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A review by hsnails
The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide by Gary J. Bass
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I didn't know anything about Bangladesh's independence, and I knew embarrassingly little about Nixon, Kissinger before reading this book. Bass did a fantastic job getting me up to speed (plus some time spent with a map).
The book hits the ground running and doesn't stop until a little after half way, where it slows way down for bit. But the pace picks right back up for the last quarter.
Bass tells the history in a fascinating way. He did some serious homework; you don't go more than a few paragraphs without a direct quote from the people.
My only (very minor) gripes: I felt like the title was a bit of a misnomer, meant to catch your eye and get you to pick up the book.
Additionally, Bass gets a little repetitive, reminding you who is who constantly. This was definitely necessary at times, but I felt there were other times that I was trying to remember who was who and there wasn't a reminder.
Finally, I felt like there was a lot of backtracking, when it could've just been told chronologically. The first quarter felt like a constant pull through time from March through April and back over and over.
Overall, I give the book a solid 4/5. I learned a lot about a topic that I likely would've gone my whole life never knowing. It was well written and well paced. I couldn't help but draw parallels to today's political climate, and it was just further proof that history is cyclical.
The book hits the ground running and doesn't stop until a little after half way, where it slows way down for bit. But the pace picks right back up for the last quarter.
Bass tells the history in a fascinating way. He did some serious homework; you don't go more than a few paragraphs without a direct quote from the people.
My only (very minor) gripes: I felt like the title was a bit of a misnomer, meant to catch your eye and get you to pick up the book.
Additionally, Bass gets a little repetitive, reminding you who is who constantly. This was definitely necessary at times, but I felt there were other times that I was trying to remember who was who and there wasn't a reminder.
Finally, I felt like there was a lot of backtracking, when it could've just been told chronologically. The first quarter felt like a constant pull through time from March through April and back over and over.
Overall, I give the book a solid 4/5. I learned a lot about a topic that I likely would've gone my whole life never knowing. It was well written and well paced. I couldn't help but draw parallels to today's political climate, and it was just further proof that history is cyclical.