The Good Friday Agreement by Siobhan Fenton, 2018, Biteback Publishing Pros: Quick and Easy read Provides needed context on women’s and LGBTQ issues in Ireland A great overview of what’s happened in Ireland since the Good Friday Agreement Cons: Lacking in deep analysis on any issues This book is a breezy and easy read of … Continue reading Book Review: The Good Friday Agreement
The Anglo-Irish conflict, like many asymmetrical conflicts, can be confusing because of the vast amount of people and organizations involved. I have often wished there was a simple chart that I could refer to as I am reading about the conflict, so I made my own. The first chart is of the various political and … Continue reading The Organizations Involved in Easter Rising and the Anglo-Irish War
Irish Civil War: Law, Execution, and Atrocity by Sean Enright, Merrion Press, 2019 4/5 A slightly dry, but fascinating read about the executions that took place during the Irish Civil War. Like his prior book on the Easter Rising Trial, Sean spends the first half of the book providing historical and legal context for the … Continue reading Review for the Irish Civil war: Law, Execution, and Atrocity
Fatal Path: British Government and Irish Revolution 1919-1923 by Ronan Fanning, Faber and Faber, 2013 4/5 A light and easy read about the British perspective during the Anglo-Irish War. I greatly enjoyed this book. Since I normally read about the conflict from the side of the IRA/Irish Nationalist’s, this book was enjoyable and provided needed … Continue reading Review for Fatal Path
African Kaiser: General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck and the Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 by Robert Gaudi, Berkley, 2017 I’ve been meaning to write this blog post for a while. I read African Kaiser by Robert Gaudi last year and, while it was an easy and enjoyable read, there was an element that didn’t sit right … Continue reading Thoughts on African Kaiser and handling colonialism
Book Review of Richard Mulcahy from the Politics of War to the Politics of Peace 1913-1924 by Padraig O Caoimh, Irish Academic Press 2019 Rating: 4.5/5 Pros: A long overdue biography on a vital founder of the Irish Free State and Irish Army Rich analysis that is easy to read Provides needed context on the … Continue reading Book Review of Richard Mulcahy from the Politics of War to the Politics of Peace 1913-1924
A few weeks ago, I went to the Pritzker Military Museum and Library to attend Pamela Toler’s lecture on her new book Women Warriors: An Unexpected History. Toler is a well-known historian who studies the often over looked aspects of history such as women contributions and noncombatants contributions during war. Her book focuses on women … Continue reading Overview of Pamela Toler’s Lecture on Women Warriors
The Woman Who Would be King: Hatshepsut’s Rise to Power in Ancient Egypt by Kara Cooney, 2014, Crown Publishing 4/5 This is a well-written, engaging study of a fascinating woman from Ancient Egypt. It has an easy to read study and, while it sometimes strays a little too far into the theoretical, it … Continue reading Book Review-The Woman Who Would be King
Hatshepsut was one of the most successful pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, a woman who took the name pharaoh after serving as Thutmose III’s regency for seven years. She oversaw the expansion of Ancient Egypt’s trade, a great reign of peace, and oversaw a series of large building projects such as one of the architectural wonders … Continue reading Hatshepsut
Last week, I attended a fantastic given by Michael S. Neiberg at the Pritzker Military Museum and library about his latest book the Treaty of Versailles: a Concise History (which I also read) and I thought I'd write about the experience. Mr. Neiberg modeled the structure of his lecture on the structure of his book, … Continue reading Treaty of Versailles
Ida B. Wells is a giant, not only within the civil rights movement, but in American history. She was an African-American investigative journalist, educator, and an early leader in the Civil Rights Movement. A founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a co-owner of the newspaper Memphis Free Speech … Continue reading Ida B. Wells
Syria: An Outline History by John D. Granger 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 … Continue reading Book Review: Syria: An Outline History
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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
When I’m not reading/researching history topics, I write fiction. My newest project is a Middle Eastern/Central Asian novel about a royal family trying to keep out colonists and a growing terrorist ring wanting to recapture the glories of the past. While writing this book, I need to do a lot of research. This week, I’ve … Continue reading 5 Famous Women of Central Asia
I recently finished Hamid Ismailov’s book the Devils’ Dance, which is about Abdulla Qodiriy’s last days in a Soviet prison and the book he was working on before his arrest. The book mentions several Uzbek writers who I was unfamiliar with, so I decided to do a little research. This was what I was able … Continue reading Qodiriy, Fitrat, and Cho‘lpon
A few months ago, I finished Hamid Ismailov’s the Devils’ Dance, which is a historical novel about the famous Uzbek writer, Abdulla Qodiriy’s last days in a Soviet prison, and the book the real Qodiriy was working on, but never published about an Uzbek princess, Oyxon, and the courts of Kokand and Bukhara. I was … Continue reading Emir Nasrullah, Stoddart, and Connelly
The Anonymous Soldiers by Bruce Hoffman. Published by Random House in 2015 This is a well written and well researched book that is easy to read, and is packed with information. While there is a lot in there, it’s not a ‘dense’ book. It is a definitely a book that needs to be ready multiple … Continue reading Book Review: Anonymous Soldiers
Today is the first week of July, an important week for American Civil War buffs. During this week, a 150 years ago, Lee took a great gamble at Gettysburg and lost, and Vicksburg finally fell to General Grant’s army. While the Battle of Gettysburg is an important battle and has reached mythical proportions in the … Continue reading The Fall of Vicksburg
I decided to combine all my short Easter Rising posts, into a big one. Easter Rising is one of the most momentous Irish rebellions in its long, tortuous and bloody history. It caught the British by surprise (despite the Castle knowing all there was to know about the planned exertion) and lasted for five days … Continue reading Easter Rising
In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland. Published by Anchor in 201 I bought this book because I was blown away by Dan Snow’s interview of Tom Holland about this book, which can be found on HistoryHits. The two observations discussed in the interview that struck me were Holland’s claim that the Quran’s … Continue reading Book Review: In the Shadow of the Sword
The Empire of the Steppes: a History of Central Asia by Rene Grousset. Published in 1970 by Rutgers I picked this book up two years ago because I had a vague interest in the steppes and Central Asia and I’m really glad I did. While it is an old book, originally published in 1939, it … Continue reading Book Review: the Empire of the Steppes
My favorite museum in Chicago, the Pritzker Military Museum and Library, was having a book sale this weekend. I may have bought a few books…haha. I thought it would be fine to review what I bought, since they were bought in a whirl. Samurai I will be honest, I wasn’t expecting there to be so … Continue reading Book Haul 6/9/18
Thursday and Friday were some of the bloodiest days during Easter Rising. Cathal Brugha made a brilliant stand on Thursday, during the famous battle for South Dublin Union and Daly held the British forces at the Four Courts from Wednesday to Friday. Most importantly, Commander-in-chief General Sir John Maxwell arrived in Ireland on Friday. General … Continue reading Easter Rising: Surrender and Legacy
Inside Central Asia by Dilip Hiro. Published in 2009 by Overlook Duckworth This book is a great overview of Central Asia from the rise of the Soviet Union to 2009. This book discusses Turkey, the Central Asian states, and Iran. It picks up where Rashid’s book left off. While Rashid focused mostly on Central Asia … Continue reading Book Review: Inside Central Asia
Despite knowing about the upcoming Rising, the British government in Ireland did little to prepare for it. Monday morning there were a total of 400 British soldiers on hand to respond to the rebellion. Townshend claims that there were 100 for each of the four barracks (Richmond, Marlborough, Royal, and Portobello). The rest of the … Continue reading Easter Rising-Tuesday and Wednesday
As we discussed in our last post, the very secrecy needed to plan the rebellion nearly destroyed it. Despite Casement’s arrested and MacNeill’s counter-orders, Pearse and his comrades were determined to rebel. They sent out another order, telling the Volunteers to gather on Monday, 24 April 1916. A Republic is Pronounced When the Rising began … Continue reading Easter Rising: Monday
Easter Rising is one of the most momentous Irish rebellions in its long, tortuous and bloody history. It caught the British by surprise (despite the Castle knowing all there was to know about the planned exertion) and lasted from April 24th to April 29th, before being defeated by the British Army under General Maxwell. It … Continue reading Easter Rising: Sunday
The Resurgence of Central Asia: Islam or Nationalism by Ahmed Rashid. Published in 2016 by Zed Books I have recently been fascinated by Central Asia and this book is a fantastic review of that region immediately after the fall of the Soviet Union. The book itself is a piece of history and, although I bought … Continue reading Book Review: The Resurgence of Central Asia
Easter Rising is one of the most momentous moments in Irish history, setting the stage for the Anglo-Irish War in the 1920s, and continues to shape Irish society. But what is it and why did it happen? Easter Rising was an Irish protest concentrated mostly in Dublin with a few firefights in the countryside and … Continue reading Easter Rising Part 1: Pre-1916
“I know it is the fashion to say that most of recorded history is lies anyway. I am willing to believe that history is for the most part inaccurate and biased, but what is peculiar to our own age is the abandonment of the idea that history could be truthfully written.”-George Orwell Today is Holocaust … Continue reading The Importance of Remembering
The Year of Liberty: the History of the Great Irish Rebellion of 1798 by Thomas Pakenham. Published in 1993 by Random House, Inc. I have been fascinated by the 1798 rebellion ever since I first discovered the band the Wolfe Tones and realized they were named after an Irish rebel. Needless to say, I … Continue reading Book Review: The Year of Liberty: the History of the Great Irish Rebellion of 1798
I’m writing this a little later than I wanted, but I am finally discussing the second half of de Valera’s life. My post discussing his contribution to the Anglo-Irish war and Irish Civil War can be found here. When the civil war ended, de Valera was in the political wilderness. He realized that he could … Continue reading Eamon de Valera Part II
The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille by George Thenault. Published in 2009 by Bibliolife I’m sure one can imagine my excitement when I saw this memoir in my local military library. George Thenault was the French commander of the Lafayette Escadrille from the very beginning to the moment it was swallowed by the American Expeditionary … Continue reading Book Review: The Story of the Lafayette Escadrille
Portrait of a Revolutionary General Richard Mulcahy and the Founding of the Irish Free State by Maryann Valiulis Published in 1992 by University Press of Kentucky Richard Mulcahy is a criminally underappreciated Irishmen. Born in the 1890s and starting his career as a postal worker, he would eventually study to become an engineer, before taking … Continue reading Book Review: Portrait of a Revolutionary
As a history buff, I was ecstatic when Darkest Hour came out. Gary Oldman’s performance brought life into Winston Churchill again and the cinematography and editing provided the adrenaline and fear needed when dealing with a foe like the Nazis. However, the ending left me wanting it to continue and include the Battle of Britain. … Continue reading Why We Need Another Movie on the Battle of Britain
Easter 1916 the Irish Rebellion by Charles Townshend. Published in 2015 by Penguin I’m going to start this review with a warning: Charles Townshend is one of my favorite historians. I have read few historians who can take complicated messes and break them down into short, easy to understand chapters within a chapter, while also … Continue reading Book Review: Easter 1916 the Irish Rebellion
There are few men who participated in the Anglo-Irish War and the Irish Civil War who have as complicated a legacy as Eamon de Valera. He was a mathematics professor, last man to surrender during Easter Rising, leader of the Dáil and the IRA, instigator of the anti-treaty movement, political outcast, and Taoiseach, and, finally, … Continue reading Eamon de Valera Part I
Eamon de Valera: A Will to Power by Ronan Fanning. Published in 2015 by Faber & Faber Because of his many controversial decisions made during the rebellion, civil war, and his long presidency, it is hard to find an objective biography on Eamon de Valera. However, Fanning’s biography is the fairest and kindest book I’ve … Continue reading Book Review Eamon de Valera: A Will to Power
I have recently finished R. F. Foster’s book Modern Ireland 1600-1972 and it got me thinking about land distribution during and after conflict. In Ireland, Cromwell targeted the land once owned by those who rebelled. This happened to be the elite of Irish society and he redistributed the larger tracts to his followers and Anglo-Irish … Continue reading The Importance of Land
Modern Ireland 1600-1972 by R. F. Foster. Published in 1990 by Penguin Books This book is a concise review of the growth of modern Ireland from 1600 to 1972 that could be divided into two separate books. The first half is an economic and social study of an agricultural society and the second half is … Continue reading Book Review Modern Ireland 1600-1972
Art of Asymmetrical Warfare 
You must be logged in to post a comment.