The Marines of World War I

Gilbert, Oscar E., and Romain V. Cansiere.  First to Fight: The U.S. Marines in World War I. 
         Philadelphia: Casemate, 2017.  ISBN: 978-1-61200-508-9

The Marines are known for the hard fought Battle of Belleau Wood, but there is much more to their World War I history than that one battle.  In First to Fight, Gilbert and Cansiere seek to provide the reader with the tale of the U. S. Marines during the course of the whole war.

Gilbert and Cansiere provide a readable, full history of the U. S. Marine Corp during World War I.  They examine the expansion of the Marine Corp, the role of the Marines in the Mexican Expedition, the safe-guarding of the Azores, ship board duties, female Marines and Marines in the air.  But the main body of the book deals with the Marines who fought in the U. S. Second Division, the only division in the U. S. Army that was half Army and half Marines.  All the major engagements (Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, Blanc Mont Ridge, and Meuse-Argonne) are covered in decent detail.  The book finishes off with the occupation of the Rhineland.

Gilbert and Cansiere provide a personal view of the war by utilizing several sets of personal papers and later interviews rather than just relying on official documents.  They provide maps of individual battles, but their strict focus on the heroics of the Marines creates a situational vacuum in regard to the rest of the 2nd Division and the broader picture of the course of the war.  The book is recommended for those readers who already have a grasp of the war and want to delve into the details of individual units. 

Did Curiosity Kill the Cat?

Livio, Mario.  Why?: What Makes Us Curious.  New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017. 
       ISBN: 978-1-4767-9209-5

Could curiosity kill a cat?  Or a human?  Why are we curious?  When did humans become curious?  And why do we ask so many questions? These are only some of the topics that Mario Livio pursues in Why?: What Makes Us Curious.

Mario Livio opens the book with a chapter on what is curiosity.  He then turns to an examination of two men (Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman) who exemplify curiosity.  He then delves into various theories about what causes curiosity to arise in a person, the physical aspects of curiosity as revealed by neuroscience, followed by a very brief account on the rise of curiosity in humans.  Next he interviews a number of scientists such as Feeman Dyson and Brian May who are known for their curiosity on why they are curious.  And he ends the book with a chapter on why and how curiosity exists.

In this short, readable book, Mario Livio makes a decent case for curiosity being one of the defining characteristics of being human.  He also whets the reader's appetite for knowing more in regard to the exploration of the human mind and physiology.

Wise Science or Scientific Theology?

McLeish, Tom.  Faith and Wisdom in Science.  New York: Oxford University Press, 2014.
        ISBN: 978-0-19-870261-0

Do you wonder about the divide between science and faith?  Are puzzled by when and how this chasm came about and if it permanent?  If so, Prof. Tom McLeish of Durham University (UK) has some news for you.  He sees the divide as more a issue of perception rather than fact.

Prof. McLeish opens the book with an examination of the "Clamour of Voices" that arise when trying to discover a working definition of "science."  He then guides the reader on a journey through the past looking at specific cases of "natural philosophy" beginning with a strange jelly, then Brownian motion, then a 13th century bishop studying the properties of light, Bede on the water cycle, and ending with a discussion on the reality of the mind conducted by a brother and sister in the 4th century A.D. In the rest of the book the author looks at how questions of creation, nature, chaos an order are discussed in the Old and New Testament of the Bible while also looking at how science tries to explain storms, comets, chaos and naturally arising order.  The climax of the book is a delving into the book of Job with an examination of questions raised about science.  The author finishes with a chapter on how to bring faith and science back together.

Tom McLeish has not written a polemic condemning those who hold differing beliefs.  Instead, if the reader is willing to listen to arguments from different viewpoints, he or she will find plenty of fodder for thought in Faith & Wisdom in Science.

Unready or Over-Counselled?

Roach, Levi.  AEthelred the Unready.  New Haven, CN: Yale UP, 2016.  ISBN: 9780300196290

 British history is full of strange figures.  Aethelred the Unready is one who may have received undeserved approbation by posterity.  At least that is the strategy Levi Roach follows in Aethelred the Unready.

In six chapters, an introduction, and a conclusion, Levi Roach presses his case that Aethelred is more competent than portrayed in general histories.  Chapter one digs into his father's court, his mother's role in the court and the milieu of Aethelred's childhood.  Chapter 2 continues his childhood after his father's death, his brother's rule and death, and his ascension to the throne.  Chapters 3 through 6 covers his reign, digging into all possible sources of information (charters, The Chronicle, sermons, and various archival material, etc).  Roach lays the groundwork of his argument in the Introduction and then, in the Conclusion, he presents the fruit of his scholarship and argues that while Aethelred was not successful in combating Viking invasions, it was not because of incompetency of the king, but instead a combination of bad counsel, in-fighting at court, competent opponents, and sheer bad luck.  Ultimately, the reader need to look at the evidence and make up his/her mind regarding King Aethelred.

Did the FBI Bungle the Osage Murders Case?

Grann, David.  Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.  New
          York: Doubleday, 2017.  ISBN: 9780385534246

Are you looking of obscure murders not often examined today?  Or are you looking for incidents in American history that seem to be brushed under the rug.  In either case, you have hit upon a find.  Killers of the Flower Moon attempts to illuminate a tale out of American history of horror brought about by greed, jealousy, concealed ambition, not to mention corruption in  high places that helped to lay a base for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to grow into the behemoth that it is now.

In Killers of the Flower Moon, Grann opens with the terror gripping Mollie Burkhart, an Osage Indian, the middle of three sisters.  One sister is killed by a shot in the back of the head, another sister has her house blown up while she and her husband were sleeping, and Mollie's mother was likely poisoned.  Why did these murder's and numerous others happen?  Greed over oil headrights owned by the Osage Indians.  But the mystery lies in who inspired these assassinations.  And this is where the FBI (then known as the Bureau of Investigation) enters the picture.  Local officials were turning up nothing, neither had private eyes, so the government had been called in.  They managed to partially solve the situation, getting a few convictions and declaring victory.  But as the author reveals in the last few chapters, the BI's investigations never answered several key questions and murders still occurred after victory had been declared.

Most readers will enjoy the story despite the rabbit trails that the narrative wanders into upon occasion.  However, be prepared to be enraged over the greed and incompetence displayed by public officials during this case.

More Than Just Anthropophagi!

Schutt, Bill.  Cannibalism: A Perfectly Natural History.  Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2017.
          ISBN: 978-1-61620-462-4

If you are looking for a deep, in-depth examination of cannibalism in human  history, keep looking.  A glance at the cover clues the reader into what Bill Schutt focuses on - cannibalism in the the broadest terms - in this popular science book.

Bill Schutt provides a very readable, quirky examination of cannibalism using the broadest of definitions - the eating of individuals or parts of individuals by other individuals of the same species.  He looks at examples in frogs, crickets, fish, bears and the strange case of the caecilians.  He discusses what can cause the cannibalistic behavior and what advantages it may provide.  He provides a brief chapter on the possible case of dino cannibals before delving into humanoid cases, beginning with Neanderthals and working his way to the present.  Along the way he discusses the uses of bones and other body parts in medicine and the modern fad of placenta eating (no, it does not taste like chicken).  He provides cases when cannibalism has been condoned and when the public has been appalled.  He also discusses the Fore and Mad Cow disease correlation.  In short, Schutt provides a soup to nuts course on cannibalism. 

While Cannibalism is breezy read with quirky footnotes, it may leave the reader hungry for a more substantial take on this topic.  Luckily, he does provide a decent bibliography of sources that allow the discerning reader the opportunity to delve deeper into particular aspects of cannibalism!

Anyone for Chinese tonight?

Mendelson, Anne.  Chow Chop Suey: Food and the Chinese American Journey.  New York: 
         Columbia UP, 2016.  ISBN; 978-0-231-15860-2

If you are like most Americans, you will have visited a Chinese restaurant at least one time in your life.  You might have hated it (I wanted a hamburger, but then I was 3 at the time), enjoyed it, or just ate there because you needed sustenance.  Chow Chop Suey attempts to tell how those restaurants came to be and why they serve the food they do.

Anne Mendelson provides a blended history in Chow Chop Suey, a history of the Chinese coming to America (or as it was called in 1800's China - Gold Mountain), their reception, and their coping which included opening food joints and laundries.  She discusses what was likely served then, where and how cooking supplies arrived, who did the cooking, and why. Later chapters delve into early recipe collections, various cookbooks through the years, how the reception of Chinese immigrants changed over time and why which also includes the changes in Chinese restaurant menus and locations. 

If you are looking for inspiring dishes, or a history of your favorite Chines takeout meal, you will need to keep looking.  However, if you want to learn about little-known American history and an important food-way in that history, do read Chow Chop Suey!

Wickedest Town in the West?

Clavin, Tom.  Dodge City: Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and the Wickedest Town in the American 
          West.  New York: St. Martins Press, 2017.  ISBN: 9781250071484

Is the world looking for another tale of Wyatt Earp?  Are readers looking for dirt on Bat Masterson?  Does anybody want to read about Dodge City (KS)?  Tom Clavin hopes so as he has written just that book.

In Dodge City, Clavin provides a history of the founding of Dodge City and its heyday as "the wickedest town in the West."  He provides information on how the town got its name, early history and then the arrival of the cattle from Texas leading to growth, gambling, and mayhem.  But this book is not just about the city.  It is also a history of  Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson and their circle of friends, supporters, enemies, and family. 

Tom Clavin writes a very readable biography/town history in thirty-two chapters that lay out the lives of Wyatt Earp and Bat Masterson along with the story of Dodge City.  Clavin focuses his attention on the parts played by Wyatt and Bat, but does not neglect the many other lawmen, desperadoes, gamblers, buffalo hunters, soldiers, and cowboys who lived in or visited Dodge City. providing short biographies of many of them.  If you are interested in the Old West, gun fights, or notorious outlaws and lawmen, then Dodge City will entertain and enlighten you.

Temptation to Battle

Nolan, Cathal J.  The Allure of Battle: A History of How Wars Have Been Won and Lost.
          New York: Oxford University Press, 2017.  ISBN: 978-0-19-538378-2

Are you looking for a military history examining how the idea of "decisive battle" has shaped politicians, military commanders, and scholars actions and writings.  Cathal Nolan provides just such a history in The Allure of Battle.

Nolan opens The Allure of Battle with a defense of military history in general and the role of battles as specific events in his introduction.  He then, in Chapter 1, sets the role of battle, especially the concept of "decisive battle" in a historical context.  He also discusses how scholars and humanists portrayed the role of battle versus what the historical record shows regarding the role of battle.  Chapters 2 to 16 provide a summary of the role of  battle in various historical periods beginning with the Hundred Years War and ending with World War II. Some chapters provide more details of particular battles/campaigns than others, but all the chapters have enough detail for a general reader to follow Nolan's arguments on how battles influenced the winning of wars.

The Allure of Battle is a sweeping look at battle in a historical setting and the number of pages in the book provides Nolan enough depth to flesh out his argument and give details to support it.  The coverage of lesser known campaigns/wars such at the Seven Years War or the campaigns of Louis 14 of France and the Duke of Marlborough provides insight often given short shift in standard military histories.  Unfortunately, Nolan does not include the English Civil War, the American Civil War, and non-European wars/campaigns/battles that do not include a European combatant.  However, the reader of military history will find much to ponder in Nolan's The Allure of Battle.

An Off-Kilter Look at the 2016 Election

O'Rourke, P. J.  How the Hell Did This Happen?: The Election of 2016.  New York: Atlantic
          Monthly Press, 2017.  ISBN: 9798-0-8021-2619-1

How the Hell Did This Happen? is only the latest treatise dealing with politicians that P. J. O'Rourke has inflicted upon the willing reading public. In the past he has skewered Congress, politicians, and Republicans, but this time he aimed carefully at making sense of the 2016 U.S. Election cycle.  And what he found out surprised him (and us)!

P. J. O'Rourke composed much of How the Hell Did This Happen? during the election cycle and the book reads that way.  The focus jumps from one topic/group of candidates/concept to another with no rational rhyme or reason present.  Looking back over the book as he was trying to make sense out of the contents of book and the 2016 Election, he realized that there was no rational continuity.  He had thought that the monumental Clinton would be out in the electoral desert surrounded by Republican "Gaza gerbils" fighting over who would run.  While he was prepared for surprises, he was not prepared for what those surprises turned out to be.  Strange and weird candidates, sudden sweeping changes in polls, Bernie Sanders, political gaffs, and bizarre behavior.  It makes a voter hum/sing the Capitol Steps song "Brand New Pair of Candidates" before it all comes crashing down.

P. J. O'Rourke enjoyed writing the book and the reader is likely to enjoy at least parts of the book.  Highly recommended are the Author's Note, the Preamble (especially the opening paragraph), the descriptions of the candidates (rabid squirrels anyone?), and especially "The Letter to Myself in 1968" where P. J. wishes time travel or at least communication to the past existed so as to fix the situation early!  If you are trying to figure out what just happened, How the Hell Did This Happen? is a place to start.