4/5 This is a well-written book about a large swath of land in what is now known as the Middle East. Even though there is a modern-day equivalent of Syria, it is a small portion of what had been Syria until roughly the 20th century. The borders of Syria have changed frequently through various waves… Continue reading Book Review: Syrian: An Outline History
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Book Review: Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt
Review of Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt by Rosalie David. Published by Penguin in 2002 4/5 This book, while different from what I had been expecting, was a well written and insightful read. It focuses on the development of the Ancient Egyptian belief system chronologically, focusing on the historical events that affected who and… Continue reading Book Review: Religion and Magic in Ancient Egypt
Book Review: A Peace to End all Peace
A Peace to End All Peace: the Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East by David Fromkin. Published by Owl Books 2001 4/5 This is one of those books that everyone reads for a foundational knowledge about the Middle Eastern policy during WWI. It is a well-researched and well… Continue reading Book Review: A Peace to End all Peace
Book Review: The Ottoman Endgame
The Ottoman Endgame: War, Revolution, and the Making of the Modern Middle East by Sean McMeekin. Published by Penguin Books, 2016 5/5 This is a well written, well researched study of the military situation of the Ottoman Empire before and during the First World War. It provides a refreshing perspective, focusing on the Ottomans themselves,… Continue reading Book Review: The Ottoman Endgame
Two Giants of the Civil Rights Movement
Saturday was the Women's March and today is MLK Day, making me reflect on the Civil Rights movement and social change in general. MLK represents many different things to so many people and I think everything we project on him can sometimes obscure the man and the many people around him, who fought just as hard and sacrificed just as much. And I think that was MLK's greatest gift and legacy-empowering, not only a nation, but each and every individual who came in contact with him to fight for justice and for what's right. Today, I want to write about two such people, two women who I deeply admire and can't help but be inspired by: Dorothy Height and Fannie Lou Hamer. Hopefully, this way I can pay my respects to the Women's March and MLK's and the Civil Rights Movement's legacy.
Thoughts on World War I
Yesterday, I was going to write a blog post about the 100th year anniversary of the WWI armistice and of Poland’s independence, but I couldn’t find the right words. I wanted to celebrate with Poland (lord knows they deserve it), while also properly reflecting on the war that killed 7 million civilians and 10 million… Continue reading Thoughts on World War I
The Battle of Ashbourne
Tuesday 25, April 1916 was a fine, spring day. There had been gentle showers earlier, but the land had dried since then, and the rest of week promised to be warm. After a disastrous start on Easter Sunday, things had gone as smoothly as could be expected for Irish Volunteer, Lieutenant Richard Mulcahy. After reporting… Continue reading The Battle of Ashbourne
5 Notorious Historical Figures with Supernatural Connections
Since it is Halloween, I thought it would be fun to write a post about the five notorious historical figures who have either inspired supernatural creatures or were confused for supernatural creatures. 6. Bela Kiss-the Vampire of Cinkola Bela Kiss was a Hungarian soldier who fought during WWI, a serial killer, and-possibly-a vampire. A man… Continue reading 5 Notorious Historical Figures with Supernatural Connections
More notes on Armenian Golgotha
I’ve been thinking about Balakian’s memoir and two points that stuck out the most to me were: the international community’s culpability/lack of proper response and Turkey’s complaints once the Armenians were murdered. Starting with the Turk’s complaints, it’s so similar to the U.S. right now, it’s terrifying. Balakin writes that the Armenians were the core… Continue reading More notes on Armenian Golgotha
Book Review: Armenian Golgotha
Armenian Golgotha by Grigoris Balakian. Published by Vintage in 2009. This memoir was written by Grigoris Balakian, a bishop of the Armenian Apostolic Church. Balakian was an educated Armenian, having studied in Germany and spoke Armenian, Turkish, and German. He was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and wrote this memoir to chronicle what he… Continue reading Book Review: Armenian Golgotha
