Japan and the Shackles of the Past

R. Taggart Murphy (Get this book)
In this accessible, all-encompassing portrait, Murphy demystifies the nation that ended the 20th century with "some of the most dazzling business successes of all time." In part one, Murphy harks back to the establishment of the third-century imperial institution, then moves up to illustrate how the Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo period created a culture that "provided cover for the incubation of the modern Japanese state." In part two, Murphy explores the cultural mores that led to unsustainable career tracks for "permanent employees" and that barred educated women from the labor force. While the review of recent Japanese scandals such as the TEPCO coverup at Fukushima and of the scars of WWII is painfully familiar, Murphy sheds much light on Japan's current dependence upon the U.S. for maintenance of its political system and its future prospects, closing with an in-depth analysis of the current administration.

Waterloo Wellington, Napoleon, and the Battle That Saved Europe

Gordon Corrigan (Get this book)
Two centuries have not diminished the avalanche of books on this subject, but even history buffs familiar with the two generals and their epic 1815 encounter will not regret choosing this one. Corrigan delivers a gripping, nuts-and-bolts account of a clash whose first step does not occur until nearly 150 pages in. Until then, readers will encounter equally gripping biographies of three generals (Blucher, the Prussian commander, gets deserved equal billing) and a nation-by-nation review of early-19th-century European military recruitment, weapons, training, tactics and leadership. Corrigan dismisses the History Channel view of Waterloo as a stunning British victory against great odds. A superb addition to an overstuffed genre.--Kirkus

Snow and Steel: The Battle of the Bulge, 1944-45

Peter Caddick-Adams (Get this book)
A comprehensive account of the bloodiest battle in American history. Caddick-Adams points out that beginning in 1943, Hitler stopped appearing in public, and his knowledge of the world was based solely on phone, radio and written reports. Announced in September 1944, a massive offensive was "irrational, counter-intuitive, even suicidal." It was less a counterattack than a "political game-changer that would shatter the coalition ranged against him" and prove to the nation that, despite the plot to remove him, he was still in control. Filling over 800 pages, Caddick-Adams casts a wide net, delving deep into the background, conduct, consequences and even historiography of this iconic battle, so even experienced military buffs will find plenty to ponder.--Kirkus

The Hundred Years War: A People's History

David Green (Get this book)
In this new, refreshing look at the Hundred Years' War, Green examines the resulting reconstruction of European culture."The crucible of war forged and reforged the English and French nations into something new," writes the author in this illuminating history. This war, or series thereof, lasted from 1337 to 1453, with interruptions for short terms of peace, famine, civil strife in France and the Black Death. During that time, there would be changes everywhere, but the war began as a feudal and dynastic struggle, as Edward III of England laid claim to the French crown. It ended with a new sense of national identity in both countries as they sought to maintain or reclaim territory, particularly the former Angevin possessions that covered most of modern-day France. Green holistically explores aspects of the war's effects with exceptionally thorough research on subjects as diverse as the Catholic Church, women, peasants and even language.--Kirkus

Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution

Peter Ackroyd (Get this book)
Biographer, historian and novelist Ackroyd continues his History of England series with the third of six proposed volumes. What makes the author so special is that he relates history as it once was told by the bards. Ackroyd tells us not just the history, but the story behind it and the story as it might have been viewed at the time. This was a violent period of religious struggle, with countless groups vying to eliminate each other and all of them hating the Catholics. Appropriately detailed, beautifully written story of the Stuarts' rise and fall-will leave readers clamoring for the further adventures awaiting England in the 18th century.--Kirkus

The Devils' Alliance: Hitler's Pact with Stalin, 1939-1941

Roger Moorhouse (Get this book)
Placing the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact squarely at the center of Soviet-German belligerence before the outbreak of World War II. English historian Moorhouse finds that the Hitler-Stalin nonaggression pact of August 1939-with its "secret protocol" to carve up Poland and the Baltic states-is not well-understood in the West and is still rationalized by "communist apologists" today. Moorhouse offers a thorough delineation of the characters involved, as well as the extraordinary contortions each side exercised in order to justify the malevolent agreement. A well-researched work offering new understanding of the pact's pertinence to this day.--Kirkus

Founders as Fathers: The Private Lives and Politics of the American Revolutionaries

Lorri Glover (Get this book)
A superb new perspective on America's Founding Fathers. Glover explores the family lives of five remarkable Virginia planter-patriarchs who helped shaped the rebellion against England, commanded the Continental Army and led the early continental governments. At a time when fatherhood entailed responsibility for the well-being of their communities, their relatives and the social order, these dutiful gentry fathers ran their plantations, mastered their slaves and served in political office. Writing with authority, she traces the often overlooked private lives of elite men who preferred the joys of plantation life ("our own Vine and our own fig tree") but deemed their revolutionary cause "a parental obligation." Well-written and immensely rewarding, this important book will appeal to both scholars and general readers.--Kirkus

An Empire on the Edge: How Britain Came to Fight America

Nick Bunker (Get this book)
Bunker delivers an eye-opening study of the British view of the American Revolution and why they were crazy to fight it. England never had a solid plan for administering the American colonies, situated on a continent they couldn't understand and could never hope to rule. Their existence was purely economic, a market for English goods and an exclusive supplier of tobacco, rice, timber, fur, rum, sugar and other important exports. Those who governed for England sent few, if any, reports, and those were incomplete and/or about the coming trouble. A scholarly yet page-turning, superbly written history.--Kirkus

Lincoln's Gamble: The Tumultuous Six Months That Gave America the Emancipation Proclamation and Changed the Course of the Civil War

Todd Brewster (Get this book)
Brewster provides a highly readable, vigorously researched account of the fraught six-month period in which the Emancipation Proclamation came into being, which inarguably changed the course of the Civil War. Brewster opens with W.E.B. Du Bois' apercu, somewhat inaccurate but also somewhat on the mark, that Lincoln was an illegitimate, poorly educated Southerner whose championing of abolition was politically calculated. Whether accurate or not, Lincoln's decision brought added resolve to the battle to restore the Union, adding equality to "the American ideal of liberty." A sturdy, instructive, well-written book.--Kirkus