In 1960, in the midst of intense conflicts over Algeria, Jean-Paul Sartre signed a document urging French soldiers to desert. Many were outraged, and demanded action against the famed writer. But President Charles de Gaulle did nothing. Explaining his action, de Gaulle commented, “One does not arrest Voltaire.”
The importance of Constantine in world history cannot be overstated. To many in the Christian West, he was lauded for ending the persecution of Christians and embracing Christianity, leading to the Christianization of the Roman Empire. He established Constantinople as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. But, in recent years, his life and influence […]
“The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age.” This, the subtital of Arthur Herman’s book on Gandhi and Churchill, accurately defines the importance of these two men, and why this book is so important.
This book deals with stories from American history, stories dealing with people and situations that often are overlooked or not adequately well known. Davis writes reasonably well. Yet, ultimately I was disappointed. I decided that there were three reasons for my reaction.
Robert D. Richardson has written a rich and highly rewarding biography of William James. James was a towering figure. A pioneer in the development of pragmatism. A master teacher. A restless thinker, who kept growing and changing. A philosopher who studied medicine. A teacher at Harvard for more than 40 years, his students included Theodore […]
The War Lovers focuses on the Spanish-American war of 1898. It is a story of the irrationality of politics. How emotions can grip the heart of a nation. How theories can so capture men that they become blind to facts. How easily movements can form, and people be caught up in crusades.
This book has everything. It starts with a great story. Actually several great stories. Stories filled with adventure and mystery. Tragedy and triumph. History from the relatively recent past but told with the unfolding drama of a novel. And there are fascinating, larger-than-life characters.
I knew, from the first moment I examined it, that this book was a risk. It is short, 225 pages. Not a scholarly book but a kind of popular history. Yet I felt it was worth the gamble. But, in the end, this is a disappointing book.
Focusing in the central character of Moses, Feller reminds all Americans of our roots in the Bible, and its principles. This is important at a time when many seem determine to ignore or re-write history, to erase or minimize traces of Biblical faith. If nothing else, if Feller’s book achieves an important objective simply by […]
Christopher Columbus still is honored for “discovering” America, even though it is widely known that he actually did not make this discovery. And comparatively little is known of the men who actually paved the way for his adventures. Or about the man for whom the New World was named, Amerigo Vespucci.