Book Review #10

The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides

The popular saying 'May you live in interesting times' may not be nearly so wise a request as wishing to live in peaceful and stable times but is eminently more sensible than ever wishing someone to live in original times. If there is one thing amply demonstrated by Thucydides in his epic and timeless history of The Peloponnesian War it would be the truth stated in Ecclesiastes 1:9 'What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.'

Though the events covered occur roughly 2500 years ago it feels as current and apropos as if it had been written this year. I would freely admit that the study of Greek history has not been my most popular topic. In fact, without it having been chosen as the item to study and comment on by Vox Day it is unlikely that I would have ever picked up the text. Having read it I would place it on a top 10 list of books one must read to be considered educated. Thucydides is a master and leaves ample evidence why his work has survived for the millennia. His insightful commentary and balanced portrayal over events occurring in his own life puts to shame the commentary we are subject to in what is called 'The Information Age'. The scope of his work covers the gamut of human motivation and nature as well as political and military situations that are all to familiar.

The particular version of the text I link above, as you can find free versions online and other pay versions, was well worth the purchase price new. The notes included in the text are insightful and help tie things together as do the included maps. This version, unlike some others, does not really continue past the point where Thucydides himself leaves off. As the text comes to an abrupt halt this may be bothersome to some readers. This work receives my highest possible recommendation and I would like to think I demonstrated my own knowledge of the work in Vox Day's Final Exam.

Book Review #9

The Faiths of Our Fathers: What America's Founders Really Believed by Alf J. Mapp, Jr.

I found this book in the discount section at Barnes and Nobles. Paid roughly 7.00 for it. It is an engaging little book. I noted some errors in it... one of which was referencing an item in the appendix that is simply not there. However, for what I paid it provided a taste of the subject matter. I think it does reveal that the 'Founders' like many people today ranged in their beliefs. The Founders were certainly not uniformly evangelical as some church goers would have you believe and they most certainly were not all separated from faith and its role in society as some of the more secular among us would claim. They were humans with all that entails.

I think from this book I would branch out and engage in some of the other texts on the subject. I expect fully that it is a subject that will be highly effected by the personal beliefs of the author. If you only want a taste of the subject however, this would provide that in a very short form ( a mere 160ish pages). On that basis I would recommend it.

Book Review #8

The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul

Given the size of the Federal Register and the various state codes, you would think that the original Constitution and State governing documents were extensive tomes and written with the complexity of the King James Bible. As a capstone and summary of his Presidential bid and governing philosophy, Ron Paul provides a short, succinct an altogether impressive attempt to explain the politics of freedom and the nature of limited government to a new generation of Americans who has never known either as the Founder's would have envisioned.

It is always a boon when someone is able to capture the essence of a concept and movement in a compressed form. It is clear that Ron Paul is more effective with the written word than he is standing on stages delivering speeches or in our hideous and moderated 'debates'.

If one is looking for a quick yet thorough introduction to limited Constitutional government with basic libertarian principles then this book is a must read. If you somehow feel that the common political wisdom and dialog continues to yield only more of the same visibly failed policies then this book is a must read. If you only want to find out why this man was so fervently followed by those who did then you can find out with a minimal time commitment.

Book Review #7

Augustus by Anthony Everitt

If I could go back and meet just one historical person, outside of Jesus, I think I would choose Augustus. This individual sat at the fulcrum of history. If one is a Christian then it must have some relevance that Christ was born during his governance. If one man has ever truly wielded more power and wielded it rather wisely for such a length of time as did Augustus then I remain unaware of him. And that is the fascinating thing. Many have conquered and there have been more than a few empires, but nothing has captured the imagination as much as the one charted by Augustus. As August himself said when speaking of Alexander the Great being at a loss of what to do after his extensive military conquests, "I am surprised the king did not realize that a far harder task than winning an empire is putting it into order once you have won it". And order it he did.

Alfred North Whitehead once said "I know of only two occasions in history when the people in power did what needed to be done about as well as you can imagine its being possible. One was the framing of your American Constitution... The other was in Rome and it undoubtedly saved civilization for, roughly, four hundred years. It was the work of Augusts and the set around him".

Augustus' accomplishments lend themselves to study. Through his life you can see the path to power and more importantly the means to maintain it. Fascinating man, fascinating life... the measuring stick by which all who would rule must be judged.

Specifically to the book, Everitt has accomplished a very readable history. So readable in fact that I will make it a point to acquire other works by him. He fully admits that there are some portions of Augustus' life that are not well recorded. In these sections he attempts to present what he feels is the most likely scenario to have happened. The narrative starts off with a jump to the end of Augusts' life before returning and treating the subject in a more linear chronological manner. The scope of the volume, while complete, does not render it ponderous or overly lengthy. It is well footnoted and indexed. The text also presents a fair and balanced approach to Augustus detailing his failings and triumphs as a man as well as the character and motives of his main adversaries such as Marc Antony.

I wholly recommend without reservation this book.

Book Review #6

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner

Many people have heard of Freakonomics. If you have not read it, you may still be familiar with the conclusion it reached on abortion and crime rates and with the controversy this caused Bill Bennett. On the whole it is a fascinating concept. The ideas of following data wherever it may lead and what the study economics can be used for.

The book as a whole is presented in a very readable style. And the various chapters while readable in an independent fashion manage to tie together in a loose overall theme.

I hope there is a sequel as it seems that there is no end to the directions you could go with this concept.

Book Review #5

The War of the Roses by Alison Weir

History can be a tricky thing to write about. There is always the issues of bias, accuracy and complexity with which to deal. Being my first foray into this era of English history it is hard to speak to the authors dealings with the first two issues, but it is the latter that presents both the main strength and weakness of the book.

The War of the Roses covers a period of English history primarily from 1455-1487. The text does a solid job of setting the stage for the political situation and bringing the personal traits and motivations of many of the main players to life. Given the magnitude of the cast and the number of titles and people to contend with, the author does an admirable job of keeping the overall flow of the tale moving forward. I do feel that in some form or fashion more could have been done to help the reader keep track of the relationships and titles various people had and held throughout the time frame and their significance. At times it became exceedingly difficult to understand who was related to whom and in what capacity the different titles conferred influence and power. No doubt this was problematic for the people of the time also.

I can recommend the book as a fairly concise and apparently thorough look at the situation and one that leaves you with a richer understanding of a famous time in English history.

Book Review #4

I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephen Colbert

A decade or so ago I probably would not have liked this book. It is certainly fun, but I would have chafed a bit at the fact it was picking at 'my side'. At this point in life though I can find the humor in it and even agree that those who I would have once thought on 'my side' deserve a good skewering.

This book is based, in my opinion, on the model of the old Rush Limbaugh books. Issues thrown out there with the opinion of the author addressing them. The book is just the right length to cover a good amount of issues and not become tiresome. There are some true gems in here... the comment on the Catholic Church and getting production value for your offerings still brings a smile to my face. He even has a point there.

A comedy book worth a read.

Book Review #3

Come on People: On the Path from Victims to Victors by Cosby & Poussaint

I so wanted to like this book. If I had stopped in the first few pages I would have. Mr. Cosby and Poussaint do a reasonably admirable job of laying out the background and problems for the black community. Where this book ultimately fails, in my opinion, is its all to predictable fallback into the position of government action. Yes, there are certainly calls for self help, but there are many calls for more of the same programs that have yielded little to no return on the investment in terms of helping the black community they were targeted at. I think if one searched out Mr. Cosby's speeches as of late then you would get the majority of the same information and opinion in probably a more engaging form.

Book Review #2

Day of Reckoning by Patrick J. Buchanan


Of all the political columnists and commentators I enjoy, I believe Pat Buchanan tops the list. I have read several of his books and many of his columns and all of them I have found them all worthy of the time and mental engagement. Pat Buchanan combines readability, historical perspective, cultural understanding, facts and religious insight into his works. More than any other writer his thoughts challenge some of the economic beliefs that I tend to gravitate towards as a libertarian minded person.

Mr. Buchanan's current work seems to be a culmination of several of his prior ones. Where before he lays out problems as he sees them, in this one he postulates that we have slept too long at the wheel and now all that is left to do is succumb to the inevitable consequences of so many errant policies and actions.

Across the board of economics, foreign policy, culture, immigration and demographics, Mr. Buchanan demonstrates how America and Western Civilization is being ripped apart and irrevocably changed and weakened. While his opinion has often acted in the role of Cassandra, it is hard to argue with the information he presents to make his case. One can only hope that he is wrong... one can only fear that he is right.

Book Review #1

One thing I certainly do a great deal of is read. I tend to do a lot of Sci-Fi and Fantasy reading, but recently I have been engaged more with culture, politics and history. Seemed reasonable to let others know my thoughts on the books that I have read... so here goes.

The Irrational Atheist by Vox Day

My first encounter with the new atheist movement came primarily from commentators on Vox Popoli. I had encountered people of the atheist bent in my personal life, but they lacked nearly so much stridency and it seemed fairly obvious that they were mostly angry at parents and personal circumstances. They also were in no way posing as intellectuals so it seemed harmless enough. However, it has become quite apparent that besides the entertainment portrayal of those of faith as boobs, dullards and hate mongers there is now another group that seems to spend its days fuming about perceived theocractic and historical injustices committed by particularly by those of the Christian faith. Any argument with this crowd is instantly dismissed as being done by people who suffer the mental disorder of faith and are not qualified to speak and unworthy of being heard. Into this 'debate' comes Vox Day.

Vox Day decided to engage the atheist 'intellectual' leaders on their own perceived turf of rationality and evidence. To give a more fair review it would be better if I had read the original texts that he is commenting on, but the arguments he debates and debunks are common enough to have been heard through other sources (ie Religion causes war).

Vox Day writes in a pretty engaging style. It is not dull which is a risk that books on social issues, culture and history take. His approach to the debate is admittedly combative and treats the New Atheist movement with little more respect than they treat those of faith.

For those looking to debate an atheist without relying on the obviously losing argument of theology and personal revelation this book provides the ammunition. It should be noted however that the New Atheists and their ilk being less than the rational people they advertise have opted not to engage in debates on this book. But perhaps, in smaller groups and crowds it will give you a few talking points to hold your own and convince those more on the fence who are less strident that while there may or may not be a God... atheists ARE asses and are NOT rational.