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Title: Demosfen i Ciceron

Author: Plutarh

Narrator: Dmitry Kreminsky

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 51 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-25-15

Publisher: Bibliophonika

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Plutarh iz Heronei (ok. 45 - ok. 127) - drevnegrecheskiy filosof, biograf, moralist. V ehtom sbornike predstavleny sravnitel'nye zhizneopisaniya Demosfena i Cicerona.

©2011 Bibliophonika (P)2014 Bibliophonika

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Title: Great South Land

Author: Rob Mundle

Narrator: Paul English

Format: Unabridged

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Language: English

Release date: 11-03-15

Publisher: Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 5 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

For many, the colonial story of Australia starts with Captain Cook's discovery of the east coast in 1770, but it was some 164 years before his historic voyage that European mariners began their romance with the immensity of the Australian continent.

Between 1606 and 1688, while the British had their hands full with the Gunpowder Plot and the English Civil War, it was highly skilled Dutch seafarers who, by design, chance or shipwreck, discovered and mapped the majority of the vast, unknown waters and land masses in the Indian and Southern Oceans.

This is the setting that sees Rob Mundle back on the water with another sweeping and powerful account of Australian maritime history. It is the story of 17th-century European mariners - sailors, adventurers and explorers - who became transfixed by the idea of the existence of a Great South Land: "Terra Australis Incognita". Rob takes you aboard the tiny ship, Duyfken, in 1606 when Dutch navigator and explorer Willem Janszoon and his 20-man crew became the first Europeans to discover Australia on the coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria.

In the decades that followed, more Dutch mariners, like Hartog, Tasman, and Janszoon (for a second time), discovered and mapped the majority of the coast of what would become Australia. Yet, incredibly, the Dutch made no effort to lay claim to it or establish any settlements. This process began with British explorer and former pirate William Dampier on the west coast in 1688, and by the time Captain Cook arrived in 1770, all that was to be done was chart the east coast and claim what the Dutch had discovered.

Critic Reviews:

"A master of the maritime narrative." (The Sunday Age)

Members Reviews:

I'm sorry it came to an end.

Thoroughly enjoyable and memorable. A most enjoyable history lesson read by a master in English.

Australian history at its best

Great story with excellent research throughout. A must read for all Australian's. will search for more like this

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Title: 17 Carnations

Subtitle: The Windsors, The Nazis and The Cover-Up

Author: Andrew Morton

Narrator: Cameron Stewart

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-20-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

The story of the love affair between Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII, and his abdication in order to marry the divorcée, has provoked fascination and discussion for decades. However, the full story of the couple's links with the German aristocracy and Hitler has until now remained untold.

Meticulously researched, 17 Carnations chronicles this entanglement, starting with Hitler's early attempts to matchmake between Edward and a German noblewoman. While the German foreign minister sent Simpson 17 carnations daily, each one representing a night they had spent together, she and the Duke of Windsor corresponded regularly with the German elite.

Known to be pro-German sympathizers, the couple became embroiled in a conspiracy to install Edward as a puppet king after the Allies were defeated. After the war, the Duke's letters were hidden in a German castle that had fallen to American soldiers. They were then suppressed for years, as the British establishment attempted to cover up this connection between the House of Windsor and Hitler.

Drawing on FBI documents, material from the German and British Royal Archives, and the personal correspondence of Churchill, Truman, Eisenhower and the Windsors themselves, 17 Carnations reveals the whole fascinating story, throwing sharp new light on a dark chapter of history.

Andrew Morton is one of the world's best-known biographers and a leading authority on modern celebrity as well as royalty. His groundbreaking 1992 biography revealed the secret world of Diana, Princess of Wales. Written with her full, though then secret, cooperation, the book changed the way the world looked at the British royal family. Since Diana: Her True Story, he has gone on to write number-one Sunday Times and New York Times best sellers on Monica Lewinsky, Madonna, David and Victoria Beckham, Tom Cruise, Angelina Jolie and, most recently, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in William and Catherine: Their Lives, Their Wedding. The winner of numerous awards, he divides his time between London, Hollywood and Manhattan.

Members Reviews:

interesting and informative

The title says it all - it is about the Windsors and their association with various Nazis and the grand cover-up which occupied the British establishment and royals when certain documents turned up after the war. The 17 carnations are explained along the way. While the private goings-on between the Duke and Duchess and the royals who shut them out are not central to the story, they provide a bit of spice and are essential to understanding motives on all sides. This is a riveting read - very well written and easy to follow despite the plot complexities and large cast of characters. Cameron Stewart has the perfect voice and accent for this book as well as the added bonus of being able to pronounce words and names in a large number of languages.

History narrated at its most professional.

A comprehensive insight into a period of history hitherto unread.Brimming with dates places and people. Narrated with authority, spoken with conviction. One of my best byes.

Hard to assess given my ignorance of the times.

Not at all sure how ro rate this book as I am extremely unfamilar with the story of Wallace Simpson and the Abdication of Edward. I found the total hatred of him by his bother and the Queen mum astonishing which I guess says it all about my knowledge of the times. But for sure fool he (Edward) was.

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Title: Gladiator Dogs

Author: Carl Semencic

Narrator: Peter L. Delloro

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-15-15

Publisher: Digital Fabulists

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

From the author of The World of Fighting Dogs and Pit Bulls and Tenacious Guard Dogs comes this third and most impressive book to date, Gladiator Dogs. Bringing to life 13 breeds originally used as fighting dogs, Dr. Carl Semencic illustrates the history, characteristics, and abilities of the world's toughest canines.

The author does not fight dogs and does not condone dogfighting, but he is fascinated with the qualities and instincts of these fearless gladiator breeds.

Gladiator Dogs is a valuable book that represents years of experience and research on these remarkable historical dogs. In addition to the author's favorite breed, the American Pit Bull Terrier, Dr. Semencic discusses other related breeds, such as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, and American Staffordshire Terrier, covering the differences and similarities between these bully cousins.

A respected rare-breed authority and an accomplished world traveler, Dr. Semencic shares his firsthand experience with these dogs from his trips to the Canary Islands, South Africa, Europe, and more. Gladiator Dogs profiles many breeds that the author has introduced, mentored, and promoted, including the American Bulldog, Canary Dog, South African Boerboel, and Korean Jindo.

Members Reviews:

It's about time big dogs got a good review

I have an American Bulldog named Gator X. He has the potential to bring down a big man, and it was not hard to make this choice of dog with the help of the man, Dr. Carl.

If you are in the market for a good mastiff doggue, please read this book. These dogs may be big and scary, but they have also been bred for 2 thousand years to stick to their humans. This book shows this in all honesty. Yes, there are fighting pics, but I see small dogs do the same thing owned by bad owners.

Dr. Semencic is the penultimate expert on what a dog can do, and where they came from, and that THEY ARE GREAT DOGS TO LOVE, NOT ONLY FEAR.

Please read this book if you are a big dog enthusiast. If you want a book that delivers great insight as to why so many of these breeds are misunderstood, buy it. If you want amazing pictures, buy it.

I can not imagine taking anyone else's word as to the dog world considering the mastiff breeds than Dr. Semencic's.

History should ensure mistakes are not made again. Here is a book that shows you why these dogs are here, and why you should respect them or go small. I have a military life, and my hubby may be gone, but because of this book, and his preceeding, and because of Laurakennels, I am safe, secure, and enriched.

May you all read this and realize that dogs are big investments with great history and great rewards. This book is the decisive measure for those on the line.

Go bullies go.

Might have been better off with maybe only one decent photo one per ...

Semencic as usual, delivers insights into the world of the fighting dog, but most of the pictures are horrendous. In many cases, the face of the dog is not even discernible. Might have been better off with maybe only one decent photo per breed discussed.

Comments

This book is full of nice color photos which I find appealing. The type is annoyingly large as if it is a child's book. The writing style is too informal -- as if it was an internet post rather than a lasting publication. The author feels that he is discovering things that to others are probably well known, and while not a breeder wants to rename breeds for the American market.

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Title: The Sixth Extinction, by Elizabeth Kolbert: Key Takeaways, Analysis, & Review

Author: Instaread

Narrator: Michael Gilboe

Format: Unabridged

Length: 25 mins

Language: English

Release date: 10-08-15

Publisher: Instaread

Ratings: 2 of 5 out of 4 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Preview:

The Sixth Extinction is a book by award-winning journalist Elizabeth Kolbert. In this book, the author demonstrates that species are dying out at a rate comparable to the previous mass extinctions, and if the trend of global warming, deforestation, and pollution continues in its present course, the numbers of extinct species will meet or exceed that rate of destruction. This event will include the extinction of humanity. What this means is that the current loss of life today will soon justify the term "The Sixth Extinction", a mass extinction like the one that destroyed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

When humans originated about 100,000 years ago, they began to hunt some species into extinction. Their ability to outcompete other early hominids for food led to the extinction of those species, including Neanderthals.

The extinction of species picked up steam when humans began transforming great swaths of forest and plains into farmland about 10,000 years ago....

Please note: this audiobook includes key takeaways and an analysis of the book - not the original book.

Inside this Instaread of The Sixth Extinction:

About the author:

With Instaread, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways, and analyze them for your convenience.

Members Reviews:

The Sixth Extinction is the last extinction about which the human species need be concerned

This book is speculative about the time and ways, but it's entirely accurate in its predictions of a Sixth, which would be the last Extinction about which the human species would be concerned. I thoroughly enjoyed the authors' tracing of previous species extinctions and the broad effects they had on those who followed. I was particularly intrigued by the timelines of previous periods, and the well-reasoned thoughts about why these extinctions took place when and how they did. Generally, I would say to anyone interested in the series of time periods through which certain species seemed to rule the world, that this book will create thoughtfulness about our own time left before we happen to extinct ourselves. The possibility remains that books and information like this can provide some foreward thinking about the unintended consequences of our present actions.

Perfect outline of the book!

This is a great review of Elizabeth Kolbert's non-fiction book, "The Sixth Extinction." Instaread provides a great service, analyzing the book and outlining the argument in 8 key takeaways. This quick read is formatted perfectly, allowing me to follow the themes and message of the book without any fluff. This review gave me the core principles so I could craft an essay for my class, without spending hours poring over "The Sixth Extinction." Hurray for procrastination!

I especially enjoyed the last takeaway, about the extinction of the Neanderthals. This section explores our relationship with the Neanderthals, and if humans wiped them out. Its a sad thought to explore, especially since we know very little about our closest relative.

Again, a great review of the book, I highly recommend if you are in need of assistance writing a school paper

It's amazing to see how much destruction we have created in ...

It's amazing to see how much destruction we have created in such a short period of time.

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Title: Conquerors

Subtitle: How Portugal Seized the Indian Ocean and Forged the First Global Empire

Author: Roger Crowley

Narrator: John Sackville

Format: Unabridged

Length: 11 hrs and 12 mins

Language: English

Release date: 09-17-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 8 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

As remarkable as Columbus and the conquistador expeditions, the history of Portuguese exploration is now almost forgotten.

But Portugal's navigators cracked the code of the Atlantic winds, launched the expedition of Vasco da Gama to India and beat the Spanish to the spice kingdoms of the East - then set about creating the first long-range maritime empire.

In an astonishing blitz of 30 years, a handful of visionary and utterly ruthless empire builders, with few resources but breathtaking ambition, attempted to seize the Indian Ocean, destroy Islam and take control of world trade.

Told with Roger Crowley's customary skill and verve, this is narrative history at its most vivid - an epic tale of navigation, trade and technology, money and religious zealotry, political diplomacy and espionage, sea battles and shipwrecks, endurance, courage and terrifying brutality.

Drawing on extensive firsthand accounts, it brings to life the exploits of an extraordinary band of conquerors - men such as Afonso de Albuquerque, the first European since Alexander the Great to found an Asian empire - who set in motion 500 years of European colonisation and unleashed the forces of globalisation.

Roger Crowley read English at Cambridge. He has had a varied career as a teacher and publisher and is the author of three books on the history of the Mediterranean. He lives in Gloucestershire and now writes full time.

Members Reviews:

All the details I never knew

Awesome account of the pioneer Portuguese explorers. Impeccable research. The writing is captivating and I never was bored. I'm planning on reading other books by this author.

Conquistadors versus Sinbad

This is a joy because it's so well written and it also opens up a field of history which isn't much covered in the UK. The Portugese were stuck out on the atlantic coast of Iberia with very limited access to mediterranean trade so they were forced to hone their sailing and navigation skills voyaging south to Africa. Eventually this took them down to the freezing waters and mountainous storms of the south atlantic where they rounded the cape of good hope and found a route into the dazzlingly rich trading waters of the Indian ocean. The material about the voyages themselves is very good but if anything it's outshone by their adventures as they try to establish themselves in a wholly alien but very sophisticated culture covering South Asia, India, Goa, the east coast of Africa and beyond to Arabia. Think "Conquistador's versus Sinbad" and you're not far off. The cast of Portugese characters is brilliant because a large number of them come over as brilliant but unhinged psychopaths obsessed with personal glory, the acquisition of booty and (believe it or not) beard length. They also left enough personal correspondence that Crowley can paint believable charater portraits. He also acknowledges the awful impact that the Portugese had on the locals, who saw a relatively peaceful trading system thrown into uproar with the arrival of religious zealouts using next generation canon power to offset their small numbers. If you like this period of history I can't recommend this too highly.

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Title: Palimpsest

Subtitle: A History of the Written Word

Author: Matthew Battles

Narrator: Matthew Battles

Format: Unabridged

Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins

Language: English

Release date: 08-18-15

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Ratings: 3 of 5 out of 2 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Why does writing exist? What does it mean to those who write? Born from the interplay of natural and cultural history, the seemingly magical act of writing has continually expanded our consciousness. Portrayed in mythology as either a gift from heroes or a curse from the gods, it has been used as both an instrument of power and a channel of the divine, a means of social bonding and of individual self-definition. Now, as the revolution once wrought by the printed word gives way to the digital age, many fear that the art of writing and the nuanced thinking nurtured by writing are under threat. But writing itself, despite striving for permanence, is always in the midst of growth and transfiguration. Celebrating the impulse to record, invent, and make one's mark, Matthew Battles reenchants the written word for all those susceptible to the power and beauty of writing in all of its forms.

Critic Reviews:

"Battles powerfully demonstrates that, though all forms of writing are imperfect, they have played a vital role in the cultures which have developed them." (Publishers Weekly)

Members Reviews:

A few kerns short

Palimpsest is a surface on which later writing is superimposed on effaced earlier writing, an apt title for this book which superimposes muddled thinking on what might have been astute original insight.

It would be nice to call it "wooly thinking," which Guillermo Algaze suggests is the earliest example of written communication, but this book doesn't rise to that level. At least seven thousand years ago, according to Algaze, after residents of Uruk realized wool was a much better commodity than flax, they needed a system of symbols to keep track of sheep and wool and ownership. Thus, the first written symbols were created to track commercial dealings. It was the start of what became cuneiform, used for perhaps four thousand years.

However, the invention of writing doesn't seem to be Battles' intent. Unless I'm mistaken (it's been known to happen), he is stumbling about looking for the impact writing has on human thought and attitudes. To start, one cannot do better than the Inuit description of writing, "words stay put."

It's a significant change from oral histories and legends. Great stories can be remembered on everything from quipu cords to poetic cadence from Gilgamesh to the Iliad to Beowulf. But, even the best memories are malleable compared to "words stay put" in written form. Battles' intent seems to be the changes in mental attitudes in response to writing - - but, who can tell?

Instead, he stumbles about with a jackdaw of quotes, quips and ideas and never seems to find a central coherent theme. It's a bureaucrat's muddle of ideas, very much the opposite of a scholar's useful focus. It is an example of the craft and technology of relying on quotes instead of original insight.

This book is truly a palimpsest; the prime examples were medieval scholars who erased the great works of Greek writers to write learned and scholarly and erudite descriptions of how many angels could dance on the head of a pin.

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Title: The Mahdi: The History of the Prophesized Figure Muslims Believe Will Redeem Islam and Bring About the End Times

Author: Charles River Editors

Narrator: Doron Alon

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 1 min

Language: English

Release date: 08-05-15

Publisher: Charles River Editors

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Violent extremist Sunni and Shiite Muslims are at odds about most things. One of the few points that they can agree upon in the midst of their war of mutual annihilation is that the Apocalypse is coming and that they are the soldiers of its harbinger and redeemer: the Mahdi.

Across the Islamic world, the figure of the Mahdi has appeared with increasing prevalence in the last few decades: the "Mahdi Army patrols Shiite neighborhoods of Baghdad, thousands of Mahdi impersonators rot in Iranian prisons, the feared Boko Haram army aims to bring about the arrival of the Mahdi in Nigeria, and the leader of the Islamic State changed his name, allowing him to fulfill the prophecy that the Mahdi would be named "Abdullah and "ibn Muhammad."

The Shi'a have always had a deep emotional connection to the belief in the coming of the Mahdi. In fact most Shi'a believe that he has already come to Earth in the form of their hidden ("occulted) Twelfth Imam, who has watched over humanity for centuries. As the minority group within Islam, they have often lived in lands dominated by Sunnis and typically view the Sunni rulers as corrupt and having turned their backs on true Islam.

At the same time, the Mahdi has played a crucial role among Sunnis, and the contemporary obsession with the Mahdi, the "Mahdaviat, led to the rise of apocalyptic Sunni groups like ISIS. Sunnis, who are often in power in Islamic lands, have been less comfortable with the fundamental assumption of the fallen states of the leadership. However, since the fall of the last caliphate (the Ottoman Empire in 1924) and the domination of most of the Islamic world by European colonial powers and then obviously corrupt and often secular strongmen has made many Sunnis turn away from their leadership and look to the Mahdi for inspiration.

Members Reviews:

A helpful compendium but poorly read

This is the most comprehensive text I've found on the history and theology of belief in the Mahdi. The poor narration though detracts considerably from its readability

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Title: Blood Rubber

Subtitle: How the Amazon Died

Author: Adam Courtenay

Narrator: Richard I Moss

Format: Unabridged

Length: 2 hrs and 39 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-22-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

Blood Rubber: How the Amazon Died tells the extraordinary story of one of the blackest episodes in Amazonian history, known as the Putumayo Affair.

In 1907 Walter Hardenburg, a young American explorer and engineer, was canoeing slowly down a meandering tributary of the great river, in deepest Amazonia, in search of adventure. The realm of Captain Kurtzs Apocalypse Now seems tame by comparison with what he found through the mist up ahead. Hardenburg had entered the rubber domain of Julio César Arana, a rubber fiefdom gone mad - where the only law that counted was the Winchester constitution: the rifle made all the rules.

The native people were routinely enslaved to work the rubber plantations and flogged, raped and tortured to death if they resisted. Something snapped inside the young, idealistic Hardenburg when he witnessed these scenes of horror: thousands of native people were being slaughtered to satisfy the Wests insatiable demand for rubber. The rubber extraction methods that produced car tires, rubber hoses and countless other products relied on an entrenched system of utter barbarism.

Hardenburg vowed to seek justice for the thousands of victims of the Putumayo atrocities and to publicize the destruction of their lives and culture across the world. This is the story of how he did it. Blood Rubber is about the power of one versus the power of the machine...of utter evil versus improbable goodness.

Adam Courtenay is an Australian adventurer and writer who canoed up the Amazon as part of his research for this book. He has trekked some of the worlds most enthralling and difficult trails: retraced Hannibals footsteps over the Alps; slogged over the Kokoda Trail in New Guinea; and walked the Aboriginal Larapinta Dreamtime in the central Australian desert.

As a journalist he has worked for the Financial Times and as a Sydney-based correspondent for the UKs Sunday Times. He currently writes for The Sydney Morning Herald/Age and is the Australia correspondent for the online finance platform TradingFloor.com.

His interest in Amazonian history goes back five years - he has explored the Amazon twice and written one ebook, Grand Mistresses of the Amazon. He is currently writing a larger nonfiction work on the entire history of the Amazon basin, which he plans to publish soon as Amazon Men.

Members Reviews:

Loved Every Moment

But I realized it's length perfectly suited the story being told. The narrator was very, very well matched to the story line. An important story well told.

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Title: The Target Committee

Author: Paul Ham

Narrator: Andrew Martin

Format: Unabridged

Length: 1 hr and 56 mins

Language: English

Release date: 07-22-15

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 16 votes

Genres: History, World

Publisher's Summary:

How did America choose the targets for the atomic bomb? What made Hiroshima preferable over Kyoto or Tokyo? Critical to the mission to destroy Hiroshima and Nagasaki were a series of meetings set up in mid-1945 and comprising Americas most powerful military, political and scientific chiefs. The committeemen would decide where and how the first nuclear weapons would be used in anger.

In this absorbing and provocative narrative, historian Paul Ham shines a torch on their arguments to reveal the thinking behind the atomic destruction of two cities - and how the Target Committee justified it at the time.

Paul Ham has spent the past 16 years writing 20th-century military, political and diplomatic history. He has written five critically acclaimed books: 1914: The Year The World Ended, Sandakan, Hiroshima Nagasaki, Kokoda and Vietnam: The Australian War.

Two have inspired ABC documentaries, which he cowrote and/or narrated. Ham is a former foreign correspondent for The London Sunday Times.

He has a master's degree in economic history from the London School of Economics and lives in Sydney and Paris.

Members Reviews:

A "should have" for readers wanting to know the full history of World War II

Considering that only two cities in the world have known the effects of nuclear weapons, how these cities were chosen as targets makes up a rather vital piece of history. This book gives the reader a rather quick review of the members, including brief bios, of the "target committee" and the chronology of the selection process leading up to the dropping of the two bombs on Japan. It even touches upon the fact that several scientists who helped create the bomb stated that they made their contributions believing that Germany would be the target, and therefore were moderately vocal about any consideration of Japanese targets. The book should perhaps be sub-titled as "an examination of the pros and cons of whether the bomb ever should have been used and whether the MacArthur-planned invasion was at all necessary." Politics within the Truman Executive Department are also touched upon, especially how the Secretary of War tried to put his personal opinion on the decision-process of the committee, and how ineffective he had become by mid-1945. Those who have made a "hobby" of learning about the various aspects of the world's nuclear arsenal, from fundamental physics right up to the current serious environmental problems related to nuclear energy, should definitely add "The Target Committee" to their reading list.

an Unthinkable Decision

Over the years I have often said "I am truly glad I didn't have to make that decision." This short book clearly explained the logic of a mixed group of scientists and political leaders. The conclusion, as I read it, was that Japan was about to fold anyway and use of the bombs was probably not necessary. What a sobering thought !

It's a teaser for a full story

The author is very knowledgeable. He has a good command of facts and events. But the narrative is sketchy and incomplete. It's cliff notes for his books that he advertises at the end.

Opinionated

While there was some interesting material in this book, it was obvious from the Git go that the author had an agenda. My father was on Okinawa when the bomb was dropped. He was slated to take part in the invasion. I am sure he would humbly disagree with the author.