Category Archives: Books

I’ve had this 750 page book in my personal library since about 1983. I finally got around to reading it. I love history!

It tells the story in great detail of the history of Vietnam from antiquity up to 1980. The story of the Vietnam War as we call it or the American War as the Vietnamese call it, occupies about 75% of the book.

In 1954, the French colonialists were defeated at the Battle of Dienbienphu. The major powers agreed on a ceasefire and the withdrawl of French forces in the Geneva Accords that temporarily partioned Vietnam pending democratic elections. Neither the US or Vietnam signed these accords.

In 1955, Ngo Dinh Diem, the South Vietnam political leader refuses to participate in the nationwide elections that the political leader of the communist north, Ho Chi Minh was heavily expected to win fairly. The US backs Diem in his refusal in complete violation of the Accords.

This is the trigger that sets off what is to be a bloody Vietnamese civil war for unification over the next 20 years with its heavy on the ground US involvement. All told 2 million civilians and 2 million combatants including 58,000 American troops will lose their lives. The US was worried that a communist Vietnam would trigger further communist regime takeovers in SE Asia.

The book explains all this in great detail from the leadership vantage point: Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon, their aids, high ranking generals and Vietnam leaders in the north and south. It is really well done and a very riveting read! Stanley Karnow (1925-2013) was an award winning investigative journalist who first started reporting in SE Asia in1959.

Just one little intriguing story Stanley tells that causes needless extra deaths and suffering. In March 1968, Democrat LBJ shocks the world when he announces that he will not run for reelection due to overt partisanship of the war after having offered peace talks with Ho Chi Minh in Paris. Republican candidate Nixon, wanting to be seen as the President who gained the peace, authorizes a covert deal. He sends Anna Chennault to Saigon to tell South Vietnam President Nguyen Van Thieu that he should boycott the Paris peace talks as South Vietnam will get a better deal with Nixon as president down the road.

The plan worked. Thieu announces that they will not participate in the Paris talks in 1969 thus scuttling a potential peace accord. Nixon narrowly wins the election and the war then drags on for another 4 years with 20,000 additional US and hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese lives lost. Worse still, LBJ had indeed learned about this secret back channel affair through bugging of Thieu’s offices and considered it treasonous. He chose not to release this information before the 1968 election since it would expose US spying operations and lead to a huge constitutional crisis! Such were the back room dealings of US officials at the highest of levels.

You can’t only put blame on the US though, misguided as they were. The Vietnamese were their own worse enemies committing countless atrocities: Vietnamese killing Vietnamese; incompetent generals being rewarded for their political loyalty rather than competence, double agents etc., etc.

I admit you have to be a dedicated history buff to get through a book of this complexity a length. It was hard at times to continue reading but I was motivated by our recent intriguing visit to Vietnam and by the parting words of our wonderful tour guide Mr. Thao.

A solid 9.5 out of 10 on this read. Could have explained things a little more from the level of the GI. However many others sources abound that do that.

Note. I just finished reading this fabulous book about a lesser known Canadian hero. I have used A.I. to write this short book report for the first time.

Sir William Cornelius Van Horne (1843–1915) was an American-born railroad executive whose “demonic energy” and visionary leadership were instrumental in the development of the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) and the expansion of Canada as a unified nation. Termed by many as “the ablest railway general in the world,” he rose from a humble telegraph delivery boy to a legendary titan of industry.

Early Life and Rise to Prominence

Born in Illinois to Dutch ancestry, Van Horne began his career at age fourteen as a telegraph operator for the Illinois Central. He possessed a remarkable talent for technology, reportedly able to decode messages simply by listening to the clicks of the telegraph instrument. Though his early career was marked by a reputation as a practical joker—one stunt involving an electrified plate actually led to his firing—his honesty and talent saw him quickly rise through the ranks of several U.S. railroads, including the Chicago and Alton and the Southern Minnesota.

The Herculean Task: Building the CPR

In January 1882, Van Horne was hired as the General Manager of the fledgling Canadian Pacific Railway. Faced with a project many deemed impossible, he made the staggering promise to complete the transcontinental line in five years instead of ten. Under his relentless “pusher” management style, he achieved this feat, reaching Calgary in August 1883 and completing the main line in less than half the specified time.

Van Horne’s leadership was characterized by a fearless and hands-on approach. He frequently rode flatcars to the end of the tracks to inspect work personally and was known for his “forcible language”. He commanded immense respect from his men; in one instance, he famously confronted the notorious Jesse James gang on a train, and in another, he shamed a hesitant engineer by offering to drive a locomotive across a dangerous trestle himself.

Visionary for Tourism and Luxury

Van Horne famously stated, “If we can’t export the scenery, we’ll import the tourists,” a philosophy that led to the construction of grand hotels and resorts to promote tourism in the Canadian Rockies. His personal standards for excellence shaped the experience of first-class travel; he insisted on larger, luxurious sleeping cars featuring genuine hand-carved woodwork, silk curtains, and fine china. He even personally approved dining car menus, removing whiskey at one point to maintain the company’s dignity.

Legacy and Later Works

After resigning as CPR President in 1899, Van Horne’s energy did not wane. He moved to the tropics, where he electrified Havana’s streetcars and built the Guatemalan Railway. Beyond railroading, he was a true polymath: a painter, a marathon poker player, an amateur geologist with specimens named after him, and a gardener who specialized in roses.

When Sir William passed away in Montreal in 1915, the entire CPR system paid him a tribute unique in its history: every train across Canada stopped for fifteen minutes during his funeral, a final salute to the man who had quite literally built the backbone of the country.

He was the kind of person Canada really needs now. Whenever someone said about a particular big project that it could not be done, he held up his hand and said “I can do it”. I rate this book 10/10, a great read!

If you are interested in reading a slightly longer more exciting write up about his intriguing life click here.

“Louis Napoleon is not to be blamed, he is to be pitied.”

The quote from J. M. Thompson’s book about Louis has stuck with me. You will recall Louis Napoleon, Napoleon I’s nephew came to power in France in mid-nineteenth century and was declared Emperor in 1852.

From an early age he was driven to recreate the greatness of France’s Napoleonic era that his uncle had established so successfully from 1799 to 1815. He was determined to make France great again through modernizing the economy, social reforms and having a strong and visible foreign policy.

He starts off very well. He joined with Britain and Turkey to defeat Russia in the Crimean War 1853-56. (This was also a victory for modern nursing, think Florence Nightingale.) France gained increased authority and prestige in Europe. France and Britain were reconciled and Russia under Tsar Alexander II became a French ally.

However, Louis was a prisoner of his own intellect. Apparently he would listen politely to advice and then make his own decision based on intuition. Unfortunately this caused him sometimes to turn left when he should have turned right and right when he should have turned left. Sound familiar?

France’s Mexican adventure (1861-67) was one of his biggest failures. The pretext was money owed by Mexico to France and others that was not being repaid due to financial insolvency of Mexico’s government. He decided to attack Mexico and install Austrian Habsburg dynasty member Maximilian I as Emperor to reestablish French colonial power in the Americas. It ended in total failure costing the lives of 6500 French soldiers and 750M+ francs.

His progressive social reforms were very well received at home. He legalized trade unions, invested in public health, made massive infrastructure investments in parks and water treatment, supported rural farms and improved education for girls.

He came to the aid of the Italians who were seeking to unify their country, by establishing a French force in Rome to guard the Pope from Austrian intrigues and assisting Sardinia. He kept Europe peaceful for 17 years as he was a master of diplomacy. However in playing Austria off against Prussia, he lost and was captured in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 which led to the unification of Germany.

He spent his last years exiled in Britain and watched from afar as the Third Republic was established in France. Note that his wife Empress Eugenie who was very forceful, proud and headstrong was not the reason for his downfall. Declining health, French military unpreparedness and the dramatic military rise of Prussia under Otto von Bismarck, were. An intriguing figure perhaps ahead of his time and well worth reading about. I rate this book 9.5 out of 10 (could have been a few more maps included.)

This book is a great romp through middle 19th century Europe! Written by a stellar historian, it was a real page burner for well over a month.

In great and candid detail, often quoting from the personal correspondence of Louis, his wife Eugenie, Queen Victoria, the King of Prussia, other royal dignitaries and a host of European leaders, J. M.‘s research and writing skills are evident on every page.

Why was I interested in Louis Napoleon in the first place? Because I did a presentation on his failed Mexican empire adventure under Maximillian 1 (1861-66) and wondered who would have risked such an audacious scheme.

So who is Louis Napoleon, what is bonapartism and why was he driven to reinstate it in mid-nineteenth century France?

Louis (1808-73) was the nephew of the great Napoleon (1769-1821). He was the son of Napoleon’s younger brother Louis (1778-1846). Napoleons wife Josephine was his grandmother since his mother Hortense, was Napoleon’s step daughter. He was the only one of a number of cousins capable and driven enough to do try regaining power.

What is Bonapartism? A strong executive leader claims to stand above all social classes and political factions, ruling through plebiscites, bureaucracy, the military, and populist legitimacy rather than through constitutional checks.

By contrast, a monarchy is where sovereignty is vested in a hereditary ruler (king/queen), often justified by tradition, religion, or dynastic right. Republicanism is where political authority is not hereditary; sovereignty comes from the people, exercised through elected institutions. Finally, parliamentary government is where the executive (prime minister + cabinet) are accountable to an elected parliament, not directly to the people or a monarch.

Louis-Napoleon (Napoleon III) firmly believed Bonapartism was superior to both republicanism and monarchy because he saw it as the only system that could (1) restore order, (2) unify France, and (3) legitimize strong executive power through popular approval. He thought parliamentary government too chaotic, factional and ineffective. His strong views were shaped by his ideology, his personal ambitions, and the political crisis of France in the late 1840s and early 1850s.

Here is a link to his background and how he came to power here. And yes if you are wondering, President Trump does have bonapartist tendencies but American institutions – Congress, the Judiciary and Constitution are much stronger than French institutions were in 1848.

Almonte HS teacher, historian and friend Terry Currie wrote and self-published this book in 2009. At the time it was the first comprehensively researched complete story of this cataclysmic event.

On August 17, 1870, locals woke up to yet another hot day. Since there had been no rain since April, Carleton County was a tinder box. That day, a work gang was clearing brush near Blakeney in the process of extending the rail line right-of-way from Almonte to Pakenham and beyond.

They would pile up the dry brush and burn it off. Suddenly a strong southerly wind caught the flames and blew them north across the line into the woods. The fire was immediately out of control heading north and NW towards Carp and Pakenham.

No one in the path knew what was happening until they were nearly engulfed in flames. As Terry explains in detail, the Press were very limited in their ability to find out what was going on and inform everyone. People and animals fled but there was nowhere to go. Farm families would put a ladder down their wide diameter well and climb down to escape. Those who ran back to the farmhouse to retrieve some heirlooms often died.

Can you imagine the terror – a wall of fire several kilometres wide – and nothing you can do! There were no rural fire departments in those days. The fire burned all day and night advancing as far as Arnprior and Fitzroy. On the 18th the wind changed to westerly with gusts as high as 140 km/hr. This carried the fire all the way to Dows Lake in Ottawa, south to Westport and into Quebec by jumping the Ottawa River at Britannia.

My home town Arnprior was saved by the Madawaska River and shifting winds. All told 3000 farms were completely destroyed and as many as 20 people were killed creating 8000 refugees. Ottawa was saved at the last minute by flooding Preston Street. Places like Bells Corners and Stittsville were completely wiped out. The fire continued to smoulder until the mid-September when heavy rains finally came.

In the aftermath, governments were very stingy in assisting people to rebuild. But gradually, farms and infrastructure were rebuilt until today, you would not know. There is an area south of Almonte called the burnt lands where the soil was burnt down to the limestone. Will have to check this out.

Thank you Terry for this interesting if tragic bit of local Valley history.

There was a time when I read a lot of Russian novels written by names like Lermentov, Sholokov, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Gogol and Dostoevsky. I even remember meeting a guy in the 70s who always had a fat Russian novel in his back pocket! Bookstores carried half a dozen of these Russian authors on their front shelves. Not like that anymore. Recently I came across the following book written by Russian philosopher and writer Nikolai Chernyshevsky in 1863 while he was in jail for subversive ideas in Czarist Russia. I decided to give it a read, all 500 pages!

Ii is about a young man (Lopukhov) who rescues a beautiful young woman (Vera Pavlona) from her controlling mother who is trying to marry her off to a rich man she hates. She suffers immensely under her mother’s control and Lopukhov takes pity on her and falls in love. He helps her move out, find a job and eventually they get married.

However their relationship is somewhat stilted in that they agree to sleep in separate rooms and only get together in a neutral middle room. After a few years, she has a dream where she falls in love with her husband’s best friend (Kirsanov). After she tells her husband of this dream, he senses that it is true and that his best friend loves Vera too. He is so concerned for his wife’s (and friend’s) happiness that he decides to get out of their way by faking his own suicide. She is then free and indeed does marry her new paramour Kirsanov without feelings of guilt. They both are very happy.

But that is not the end. Lukanov comes back disguised as an American and marries the daughter of a formerly rich man in St. Petersburg. They get together with the Kirsanovs socially and become the best of friends. Both couples end up living next door to each other in harmony and friendship. A highly complicated and unlikely plot you say? I agree. How does someone ever think of this kind of story?

One of the themes in the book is how can a young woman properly discern the needs of a man she meets in order to decide if she should marry him, when she herself has little life experience? Another is the need for women and men to first develop their minds through reading, study and discipline in order to assume a productive life that will benefit society. While married to Lopukhov, Vera starts up a very successful seamstress business built on revolutionary cooperative principles where no one person owns the company and all employees share in the profits.

Then another character appears briefly who is sent by Lopukov without any prior instruction to speak to Vera before she decides to marry Kirsanov. His name is Rakhmetov and he becomes the moral compass of the novel. Born of rich parents, he renounces his wealth, educates himself and develops extreme self discipline. He sleeps on a bed of nails literally, abstains from romantic relationships and alcohol and lives in poverty by choice.

He’s a contrast to Lopukhov and Kirsanov, who are rational and kind but still live fairly ordinary lives with love and comfort. Rakhmetov is on a whole other level — the embodiment of absolute revolutionary purity. His character becomes the blueprint for the future “revolutionary” type in Russian literature and politics.

Xi Jinping, China’s Premier recently quoted Rakhmetov’s influence on him personally in an interesting article here….So this apparently unreadable book has long been an inspiration for current and previous Communist leaders/revolutionaries. Wow, what a tribute to this book.

This book is really about the search for social, economic and political reform in 19th century Russia. A great read in my view, 9 out of 10 stars since Cehernevsky does ramble on at times.

(In 1864, Chernyshevski was sentenced to seven years of hard labor, followed by exile in Siberia. He spent over two decades in harsh conditions, which severely affected his health. In 1883, he was allowed to return to European Russia, and died in Saratov at the age of 61 (per ChatGPT)