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A review by darwin8u
The Irony of American History by Reinhold Niebuhr
5.0
"Nothing in history is inevitable."
-- Reinhold Niebuhr
"Sometimes the irony in our historic situation is derived from the extravagant emphasis in our culture upon the value and dignity of the individual and upon individual liberty as the final value of life."
-- Reinhold Niebuhr
I read this on a plane ride from Malta back home to AZ. It was probably the only positive aspect of travel. Normally, I wouldn't consider a book of philosophy to be a travel book/beach read, but Niebuhr's prose was so clean and his ideas expressed so well that I could have read it anywhere and not been distracted. It is also a small enough book that it is easy to read in one long session (broken up three times with pretzels, diet Coke, and a warm towel). I'm also fairly fanatical about NOT inking up my books. I use Post It Tabs excessively while reading. However, this book was so quotable. Had so many lines and ideas that I broke down and just started underlining with a pen [GASP]. All of this preamble is meant to do is inform you, reader, of HOW much I enjoyed every page and every minute of this book.
The new edition is introduced by one of my favorite historians/military historians/Imperial theorists - Andrew Bacevich. He has written several books on American Empire and military policy ([b:The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism|3367918|The Limits of Power The End of American Exceptionalism (American Empire Project)|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441050587s/3367918.jpg|3407257], [b:Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War|7720138|Washington Rules America's Path to Permanent War|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440361528s/7720138.jpg|10466953], [b:Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country|17286660|Breach of Trust How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1363435044s/17286660.jpg|24493432], and [b:America's War for the Greater Middle East|27272125|America's War for the Greater Middle East|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458494199s/27272125.jpg|47325698]) that are all built (more or less) using a very Niebuhrian framework. Between Bacevich and Obama loving Reinhold Niebuhr, my quiet clap seems hardly needed.
-- Reinhold Niebuhr
"Sometimes the irony in our historic situation is derived from the extravagant emphasis in our culture upon the value and dignity of the individual and upon individual liberty as the final value of life."
-- Reinhold Niebuhr
I read this on a plane ride from Malta back home to AZ. It was probably the only positive aspect of travel. Normally, I wouldn't consider a book of philosophy to be a travel book/beach read, but Niebuhr's prose was so clean and his ideas expressed so well that I could have read it anywhere and not been distracted. It is also a small enough book that it is easy to read in one long session (broken up three times with pretzels, diet Coke, and a warm towel). I'm also fairly fanatical about NOT inking up my books. I use Post It Tabs excessively while reading. However, this book was so quotable. Had so many lines and ideas that I broke down and just started underlining with a pen [GASP]. All of this preamble is meant to do is inform you, reader, of HOW much I enjoyed every page and every minute of this book.
The new edition is introduced by one of my favorite historians/military historians/Imperial theorists - Andrew Bacevich. He has written several books on American Empire and military policy ([b:The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism|3367918|The Limits of Power The End of American Exceptionalism (American Empire Project)|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1441050587s/3367918.jpg|3407257], [b:Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War|7720138|Washington Rules America's Path to Permanent War|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440361528s/7720138.jpg|10466953], [b:Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country|17286660|Breach of Trust How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1363435044s/17286660.jpg|24493432], and [b:America's War for the Greater Middle East|27272125|America's War for the Greater Middle East|Andrew J. Bacevich|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1458494199s/27272125.jpg|47325698]) that are all built (more or less) using a very Niebuhrian framework. Between Bacevich and Obama loving Reinhold Niebuhr, my quiet clap seems hardly needed.