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kermitology's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Gladwell is a gifted storyteller. As he states at the end, this was always designed as an audiobook first. Parts of this were also in his podcast. I quite enjoyed it, but I found it a bit meandering. Like, what was the point exactly? To discuss the ethics of bombing strategy?
I don’t know.. it’s good, listen to it.
Gladwell is a gifted storyteller. As he states at the end, this was always designed as an audiobook first. Parts of this were also in his podcast. I quite enjoyed it, but I found it a bit meandering. Like, what was the point exactly? To discuss the ethics of bombing strategy?
I don’t know.. it’s good, listen to it.
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a confirmed fan of Malcolm Gladwell, his books and his podcasts. He finds connections and hidden threads in much the same way as James Burke used to do.
This apparently started as an audiobook and was then transformed into a paper book. And it shows. It's very short and doesn't really give Gladwell a chance to dive deep into the subject. For that, Overy's The Bombing War is a much more detailed book. But the bombing itself isn't the main message of this book. Instead, it's about holding true to your ideals in the face of challenges, refusing to give in to the dark side.
I'm not sure whether Gladwell makes his case here - others have pointed out the contradictions - but it's great fun listening to him try.
I received an ARC of this book - a bit strange when the book has been out for quite a while now!
This apparently started as an audiobook and was then transformed into a paper book. And it shows. It's very short and doesn't really give Gladwell a chance to dive deep into the subject. For that, Overy's The Bombing War is a much more detailed book. But the bombing itself isn't the main message of this book. Instead, it's about holding true to your ideals in the face of challenges, refusing to give in to the dark side.
I'm not sure whether Gladwell makes his case here - others have pointed out the contradictions - but it's great fun listening to him try.
I received an ARC of this book - a bit strange when the book has been out for quite a while now!
darbymattinson's review against another edition
4.0
Gladwell dove into the topic of WW2 airforce bombing and the inferred impact it would make on war and the actual impact it made on the war. I enjoy learning about something I’m not keen to. This book must be listened to because of the interviews Gladwell conducts with some key people, the historic radio propaganda, and historic interviews he adds to the novel.
oviedorose's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
4.0
thecasualbooknerd's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Genocide, Gun violence, Fire/Fire injury, and War
dlsmall's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting topic to catch Gladwell’s attention. I don’t know why I had this fantasy regarding The whole concept of the Norden bombsight and high altitude precision bombing? I guess war movies and histories and documentaries made too close to the war. In actuality, it was a concept ahead of its time and technology.
In the parallel concepts of British night bombing campaigns and American daylight raids, I always found the whole British philosophy horrifying, but then the cost for any of our successes was high, with a very low return on that investment…on a mission by mission basis.
Then turn to Japan, where the lack of precision success, given the demands and distances, quickly turned to night, low-level, mass raids, with incendiaries…which I guess I should not be surprised to no learn were fundamentally sticks of a gel that twenty-five years later would just be called napalm. Brutal. Necessary? Even the Japanese government and historians later felt that such tactics speeded the wars end and prevented Soviet and American invasions, that would have ended with Japan w]being treated much like Germany. Not in the book, but I would guess with way less humanity.
Other than opening a Pandora’s Box, and radiation, I am left wondering…were the nuclear bombs that much worse than the many incendiary raids, both in Japan and in Europe?
In the parallel concepts of British night bombing campaigns and American daylight raids, I always found the whole British philosophy horrifying, but then the cost for any of our successes was high, with a very low return on that investment…on a mission by mission basis.
Then turn to Japan, where the lack of precision success, given the demands and distances, quickly turned to night, low-level, mass raids, with incendiaries…which I guess I should not be surprised to no learn were fundamentally sticks of a gel that twenty-five years later would just be called napalm. Brutal. Necessary? Even the Japanese government and historians later felt that such tactics speeded the wars end and prevented Soviet and American invasions, that would have ended with Japan w]being treated much like Germany. Not in the book, but I would guess with way less humanity.
Other than opening a Pandora’s Box, and radiation, I am left wondering…were the nuclear bombs that much worse than the many incendiary raids, both in Japan and in Europe?