Making our history one step at a time
How did we get from there to here? Honestly, when the Church started putting out its new Church history, I was most excited about volume 3 because it addresses this question. We are all familiar with the events of the Restoration, but the Church today is so different. This fills part of the gap, covering the events of 1893 to 1955.
Elie Wiesel has said that to forget a holocaust is to kill twice. Iris Chang unpacks what she refers to as "the forgotten holocaust of World War II" in her book "The Rape of Nanking." This refers to the mass slaughter of civilians in the then-capital of China by the Japanese army.
"I was just following orders." "I personally don't hate Jews." "What was I supposed to do?" All of these were justifications put forth by Adolf Eichmann for his role in the death of millions of Jews in Nazi Germany. The moral of the story: each individual is responsible for their own actions.
This one was one of those epiphany books for me, an absolute masterpiece on American foreign policy in the 20th century. It's essentially America's version of the pride cycle. We get fixated on one good idea, become extremely over-confident, and then crash and burn.
Increasing political polarization, politicians that don't listen, and violence in the streets? Described as "devastatingly relevant", Berlin is a fantastic piece, and there are more than a few elements that seem eerily familiar to the present. Cliche comparisons aside, this fantastic piece in the genre of the graphic novel captures not just the events but the feel of living in 1920s Germany.
What do you say to someone who has gone through hell itself? Never shall I forget those moments that murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to ashes. You witness. And you mourn.
This is my next attempt at engaging in the world of German literature. I have read several novels in German, including Franz Kafka's famed Der Prozess (The Trial), and lesser known ones such as Michael Kohlhaas both of which I read for classes towards my German minor. I have continued to seek out additional books... Continue Reading →
I forget exactly where this book popped up initially-- but I assume it was a Goodreads recommendation based on some of the politically oriented books or German history books I've been into as of late. Here's the Goodreads blurb: This is a study in the pathology of cultural criticism. By analyzing the thought and influence... Continue Reading →
We got our Husky pride on this month for our lab book club and tackled the inspiring story of the 1936 University of Washington Olympic rowing team in Berlin. I had heard of previously-- I doubt you can attend UW and not hear about it (the UW library alone has 6 copies of it.... Continue Reading →
The Goodreads algorithm that predicts books that you might like is getting to know me exceptionally well. I used to ignore the recommendations that Goodreads made for me, because they seemed totally off. But increasingly, I find that I check out the book summary, and it is entirely up my alley. Dang. Kudos to you,... Continue Reading →
History Engineers 