PAUL R. HEATH

Being trapped underwater - a universal fear

Revisado: 06-30-21

Pete Cross is an excellent narrator. I have listened to and enjoyed several of his audiobooks. The Kursk submarine tragedy brings out some of the best in attempts at international cooperation as well as some of the worst in the residual cold war fears of the superpowers after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Disaster was almost inevitable in the Russian Northern Fleet following severe funding cutbacks and safety shortcuts in the late 1990s. When governments lie to their people and mislead even their own leaders, as Russia did repeatedly in this tragic incident, lives are lost along with opportunities for international cooperation.

The deliberate coverup and spurious answers propounded by the Russian naval leadership, together with the consequences thereof, remind one of the false narratives propounded by the Soviets in the Chernobyl nuclear disaster fourteen years earlier.

The Kursk explosion was Vladimir Putin's first big domestic crisis and this book covers his government's response to it very well.

Human drama, clear technical explanation and well researched background make this audiobook one that I strongly recommend.

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One of the very best chronologies of Trump admin.

Revisado: 11-08-20

I have followed the Donald Trump disaster phenomenon fairly closely from his primary run (and even earlier - his Atlantic City casino era) up until recently. Along the way, I have read several books regarding this era such as "Compromised.... ', 'It Was All a Lie"; "A Very Stable Genius"; "Impeach: the Case Against Donald Trump"; "A Warning"; "Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money…" "Unbelievable: My Front Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History"; "Will He Go?" "Fire and Fury"; "Trumped: the Inside Story of the Real Donald Trump"; "The Making of Donald Trump."

Several of these books have been quite good reads and able to shed light on more of the dark corners of the Trump business--administration. For chronology and detail about Trump's administration, this book, "True Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "A Very Stable Genius" are excellent. For detail on the Mueller Report, I really liked "Compromised."

True Crimes has depth and readability; it progresses with nice pacing and coherency. It includes additional details I had not found in similar chronologies of the Trump era. The Audible version with narration by Rob Shapiro is singularly well recorded. Jeffery Toobin's book is a masterpiece of Trump reporting in what has become a large field of similar books. Rob Shapiro and Jeffery Toobin go very well together! Overall, I liked this book best with Compromised by Peter Strzok a close second.

This book is highly recommended for people wanting to understand not only events in "Trump-world," but the sequence and some background of some of the players. (Rudy Giuliani's hapless and clueless sidekicks come to mind.)

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Continuing Claudius' great 1st century narrative

Revisado: 05-17-20

Even though I took two years of Latin in High School and two more in college, I do not consider myself a Roman history enthusiast or expert at all. But I do have an interest in many historical events and stages which is why I finally “read” [listened to] Robert Graves “I, Claudius” and the sequel, “Claudius the God.”

I say, “finally listened to” them because I have had the books for forty years now and never actually started reading them.

Now that has changed.

The books are both fascinating and beautifully written, lending themselves well to spoken narration. Graves proves himself a master at making the events of first century Roman antiquity come alive in the imaginative autobiography of the Emperor Claudius. Imaginative – yes. Far-fetched – no.

Very many of the events in the book (actually both books) are well-documented history. Other events that are not strictly documented history serve to fill out a sweeping story that seem “true to the man,” or “true to the woman,” even “true to the period.”

And what a period it was!

People grasping for power, sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters clawing for an inside track or a devious ploy to obtain power and keep it. Servants and slaves deciding to tell or withhold what they know or heard. Rumors whipping through the Roman populace and creating emergencies.

The Roman abbreviated motto, SPQR (The Senate and the Roman People - Senatus PopulusQue Romanus) seems to point backward to a time when the Senate actually wasn't just a craven rubber stamp for whatever an emperor wants. MRGA? ("Make Rome Great Again?")

Listening to the narration of the countless power manipulations, I could not help but see obvious parallels in present day American politics (perhaps minus the overt poisonings).

Nihil novi sub soli. (Nothing new under the sun.)

To my mind, Nelson Runger’s performance is excellent. His narration is clear and easily understood while driving in a car with the auditory competition of road noise. With a book length of sixteen and three-quarters hours, a great narrator is especially important.

16 hours, 47 minutes for I, Claudius; 19 hours, 46 minutes for Claudius the God.

Absolutely recommend both of these books in unabridged audible format.

Thank you Audible for making these gems available.

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This is First Century Rome in living color

Revisado: 05-17-20

Even though I took two years of Latin in High School and two more in college, I do not consider myself a Roman history enthusiast or expert at all. But I do have an interest in many historical events and stages which is why I finally “read” [listened to] Robert Graves “I, Claudius” and the sequel, “Claudius the God.”

I say, “finally listened to” them because I have had the books for forty years now and never actually started reading them.

Now that has changed.

The books are both fascinating and beautifully written, lending themselves well to spoken narration. Graves proves himself a master at making the events of first century Roman antiquity come alive in the imaginative autobiography of the Emperor Claudius. Imaginative – yes. Far-fetched – no.

Very many of the events in the book (actually both books) are well-documented history. Other events that are not strictly documented history serve to fill out a sweeping story that seem “true to the man,” or “true to the woman,” even “true to the period.”

And what a period it was!

People grasping for power, sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters clawing for an inside track or a devious ploy to obtain power and keep it. Servants and slaves deciding to tell or withhold what they know or heard. Rumors whipping through the Roman populace and creating emergencies. A craven Senate looking to rubber stamp what they think an emperor wants.

Listening to the narration of the countless power manipulations, I could not help but see obvious parallels in present day American politics (perhaps minus the overt poisonings).

Nihil novi sub soli. (Nothing new under the sun.)

To my mind, Nelson Runger’s performance is excellent. His narration is clear and easily understood while driving in a car with the auditory competition of road noise. With a book length of sixteen and three-quarters hours, a great narrator is especially important.

16 hours, 47 minutes for I, Claudius; 19 hours, 46 minutes for Claudius the God.

Absolutely recommend both of these books in unabridged audible format.

Thank you Audible for making these gems available.

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This very good book prompted me to post a review

Revisado: 12-25-17

I read many books, regular and audio books - some in the WWII genre. I very rarely write a review, however. This audiobook is "top class" in my opinion. To hear the viewpoint of a German officer who managed to live through the war, who, as a professional soldier, was able to look back on his wartime experiences, without the passion of the moment, is enlightening. Von Luck's professionalism and conscience-informed humanity comes through time and again. He struggles throughout the book to maintain his humaness and a sense of morality as well responsibility to the men (sometimes mere boys) under him despite the often vicious and desperate orders coming from Nazi headquarters. Eastern Front, invasion front, captivity in Russia and subsequent life are all in this man's coherent story. He learned that Germany's enemies in WWII were not "devils" or "sub-human," as Nazi propaganda insisted. He experienced the worst and some of the best of behavior soldiers experience in total war, maintaining a flame of human compassion throughout.
The narration by Bronson Pinchot, whose German accent ads authenticity to the story without impeding intelligibility, is excellent in my opinion.

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