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patmcmanamon's review against another edition
Disturbing book about our country's mistreatment of Hawaii, China, the Philipines and Japan under Theodore Roosevelt. I've read some critiques of the book in reviews, specifically about its accuracy. It seems credible, though I concede I am not a historian. Our country's terrible actions in the Philipines are well known -- including the fact we waterboarded Filipinos -- as is the way we simply stole Hawaii from the natives. As for China, I recommend the book Driven Out by Jean Pfaelzer for a good understanding of the prejudice Chinese immigrants faced. There is reason to believe Bradley got it right in The Imperial Cruise. What I learned is disturbing and disappointing. Roosevelt was not the hero we make him out to be. We could have been -- and could be -- so much better.
nderiley's review against another edition
4.0
Informative and depressing at the same time. Unfortunately we taught the world some of the bad behavior we're currently seeing.
bearprof's review against another edition
4.0
The author really, really doesn't like Teddy Roosevelt, and after reading this well-researched and -cited book I can see why.
dtab62's review against another edition
1.0
It is very rare for me to not stick it out for at least 50 pages of a book, but I gave up on this one after less than 40. It only took that long to find out that Bradley was for some reason out to bash Teddy Roosevelt, and for that matter white people in general. Too bad, because I thoroughly enjoyed his first two books, but for whatever reason he really has it out for TR. You'd think that Teddy killed James' dog an stole his inheritance the way he goes after him. Again, too bad because Brady is capable of so much better.
kanejim57's review against another edition
4.0
“Would the history of the twentieth century be different if the American Aryan had not made the Honorary Aryan his civilizing surrogate in Asia? Maybe my father didn’t have to suffer through World War II in the Pacific. Maybe the world would be more peaceful if Teddy hadn’t initiated an American foreign policy that relied on a benevolent big stick.”
James Bradley’s book The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War was not what I expected but it caused me to think.
Bradley whose father was one of the Marines that raised the flag on Iwo Jima in World War 2, and wrote of it in Flags of Our Fathers, makes a case that the jingoistic foreign policy of one Roosevelt, Theodore, made the military task of a second Roosevelt, Franklin a reality.
A hard hitting indictment of a “White Christian” attitude that shaped both foreign policy and race relations with Japan and China at the turn of the 20th Century, Bradley tells the story of William Howard Taft and Alice Roosevelt’s, lengthy journey to the Far East in 1905 against the back drop of a secret mission to allow Japan to have Korea while at the same time, treating Asian civilization (including the Philippines) as second class savages who were destined to be either Christianized or hopelessly damned.
Bradley argues that Roosevelt’s racial attitudes were covered underneath a veneer that was part and parcel of his desire to be seen in a favorable light. And when coupled with secret agreements that would have been unconstitutional, a different light is shed on early 20th century American foreign policy.
Using both American and Asian sources of the time, The Imperial Cruise is a personal and intense 21st century assessment of events and decisions over just over a century ago that reverberated down through the length of the 20th century.
A reader may strongly disagree with Bradley’s assessments and initial conclusions. However, The Imperial Cruise is a book that fills in some details about a period of American history that would have far-reaching consequences throughout the 20th Century.
(Note: This book was a gift for Christmas and I wrote this review solely for the benefit of my readers to use in assessing their thoughts for and/or against the book.)
James Bradley’s book The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War was not what I expected but it caused me to think.
Bradley whose father was one of the Marines that raised the flag on Iwo Jima in World War 2, and wrote of it in Flags of Our Fathers, makes a case that the jingoistic foreign policy of one Roosevelt, Theodore, made the military task of a second Roosevelt, Franklin a reality.
A hard hitting indictment of a “White Christian” attitude that shaped both foreign policy and race relations with Japan and China at the turn of the 20th Century, Bradley tells the story of William Howard Taft and Alice Roosevelt’s, lengthy journey to the Far East in 1905 against the back drop of a secret mission to allow Japan to have Korea while at the same time, treating Asian civilization (including the Philippines) as second class savages who were destined to be either Christianized or hopelessly damned.
Bradley argues that Roosevelt’s racial attitudes were covered underneath a veneer that was part and parcel of his desire to be seen in a favorable light. And when coupled with secret agreements that would have been unconstitutional, a different light is shed on early 20th century American foreign policy.
Using both American and Asian sources of the time, The Imperial Cruise is a personal and intense 21st century assessment of events and decisions over just over a century ago that reverberated down through the length of the 20th century.
A reader may strongly disagree with Bradley’s assessments and initial conclusions. However, The Imperial Cruise is a book that fills in some details about a period of American history that would have far-reaching consequences throughout the 20th Century.
(Note: This book was a gift for Christmas and I wrote this review solely for the benefit of my readers to use in assessing their thoughts for and/or against the book.)
extremepolka's review against another edition
4.0
This book opened my eyes to Manifest Destiny and the negative effects caused by America's aggressive attempt to conquer everything in sight.
jef_1f's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book but a little sad as to the state of America's foreign affairs around 1900.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Like a lot of Americans, I learned the broad strokes about the Pacific theater in World War II. The Japanese attacked us at Pearl Harbor. Attacked us! Obviously, we couldn’t just stand pat. So we warred with them from island-to-island until we had no choice but to drop the atomic bomb and end the war. They were the aggressor and it was all their fault.
I’m reluctant to call this narrative propaganda. Japan did attack us. But the history of the war in the Pacific is far more complicated. At least, that’s what James D. Bradley posits in this work.
I had briefly listened to Bradley’s Flag of Our Fathers tale on his dad being one of the flag-raisers at Iwo Jima. The book, again what little I heard, did a good job of excavating his experience and how it impacted his family moving forward, especially as his son began to grow fond of Japan.
In this book, he takes a broader look at what led to the war. Using a diplomacy cruise featuring future President Taft, President’s daughter and noted socialite Alice Roosevelt and others, Bradley traces the areas of the cruise with the developing US imperialist expansion policy in the west. He covers each territory traveled to, with a background on what the US did (or did not do) to colonize it and/or influence it for the sake of exploited resources (and in some cases, labor).
Everything comes back to Japan. Bradley’s thesis is that the US (and to a lesser degree, the UK) helped influence the Japanese in a western style (part of what inspired the Meiji restoration) to help it harbor its own imperial ambitions. All this was done at the behest of Teddy Roosevelt, who sought to colonize the islands and draw them for all they’re worth.
This is a readable, fascinating slice of counter-narrative history but I can’t give it more than three stars. The framing device was essentially useless save for commentary on Alice Roosevelt’s dresses or Bill Taft’s laughter. The one critical moment where Taft essentially carries out a covert diplomatic mission to allow Japan to annex Korea at the US’ behest (serving as a buffer for Russian expansion). There’s been a lot of speculation that this actually happened, though there’s no historical confirmation. For the record, I can believe some version of it happened but Bradley isn’t a historian so his use of primary source documentary isn’t clean. Coupled with redundancies and poor editorial choices and this isn’t exactly something worthy of awards.
However, for folks who don’t know the larger narrative of Pacific expansion could do worse than start here. It’s easy to digest and will give the reader a good start to building up knowledge on the subject.
I’m reluctant to call this narrative propaganda. Japan did attack us. But the history of the war in the Pacific is far more complicated. At least, that’s what James D. Bradley posits in this work.
I had briefly listened to Bradley’s Flag of Our Fathers tale on his dad being one of the flag-raisers at Iwo Jima. The book, again what little I heard, did a good job of excavating his experience and how it impacted his family moving forward, especially as his son began to grow fond of Japan.
In this book, he takes a broader look at what led to the war. Using a diplomacy cruise featuring future President Taft, President’s daughter and noted socialite Alice Roosevelt and others, Bradley traces the areas of the cruise with the developing US imperialist expansion policy in the west. He covers each territory traveled to, with a background on what the US did (or did not do) to colonize it and/or influence it for the sake of exploited resources (and in some cases, labor).
Everything comes back to Japan. Bradley’s thesis is that the US (and to a lesser degree, the UK) helped influence the Japanese in a western style (part of what inspired the Meiji restoration) to help it harbor its own imperial ambitions. All this was done at the behest of Teddy Roosevelt, who sought to colonize the islands and draw them for all they’re worth.
This is a readable, fascinating slice of counter-narrative history but I can’t give it more than three stars. The framing device was essentially useless save for commentary on Alice Roosevelt’s dresses or Bill Taft’s laughter. The one critical moment where Taft essentially carries out a covert diplomatic mission to allow Japan to annex Korea at the US’ behest (serving as a buffer for Russian expansion). There’s been a lot of speculation that this actually happened, though there’s no historical confirmation. For the record, I can believe some version of it happened but Bradley isn’t a historian so his use of primary source documentary isn’t clean. Coupled with redundancies and poor editorial choices and this isn’t exactly something worthy of awards.
However, for folks who don’t know the larger narrative of Pacific expansion could do worse than start here. It’s easy to digest and will give the reader a good start to building up knowledge on the subject.
modernviking's review against another edition
4.0
The overall premise of using the Taft/Roosevelt cruise as a framework for this history wasn't that useful, but the discussion of the secret dealings and generally poor American behavior in Asia at the turn of the century is eye-opening.
thehappybooker's review against another edition
May return to this someday, but the paragraphs I skimmed were only mildly interesting, so probably not.