Leave it to Bruce Cumings to write a history of this forgotten war where the order of battle -- the major military operations agreed upon by most histLeave it to Bruce Cumings to write a history of this forgotten war where the order of battle -- the major military operations agreed upon by most historians -- occupy only the first 36 pages. The rest of the book is both a resurrection of the tragic periphery, and an argument about what this war means, for Koreans and The United States.
Facts are facts: the U.S. (and UN) intervened in a civil war occasioned by the humbling of Korea's long-time occupier, Japan. Cumings is right on the money in comparing this with a hypothetical intervention of the British on the side of the Confederacy during the U.S. Civil War. Yes, North Korea is nutzoid, but understanding its anti-Japan anger and resolve (which stretches back to 1932) goes a long way to understanding how North Korea became this ancient tunnel-digging blinkered worm on the international stage.
Cumings focuses on the Korean experience -- the early rebellions in Cheju and Yosu get an entire chapter -- but I think most readers will notice an absence of American soldier experience. Perhaps this is intentional, part of his theme that this war has been deliberately forgotten by Americans. But something could really be added here about how and why Americans, besotted by WWII victory, sent soldiers across the Pacific again for no obvious "good war" purpose. There was a tragic precedent -- the "Philippine insurrection" -- which gets no mention here at all, despite the obvious parallel of fucking-up-a-civil war, and the central presence of General MacArthur's five-star dad Arthur. Someday someone will tie this all together -- North Korean archives won't be burned or detonated after the occupation generation passes away, and the South Korean Truth and Reconciliation Commission is going a long way toward figuring out the awkward mass-murders blackening our (and their) past.
I predict a future -- maybe 2036 or so -- where the Koreas become Korea, and this book will be the one countless Americans claimed to have read prior to the historic reunion. So read it now and notice how a historian can become a seer. ...more
Definitely the coolest and fascinating of these "1001" books, but there is one egregious omission: Chester Carlson, inventor of the photocopier. Definitely the coolest and fascinating of these "1001" books, but there is one egregious omission: Chester Carlson, inventor of the photocopier. ...more
A non-ideological, matter-of-fact trip through the world of American gun women, told by a photography professor who loves shooting but doesn't much liA non-ideological, matter-of-fact trip through the world of American gun women, told by a photography professor who loves shooting but doesn't much like the NRA (her patience seems to wear thin when it comes to men with guns). I loved the chapter on Annie Oakley and Calamity Jane embodying America's virgin-whore dichotomy. And this particular movie geek loved the chapter on guns, women, and films, a remarkably thorough narrative that includes both Marie Walcamp and Tamara Dobson.
There are some portions when she spends too much time explaining basic aspects guns and recreational shooting, but I'm guessing (especially as this is published by Temple U. Press) this book is not aimed at firearm aficionados or know-it-alls.
I should also mention the scores of stunning photographs and illustrations, all with captions wherein the observant author identifies (or guesses) at the gun model. Sample caption: Kathleen Cleaver standing in the doorway of her home holding a 12-gauge Stevens Model 620-A riot gun, 1968. Hot. ...more
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