I picked up Miles Gone By for a light read. However, wading through William Buckley's lexicon is never a light read. I don't read Buckley because I am a die hard conservative. I read Buckley because he writes well. My first introduction to his writing was his Blackford Oakes spy novel series. So, I thought I would take a run through a life fairly interesting.
Mr. Buckley grew up at the highest level of affluence. His father was highly placed in foreign affairs and in U.S. business. Most of his youth stories are framed in instances of three household staff members for each child. William benefits from a solid set of parents and takes full advantage of a first rate education. His surfacing as a professional was his writing of God and Man and Yale.
It becomes apparent early that Buckley is a gifted journalist/writer. The book is split up into writings he did for journals through his career. I have not thought of the value of the writer at events until I read through this book. Much as I am challenged to share my thoughts on books in this journal, Buckley takes events and brings them to magnificent life. He tells of sailing, time with dignitaries and time going down to the Titanic, riding the Orient Express. The trip down to the Titanic and his trip on the Orient Express were the most riveting example of the value of someone who can write memorializing special events/scenes.
Buckley received an invite to go down in a exploration submarine to pick up some artifacts from the Titanic wreckage. He does a tremendous job describing the scene, the history, etc. He brings the entire episode to an interesting light.
Buckley is also a sailor so there are lots of stories on sailing. I want to sail, some day, so hearing his stories are of great interest to me. The more I read about sailing the less it is romanticized - sailing is a lot of hard work followed by periods of grandeur. Buckley crosses the Atlantic and Pacific multiple times. As noted he is wealthy, so most of his boats are crewed. The navigation at the time of his crossings were still pretty basic, unlike today's. If you like to sail, the parts of the books would be interesting.
Virtually everyone that is a who's who is a close friend of Buckley. He tells great stories of social gaffes (interrupting Queen Elizabeth to introduce a friend to the person she is talking to), his close friends, David Niven, Ronald Reagan, Henry Kissinger, Clare Boothe Luce, Tom Wolf, Vladimir Horowitz, Roger Moore, Alistair Cook, Princess Grace and John Kenneth Galbraith. He also talks of times with Whittaker Chambers.
Would I recommend this read? Only if you enjoy a little of the high brow life. It was dry in spots, especially the discussions of God and Yale and Man. Overall, an interesting insight to a life fully lived.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Jerusalem - Montefiore
"For 1,000 years Jerusalem was exclusively Jewish; for about 400 years, Christian; for 1,300 years, Islamic; and not one of the three faiths ever gained Jerusalem without the sword, the mangonel (catapult) or the howitzer. Their nationalistic histories tell a rigid story of inevitable progressions to heroic triumphs and abrupt disasters, but in this history I have tried to show nothing was inevitable, there were always choices. The fates and identities of Jerusalemites were rarely clear cut. Life in Herodian, Crusader, or British Jerusalem was always just as complex and nuanced as life is for us today." Montefiore
This book was a Christmas gift from someone that knows I love history (my wife). I read a review of it in the WSJ and also saw that Bill Clinton saw it as a great read. Jerusalem is simply a historical survey of the city. As Montefiore notes above, the city has seen many changes and has many intrigues. My initial interest in the book was to fill in the gaps of what I knew and see if I could gain a clearer understanding of current conflicts in the area.
If you were Jewish and lived in Jerusalem, it wasn't a good situation. One take away from the book is that the Jewish population was a side show throughout the history of Jerusalem - even before the coming of Christ. David saw the zenith of the city but it later went through multiple sackings from the Persians, Macedonians, Maccabees and Romans. Even under Rome, the Herods ruled the city until its ultimate destruction. At this point the Jewish population in Jerusalem was very small and continued to be so until just before World War II.
Christians saw some presence in the city for a short period of time. Mostly influenced by the Christians from the Anatolia(Asia Minor) region. The group mostly influenced by the early church. Subsequently, the Arabs decided they saw Jerusalem as an important city.
"one night, his followers believed that, as he slept beside the Kaaba (a cuboid building in Mecca - one of the most sacred Muslim locations), Muhammad had a vision. The Archangel Gabriel awoke him and together they embarked on a Night Journey mounted on Buraq, a winged steed with a human face, to the unnamed "Furthest Sanctuary"." This furthest sanctuary is believed to be the Temple Mount and part of the sacred Muslim locations.
"After Muhammad's death, the Muslim desired to build the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. The Rock was the site of Adam's paradise, Abraham's altar, the place where David and Solomon planned their Temple later visited by Muhammad on his Night Journey. Abd al-Malik rebuilt the Jewish Temple for the true revelation of God, Islam." When you consider the Jewish position that Jesus was not the messiah and the Islamic position that Jesus was a prophet just as Muhammad and all praise and glory goes to God - then building the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount makes sense. The Muslims just thought they were improving on the Temple with the Dome of the Rock. The Rock is the Foundation Stone - the stone that was beneath the Ark of the Covenant.
The crusaders tried to unseat Islam from Jerusalem. It would be a natural decision to try to oust the people that built a mosque over the site of the temple. The book goes through multiple visits by the crusaders and their somewhat limited success to restore Jerusalem to Christian rule. Past the crusaders you have attempts by Napoleon and other European (and Russian) leaders to influence Jerusalem. Unfortunately for them, Jerusalem is always a side bar for other events in Europe and sufficient resources are never available for total control of the city.
Through this time, as noted previously, the Jewish population was not a significant influence as to what is going on in Jerusalem. It isn't until after the first World War that a migration of European Jews begins into Palestine. The Russians and the British start to lay the foundation for the modern geography of Israel and Arab lands. Stalin was a defender and proponent of the Jewish state. The British controlled the city for some time until the mandate for the current country. The two state option was on the table from the beginning. The Arabs fought against it and began what we see today in bombings and assassinations. Many of the Arab leaders we know in current times cut their teeth in these early wars - for example - Arafat and Fatah were created during this time.
The bottom line during this period is that the entire Arab region attacked the young state of Israel. Israel was able to defend itself and create buffers of land around the original state. I was in the military in the early 1980's and witnessed in person the Israeli military spirit and the backwardness of the Arab military while stationed in the Sinai desert.
I went into the book with a desire to learn more and have an equitable view. This book is written very much by a defender of the Jewish population - so there is a slant. However, it is clear that the Arab world has received an opportunity to live in peace alongside the Jewish population in Palestine. No "one" people have the rights to Palestine - Jews and Arabs have lived there for thousands of years. The Arabs have chosen to wage a constant battle with the Israeli's. Peace will not come until the Arab world decides it will live in peace.
It also becomes painfully obvious as you go through the history, that Jerusalem is an international city. There is much discussion of treating it almost like a Vatican with a totally independent authority that oversees it. This is an interesting concept.
This is a good read if you really enjoy historical surveys - it is not a light read.
This book was a Christmas gift from someone that knows I love history (my wife). I read a review of it in the WSJ and also saw that Bill Clinton saw it as a great read. Jerusalem is simply a historical survey of the city. As Montefiore notes above, the city has seen many changes and has many intrigues. My initial interest in the book was to fill in the gaps of what I knew and see if I could gain a clearer understanding of current conflicts in the area.
If you were Jewish and lived in Jerusalem, it wasn't a good situation. One take away from the book is that the Jewish population was a side show throughout the history of Jerusalem - even before the coming of Christ. David saw the zenith of the city but it later went through multiple sackings from the Persians, Macedonians, Maccabees and Romans. Even under Rome, the Herods ruled the city until its ultimate destruction. At this point the Jewish population in Jerusalem was very small and continued to be so until just before World War II.
Christians saw some presence in the city for a short period of time. Mostly influenced by the Christians from the Anatolia(Asia Minor) region. The group mostly influenced by the early church. Subsequently, the Arabs decided they saw Jerusalem as an important city.
"one night, his followers believed that, as he slept beside the Kaaba (a cuboid building in Mecca - one of the most sacred Muslim locations), Muhammad had a vision. The Archangel Gabriel awoke him and together they embarked on a Night Journey mounted on Buraq, a winged steed with a human face, to the unnamed "Furthest Sanctuary"." This furthest sanctuary is believed to be the Temple Mount and part of the sacred Muslim locations.
"After Muhammad's death, the Muslim desired to build the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. The Rock was the site of Adam's paradise, Abraham's altar, the place where David and Solomon planned their Temple later visited by Muhammad on his Night Journey. Abd al-Malik rebuilt the Jewish Temple for the true revelation of God, Islam." When you consider the Jewish position that Jesus was not the messiah and the Islamic position that Jesus was a prophet just as Muhammad and all praise and glory goes to God - then building the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount makes sense. The Muslims just thought they were improving on the Temple with the Dome of the Rock. The Rock is the Foundation Stone - the stone that was beneath the Ark of the Covenant.
The crusaders tried to unseat Islam from Jerusalem. It would be a natural decision to try to oust the people that built a mosque over the site of the temple. The book goes through multiple visits by the crusaders and their somewhat limited success to restore Jerusalem to Christian rule. Past the crusaders you have attempts by Napoleon and other European (and Russian) leaders to influence Jerusalem. Unfortunately for them, Jerusalem is always a side bar for other events in Europe and sufficient resources are never available for total control of the city.
Through this time, as noted previously, the Jewish population was not a significant influence as to what is going on in Jerusalem. It isn't until after the first World War that a migration of European Jews begins into Palestine. The Russians and the British start to lay the foundation for the modern geography of Israel and Arab lands. Stalin was a defender and proponent of the Jewish state. The British controlled the city for some time until the mandate for the current country. The two state option was on the table from the beginning. The Arabs fought against it and began what we see today in bombings and assassinations. Many of the Arab leaders we know in current times cut their teeth in these early wars - for example - Arafat and Fatah were created during this time.
The bottom line during this period is that the entire Arab region attacked the young state of Israel. Israel was able to defend itself and create buffers of land around the original state. I was in the military in the early 1980's and witnessed in person the Israeli military spirit and the backwardness of the Arab military while stationed in the Sinai desert.
I went into the book with a desire to learn more and have an equitable view. This book is written very much by a defender of the Jewish population - so there is a slant. However, it is clear that the Arab world has received an opportunity to live in peace alongside the Jewish population in Palestine. No "one" people have the rights to Palestine - Jews and Arabs have lived there for thousands of years. The Arabs have chosen to wage a constant battle with the Israeli's. Peace will not come until the Arab world decides it will live in peace.
It also becomes painfully obvious as you go through the history, that Jerusalem is an international city. There is much discussion of treating it almost like a Vatican with a totally independent authority that oversees it. This is an interesting concept.
This is a good read if you really enjoy historical surveys - it is not a light read.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
The Liberator - Alex Kershaw
After Les Miserables I needed a book I could run through a little quicker. The Liberator by Alex Kershaw has been on my list and it was a good fit. This book came on my radar when the Wall Street Journal reviewed it in their daily op-ed section. I get a lot of books off the Wall Street Journal and the Economist reviews. This caught my eye because I recalled hearing this story in person twenty years ago in a hospital in Enid, Oklahoma.
The gentlemen telling me the story was Sam Vogel who had been in World War II with the 45th Division. We were in the waiting area of the hospital, sadly standing by as a family member was passing away. I asked Sam about his service in the war. Maybe since he knew I served he decided to share. Over the next hour or two Sam shares this amazing story of shipping out of NYC on a ship to Africa. In Africa his group trained for a beach landing in Sicily, captured the island then made a beach landing in Italy. His group fought its way from the beaches of southern Italy. They then made another beach landing in southern France. From southern France they entered Germany and fought their way towards Berlin. Unfortunately, they were tasked with liberating Dachau and their drive stalled near Munich as they dealt with the grim realities of the prison camp. Needless to say I was simply stunned. He's entire discussion was a, just doing what we needed to do, tone.
Anyhow, the Liberator is actually the story of the 45th Division going through the fight that Sam told me about. How crazy is that. So I picked the book up for a read. It's an easy read so if you are a WWII buff you need to pick it up. Some quick input on Kershaw's writing and research - average at best.
The story follows a gentlemen, Felix Sparks, who was a country kid that grew up in Miami, Arizona. The 45th Division was comprised of units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Spark's unit was the 157th Infantry Regiment based out of Arizona. Sparks is a typical young man fighting his way through the great depression. The military ends up being his out of poverty and route to opportunity. After going through the war he ends up being a lawyer in Colorado.
As you read the story it brings back the crazy sacrifice that all of these men made. The cold reality is if you were in an front line infantry unit during the war your odds of not being a casualty of some sort was very low. Sparks (an officer) goes through two battles where he loses almost every one of his men. The battle conditions are unimaginable to say the least. Once they finally get to the point that they feel the war is ending they walk into Dachau without any preparation for what they would see.
Sparks group was simply overwhelmed and actually did not respond in the most professional way. They just didn't have the training to deal with the gross abuse of life they saw in the camp.
A nice quick read and a good nod to Sam for his service. If you have a travel day grab this book and read it. You will appreciate all of our military for the role they serve in not only protecting our freedom but the freedom of everyone throughout the world.
The gentlemen telling me the story was Sam Vogel who had been in World War II with the 45th Division. We were in the waiting area of the hospital, sadly standing by as a family member was passing away. I asked Sam about his service in the war. Maybe since he knew I served he decided to share. Over the next hour or two Sam shares this amazing story of shipping out of NYC on a ship to Africa. In Africa his group trained for a beach landing in Sicily, captured the island then made a beach landing in Italy. His group fought its way from the beaches of southern Italy. They then made another beach landing in southern France. From southern France they entered Germany and fought their way towards Berlin. Unfortunately, they were tasked with liberating Dachau and their drive stalled near Munich as they dealt with the grim realities of the prison camp. Needless to say I was simply stunned. He's entire discussion was a, just doing what we needed to do, tone.
Anyhow, the Liberator is actually the story of the 45th Division going through the fight that Sam told me about. How crazy is that. So I picked the book up for a read. It's an easy read so if you are a WWII buff you need to pick it up. Some quick input on Kershaw's writing and research - average at best.
The story follows a gentlemen, Felix Sparks, who was a country kid that grew up in Miami, Arizona. The 45th Division was comprised of units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Oklahoma. Spark's unit was the 157th Infantry Regiment based out of Arizona. Sparks is a typical young man fighting his way through the great depression. The military ends up being his out of poverty and route to opportunity. After going through the war he ends up being a lawyer in Colorado.
As you read the story it brings back the crazy sacrifice that all of these men made. The cold reality is if you were in an front line infantry unit during the war your odds of not being a casualty of some sort was very low. Sparks (an officer) goes through two battles where he loses almost every one of his men. The battle conditions are unimaginable to say the least. Once they finally get to the point that they feel the war is ending they walk into Dachau without any preparation for what they would see.
Sparks group was simply overwhelmed and actually did not respond in the most professional way. They just didn't have the training to deal with the gross abuse of life they saw in the camp.
A nice quick read and a good nod to Sam for his service. If you have a travel day grab this book and read it. You will appreciate all of our military for the role they serve in not only protecting our freedom but the freedom of everyone throughout the world.
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