Max Hastings. Hastings emphasizes personal experiences as well as his often squirm-inducing opinions. Most general histories sprinkle their pages with anecdotes, but Hastings has this down to a science. He employs numerous specialists, delving into Russian and Italian archives and personally tracking down obscure, vivid, often painful stories from the usual combatants as well as Poles, Bengalese, Chinese and Japanese. Excellent general WWII accounts abound—including those by historical superstars such as Stephen Ambrose and John Keegan—but Hastings is matchless.--Kirkus (Check Catalog)
Friday, December 30, 2011
Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945
Max Hastings. Hastings emphasizes personal experiences as well as his often squirm-inducing opinions. Most general histories sprinkle their pages with anecdotes, but Hastings has this down to a science. He employs numerous specialists, delving into Russian and Italian archives and personally tracking down obscure, vivid, often painful stories from the usual combatants as well as Poles, Bengalese, Chinese and Japanese. Excellent general WWII accounts abound—including those by historical superstars such as Stephen Ambrose and John Keegan—but Hastings is matchless.--Kirkus (Check Catalog)
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Max Hastings has enhanced his reputation as one of the foremost historians of the Second World War with his newest book, Inferno. I would rate this book as the best single volume history of the war to date. In addition to being a great read, Max Hastings makes a strong case for his overall assessment of the predominant lessons we, as citizens of the Western democracies, should learn from the cataclysmic events of 1939-1945, especially, that Western style liberal democracy did not necessarily triumph over the forces of repression and barbarism. In fact, the story of World War II often turns out to be the story of the Western Allies and their Soviet Russian ally fighting fire with fire during their war with the Axis powers. Strong stuff, but well worth reading.
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