I just started listening to The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman and I am really enjoying it. I picked it up after learning that the book was one of JFK's favorites and deeply influential in his attitude towards war (or preventing war) with the Soviets. He read it on the eve of the Cuban Missile crisis and encouraged the members of his cabinet to read it as well.
It's a fascinating read with so many bizarre and larger than life characters that I keep thinking that they have to be made up. There are some amazing lines to enjoy too. Here are a few that made me stop working to jot them down:
What made the Schlieffen plan ... was the body of accumulated egotism which suckled the German people and created a Nation fed on the desperate delusion of the will that deems itself absolute.
All of Prussia hatched from a cannon ball. - Napoleon III
Kaiser Wilhelm speaking of Czar Nicholas:
"He is only fit to live in a country house and grow turnips!"
These are really just the tip of the iceberg. It's fascinating to see how societies can plunge themselves into mass destruction and suffering through mere expectation.
1 comment:
If it's a book on tape, maybe I can listen to it, too. I am listening to "Dear and Glorious Physician" about the life of the apostle Luke. Interesting, so far.
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