalin... Two batshit insane dictators. Russia has always been fucked.
I'm not interested too much in Asian history, but I might take a course, just to expand my knowledge and gain a better understanding of how what happens over there affects what happens here and vice versa. And I'm a junior right now. I don't have any schools in mind.. that's why I need to talk to my counselor.
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Post by Kamikaze Parrot on Jan 16, 2010 6:03:53 GMT -5
Ahh Lenin and Stalin... Two batshit insane dictators. Russia has always been fucked. I'm not interested too much in Asian history, but I might take a course, just to expand my knowledge and gain a better understanding of how what happens over there affects what happens here and vice versa. And I'm a junior right now. I don't have any schools in mind.. that's why I need to talk to my counselor. The Japanese history is very interesting. Same with the history of China.
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Post by Redd on Mar 31, 2010 20:03:35 GMT -5
I picked up A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn recently. It's about history through the eyes of the non-elites. I'm going to read A History of the American People by Paul Johnson next. My history teacher recommended me the latter, since Zinn leftist, while Johnson is rightist. Should be interesting to see both sides.
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Post by Kamikaze Parrot on Apr 2, 2010 8:41:08 GMT -5
I picked up A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn recently. It's about history through the eyes of the non-elites. I'm going to read A History of the American People by Paul Johnson next. My history teacher recommended me the latter, since Zinn leftist, while Johnson is rightist. Should be interesting to see both sides. definitely
keep me updated.
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Post by Redd on Apr 5, 2010 16:23:53 GMT -5
This guy has a really interesting view on the Revolutionary War/Constitution -- that it was essentially designed to keep the rich rich and the poor poor. He also devotes a chapter to the oppression of women, which I think is fantastic. I have to agree with him 100% when he says that women are ignored in history. The first chapter on Columbus is great too. The guy cut off the hands of Hispaniolans who did not pay him tribute.
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Post by Kamikaze Parrot on Apr 7, 2010 22:20:06 GMT -5
This guy has a really interesting view on the Revolutionary War/Constitution -- that it was essentially designed to keep the rich rich and the poor poor. He also devotes a chapter to the oppression of women, which I think is fantastic. I have to agree with him 100% when he says that women are ignored in history. The first chapter on Columbus is great too. The guy cut off the hands of Hispaniolans who did not pay him tribute. maybe I should see if I could find it, it sounds interesting. I agree about the women too.. there are some exceptions but not that many..
Columbus seems like a great man........................................... ;D..
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