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Reviews
When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain: History's Unknown Chapters by Giles Milton
annsilver's review
3.0
This book was really interesting. There were a few stories that didn’t really hold my attention but for the most part I was stunned and awed by these historical anecdotes.
pharmdad2007's review
3.0
Some interesting historical sidenotes, some of which I had learned before, and others which were new to me. Quick and interesting read.
jankaluj's review
adventurous
challenging
relaxing
fast-paced
5.0
im giving this 5 bc I WANT, NEED (AND EVERY OTHER EGOISTIC FEELING) this book
carimayhew's review
5.0
Book Review by Cari Mayhew.
If only all events in history could be taught this way! This is his hands down one of the most entertaining history books you’ll ever read! The book is composed of 50 chapters depicting from lesser known points in history. The stories are dramatic, compelling, and often shocking. There are tales of heroism, injustice, conspiracy and cannibalism.
Each chapter is it's own little, well written, real-life story. And each is rounded off with a profound sentence or two to summarise. I gained an appreciation of the role of pigeons and dogs in the war, I learned why the Dodo bird became extinct, and I discovered that it’s possible to survive 2 nuclear bombs.
Normally with non-fiction book with so many isolated sections, I'd be tempted to skip sections, but that was not the case this time - I enjoyed every single one! I’ve noticed there are more books in the series, and I intend to read them all!
The best way to convey how well written the stories are, is to leave you with an excerpt:
“There was a sickening crunch and a violent jerk. The right wing of the plane was ripped off by the mountain peak and flung backwards into the rear of the fuselage. The plane, wildly out of control, smashed into a second peak, which tore off the left wing.
Inside the cabin, the terrified passengers expected the shattered plane to plunge them to their deaths. But the plane’s crash-landing miraculously spared some of those on board. The fuselage hit a snow-covered mountain slope and slid downwards before coming to a halt in a deep drift.
As a wall of silence descended over the wreckage, the injured and groaning survivors came to their senses. They were lost in the wilds of the High Andes. But they were alive!”
For more of my reviews, check out www.bookblogbycari.com
If only all events in history could be taught this way! This is his hands down one of the most entertaining history books you’ll ever read! The book is composed of 50 chapters depicting from lesser known points in history. The stories are dramatic, compelling, and often shocking. There are tales of heroism, injustice, conspiracy and cannibalism.
Each chapter is it's own little, well written, real-life story. And each is rounded off with a profound sentence or two to summarise. I gained an appreciation of the role of pigeons and dogs in the war, I learned why the Dodo bird became extinct, and I discovered that it’s possible to survive 2 nuclear bombs.
Normally with non-fiction book with so many isolated sections, I'd be tempted to skip sections, but that was not the case this time - I enjoyed every single one! I’ve noticed there are more books in the series, and I intend to read them all!
The best way to convey how well written the stories are, is to leave you with an excerpt:
“There was a sickening crunch and a violent jerk. The right wing of the plane was ripped off by the mountain peak and flung backwards into the rear of the fuselage. The plane, wildly out of control, smashed into a second peak, which tore off the left wing.
Inside the cabin, the terrified passengers expected the shattered plane to plunge them to their deaths. But the plane’s crash-landing miraculously spared some of those on board. The fuselage hit a snow-covered mountain slope and slid downwards before coming to a halt in a deep drift.
As a wall of silence descended over the wreckage, the injured and groaning survivors came to their senses. They were lost in the wilds of the High Andes. But they were alive!”
For more of my reviews, check out www.bookblogbycari.com
ncrabb's review
3.0
If I refer to this as a bathroom read, you’re likely to think I’m panning it. I’m not. But I remain convinced it’s a great bathroom read for those who engage in such behavior, and from my childhood memories of a “Reader’s Digest” or some other book tucked obscurely in a bathroom, I’m not convinced it’s all that uncommon. Maybe more so now since we’re using electronic devices to read with.
So why am I labeling this a bathroom read? Because the vignettes are short and amusing. Essentially, the book is a short collection of historical facts engagingly written. You’ll read not only about Hitler’s cocaine habit but about a man who survived both nuclear bombs on Japan and lived into his 90s. There’s an entertaining bit about a Japanese soldier who didn’t surrender from World War II until 1974; if you’re old enough, it will immediately bring to mind a “Gilligan’s Island” episode where the castaways find a similar soldier.
If there’s anything wrong with this book, it is that the material won’t likely stay with you long. From now on, when I think of brain candy, I’ll put this book at the top of that list. It’s a fun read. It’s something you should do just to enjoy the experience. At under six hours normal speed, you’ll blow through it like a hurricane through a Lego rendering of the U.S. Capitol. In short, it’s quick, it’s fun, it’s largely forgettable. But it’s also highly readable.
So why am I labeling this a bathroom read? Because the vignettes are short and amusing. Essentially, the book is a short collection of historical facts engagingly written. You’ll read not only about Hitler’s cocaine habit but about a man who survived both nuclear bombs on Japan and lived into his 90s. There’s an entertaining bit about a Japanese soldier who didn’t surrender from World War II until 1974; if you’re old enough, it will immediately bring to mind a “Gilligan’s Island” episode where the castaways find a similar soldier.
If there’s anything wrong with this book, it is that the material won’t likely stay with you long. From now on, when I think of brain candy, I’ll put this book at the top of that list. It’s a fun read. It’s something you should do just to enjoy the experience. At under six hours normal speed, you’ll blow through it like a hurricane through a Lego rendering of the U.S. Capitol. In short, it’s quick, it’s fun, it’s largely forgettable. But it’s also highly readable.