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The Wild Swans ( Timeless Fairytales book 2)
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Elise is the foster-daughter of the King of Arcainia, a mathematician, and the country’s...
Chris Hooker (419 KP) rated Ship Ablaze:The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum in Books
Dec 30, 2017
A Timely Tale
This was a good book about a little known tragedy. The General Slocum was a steamer that traveled on the rivers that surrounded New York City. Often these ships were used by groups for excursions to the shore or picnic areas up river. On June 15, 1904 a German church group had booked passage. It was mainly women and children.
As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.
The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.
As the book title suggest the worst thing that could happen on a ship did when it caught on fire. The early 1900's were still a time of corruption and profit over safety. This helped lead to the deaths of over 1,000 people.
The story in this book is a timely warning to us as safety laws are rolled back for profits. It was a well written and researched tale. We need to heed the warnings of our past so as not to repeat them with larger tragedies.
Suswatibasu (1701 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
Jan 3, 2018
An insider's view of Apartheid
It seems unlikely that comedian Trevor Noah would have ever made it out of the prison of colonialism, apartheid, poverty and violence, yet now he's regarded as one of South Africa's biggest export. His memoir is brutal and harrowing, describing how because of the illegal interracial relationship between his Xhosa mother and his Swiss-German, his birth was actually a crime.
It's hard to imagine that this legal segregation only ended 26 years ago, yet Noah then faced the turbulent legacy of post-apartheid. Being mixed race posed its own problems, as Noah describes never fitting in anywhere, but being accepted to a certain degree because of his 'whiteness' and his chameleon-like ability to adapt to his surroundings.
There are moments which are truly disturbing, as Noah speaks about his violent stepfather and going hungry. In this way, his life can be seen as a story of personal survival, through intelligence and humour, which millions have come to love.
It's hard to imagine that this legal segregation only ended 26 years ago, yet Noah then faced the turbulent legacy of post-apartheid. Being mixed race posed its own problems, as Noah describes never fitting in anywhere, but being accepted to a certain degree because of his 'whiteness' and his chameleon-like ability to adapt to his surroundings.
There are moments which are truly disturbing, as Noah speaks about his violent stepfather and going hungry. In this way, his life can be seen as a story of personal survival, through intelligence and humour, which millions have come to love.
David McK (3280 KP) rated Hunting the Eagles: 2: Eagles of Rome in Books
Jan 30, 2019
I actually read this in a busy period, as a sort of on-again-off-again kind of deal amongst a couple of other (shorter, less involved) novels.
This is the second in Ben Kane's 'Eagles of Rome' series, that deals with - in the first novel (Eagles at War) perhaps Rome's most famous defeat of all: that which led (according to legend) the Emperor Augustus Caesar to cry 'Varus, give me back my legions' after that general lost three legions and - horror of horrors! - their eagles in the battle (ambush) of Teutoberg Forest.
This novel follows some key characters from that novel (and survivors of the ambush), from a revolt by the Legionaries through to another battle in a forest/bog land and is told from both the point of view of the Romans and from the German war leader Arminius (who successfully carried out that ambush).
Like the previous entry in the series, Ben Kane's knowledge of the period definitely shines through in this!
This is the second in Ben Kane's 'Eagles of Rome' series, that deals with - in the first novel (Eagles at War) perhaps Rome's most famous defeat of all: that which led (according to legend) the Emperor Augustus Caesar to cry 'Varus, give me back my legions' after that general lost three legions and - horror of horrors! - their eagles in the battle (ambush) of Teutoberg Forest.
This novel follows some key characters from that novel (and survivors of the ambush), from a revolt by the Legionaries through to another battle in a forest/bog land and is told from both the point of view of the Romans and from the German war leader Arminius (who successfully carried out that ambush).
Like the previous entry in the series, Ben Kane's knowledge of the period definitely shines through in this!
Well, now, that was ... unusual.
Unusual in that I don't think I've ever come across history told in such a manner before.
And, I have to say: I think it worked.
This tells the life story of Manfred von Richtohofen, otherwise (and perhaps more famously) known as The Red Baron - a German ace during the infancy of flight, and of warfare in the air (during The Great War, or World War One as it would later become known).
While it does, perhaps, gloss over the more horrific aspects of the war in the air (no parachutes,with the planes being death-traps, and with Richtohofens policy of aiming for the pilot rather than the plane) I have to say that I did learn more from this than I was already aware of - and no, unlike some of my American counterparts, my knowledge of him did NOT come from the Peanuts (right? isn't that the one with Snoopy?) cartoon!
Unusual in that I don't think I've ever come across history told in such a manner before.
And, I have to say: I think it worked.
This tells the life story of Manfred von Richtohofen, otherwise (and perhaps more famously) known as The Red Baron - a German ace during the infancy of flight, and of warfare in the air (during The Great War, or World War One as it would later become known).
While it does, perhaps, gloss over the more horrific aspects of the war in the air (no parachutes,with the planes being death-traps, and with Richtohofens policy of aiming for the pilot rather than the plane) I have to say that I did learn more from this than I was already aware of - and no, unlike some of my American counterparts, my knowledge of him did NOT come from the Peanuts (right? isn't that the one with Snoopy?) cartoon!
Awix (3310 KP) rated Transit (2018) in Movies
Aug 16, 2019 (Updated Aug 16, 2019)
Anna Seghers' novel of life in France following the German invasion of 1940 updates to the present day with disturbing ease. There is much talk of 'occupation' and 'cleansing' but the director wisely keeps things unspecified as Franz Robowski's character steals a dead man's identity in an attempt to escape Europe, only to find emotional entanglements pose almost as great a problem as international borders.
Understated, with various echoes of other films - you can see why it's being compared to Casablanca, but this is a much heavier and more intense movie. Still quite engrossing to watch, mainly because of the performances. There are also shades of Kafka - you are only allowed to stay in one hotel if you can prove you don't want to stay there - and also Antonioni's The Passenger, although the existentialism of the film's theme is kept muted. Concentrates on telling a story rather than putting over a message, and as a result is effective and sometimes moving.
Understated, with various echoes of other films - you can see why it's being compared to Casablanca, but this is a much heavier and more intense movie. Still quite engrossing to watch, mainly because of the performances. There are also shades of Kafka - you are only allowed to stay in one hotel if you can prove you don't want to stay there - and also Antonioni's The Passenger, although the existentialism of the film's theme is kept muted. Concentrates on telling a story rather than putting over a message, and as a result is effective and sometimes moving.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Land That Time Forgot (1975) in Movies
Dec 11, 2019
First of the Amicus-Kevin Connor-Doug McClure fantasy adventure films is an unexpectedly classy genre movie. A U-boat carrying a mix of British and German sailors (it's 1916, so tensions abound), led by a beefy American (McClure), pitches up in a lost world inhabited by the usual rubber dinosaurs and ape men.
Pulp, but superior pulp: good production values and unexpectedly thoughtful in places. Even the dinosaurs are a cut above (the pterodactyls still leave a bit to be desired). The look and feel of the thing is very good indeed, but the plot is a touch underpowered and linear. The book's ideas about the strange way evolution works in the lost world are faithfully reproduced, but not really explored enough, and don't contribute anything significant to the plot. The film's weaknesses are those of the source material, but its fidelity to Burroughs is commendable; its strengths are all its own.
Pulp, but superior pulp: good production values and unexpectedly thoughtful in places. Even the dinosaurs are a cut above (the pterodactyls still leave a bit to be desired). The look and feel of the thing is very good indeed, but the plot is a touch underpowered and linear. The book's ideas about the strange way evolution works in the lost world are faithfully reproduced, but not really explored enough, and don't contribute anything significant to the plot. The film's weaknesses are those of the source material, but its fidelity to Burroughs is commendable; its strengths are all its own.
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