Elijah Rose

Title is inaccurate and is poorly researched.

Revisado: 09-09-22

First off, this book is NOT about forgotten peoples, instead is a survey of bronze and iron age cultures traditionally discussed in popular histories.

What is more egregious is the author presents Manetho's now debunked account of the Hyksos as fact and discusses the Hebrews and Hyksos in totally different chapters. However, the author has no qualms about using the Torah as a primary source and quotes it often. From this, it can be deduced the author has not read the primary sources he quotes, because if he had he would have seen Josephus' argument that the Hebrews and Hyksos were one and the same.

Combine that with the arbitrary demonization of certain cultures, weird stereotypes, and delusional belief that ancient culture was extremely warlike show the author has only read a modest number of popular histories and is not subject matter expert. For instance, the author seems to think migration consists of whole populations uprooting and eradicating native populations. The author presents quotes from some ancient sources as fact even if they are absurd, like the idea Thracian women were all sluts.

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Read between the lines, she's a liar and a thief.

Revisado: 07-07-22

For starters, this ISN'T an expert book about a certain kind of crime, it's the personal experience of someone who faked her death because she refused to work for a living. She was deep in debt because she spent 4 years hanging out at a college she couldn't afford to get a degree she didn't want, again because she refuses to work because "the America dream is for chumps." She spoke of growing up raised by an associate professor in America as if that's poverty, generating an eye roll from me. She said her father "was in no position to contribute" and gives no indication whether she means he was deadbeat or in prison. And of course she gives the cliché BS excuses that the "system is rigged" and that her debt was a scam engineered by Wall Street.

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A good piece of a larger history.

Revisado: 07-03-22

Unlike a lot of people writing about Civil War, this guy actually does a historian's job and sort out fact from legend without a hint of sycophancy/ridicule for men that are long dead. He goes over virtually every known detail of a relatively small battle, so while the book is short it isn't remotely cursory.

The only problem is in editing the audio they seemed to have overlapping cuts creating several instances where the reader repeats himself for no reason.

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Political activist tries to write a history......

Revisado: 06-24-22

This book is mostly vague vagueries about ideologies and policies and class struggles, and you can be sure there's always a rich white Christian man to blame. Oh yes, he even infers the Haitian French were responsible for their own genocide.

Besides that there's enormous gaps in the author's knowledge that infers he didn't even finish a wiki article about the countries he speaks of. Namely, he goes on about how the Hapsburgs emphasized loyalty to the patriarchy as if he doesn't realize the Hapsburgs were a widely dispersed clan ruling much of Europe and all the conflicting interest that implies (instead author infers a male dominated culture which didn't exist). Also, author either does not know or does not care that slavers didn't discriminate and many peoples were enslaved at various points besides Africans. But more importantly, author says Spanish rule was largely unchallenged before the waves of independence wars in the mid-19th century, inferring a total ignorance of Latin America before then.

Don't waste your credits on this.

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Sub-par history writing.

Revisado: 06-24-22

The author seems conflicted about what he thinks about the Spaniards he writes about. At one point he says they were just people like any other while at others he calls them "arrogant interlopers" despite giving no reason to believe they were either. At one point he sings the praises of Catholic missionaries, at others he uses slaver and Christian interchangeably. He also refers to all Spanish traders as slavers despite that being by far a minority of their business (although unfortunately few of them would have scruppled to trade slaves).

Also note at some points straight up bad history is written as wild theories about the natives are presented as fact. Namely, the existence of pre-Columbian metropolises north of the Rio Grande. The author talks of some known large native villages and exaggerates their size as well as present as fact the Indian Mounds were the ruins of cities. It should be noted only with difficulty was it proven the Indian Mounds were man made and not weird natural formations.

I might take this guy as my research partner, but never a teacher.

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Meh.

Revisado: 06-19-22

I can't really recommend or scathe this book. On the good side it is about artic exploration and survival, on the other there's distinct stereotypes and prejudtices that mark the era the author hails from.

Namely, the author matter of factly explains the brutal things the Dutch really did do like keel hauling and mutiny, while roundly damning them for killing polar bears for their pelts. Specifically he said "it was a surprise there was anything left," which is a laughably naïve statement to anyone who hasn't spent their whole life in a big city. The author also repeatedly brings up vague "slaughter of natives" by European explorers, the vagueries being a product from how that part of history is largely imaginary.

But, he does have attention to detail for the actual saga he tells and doesn't make any accusations at the men he writes about. He explains how the voyage was an investment, and how the explorers had orders to trade and some sailors were punished for pilfering.

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Onslaught of stereotypes and misconceptions.

Revisado: 06-12-22

Notice this book isn't very big and reportedly the whole Norman story. Yes, it is quite cursory, but manages to cram in every medieval stereotype you've heard including the thought Vikings were all bloodythirsty warriors and calls Oden "the berzerker god." Even stranger is he equates all Vikings together regardless if they were pirates or soldiers and regardless if they were separated by many centuries from each other.

And so on and so forth. I recommend Marc Morris' books instead of this, also available on Audible.

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Spygear, not Spycraft

Revisado: 05-23-22

The author is limited to things he personally read about and people he spoke to while working for the CIA, hence this book is heavily scewed towards the Office of Technical Services and the exploits of "techs." By far the most discussed topic is the inventing, crafting, planting, and use of audio devises throughout the Cold War with no specific operation discussed after the fall of the USSR (presumably still classified).

Even so, there's an immense amount of frank info here, even stating how CIA techs have a strong preference for cheap hotels since they're paid like any other government employee and can keep any travel allowance they didn't spend. Many details of the allegedly extensive CIA scientific research projects are revealed and they are exactly not what you're expecting and is definitely worth reading the book to learn. There are also nifty tidbits, like how at the party celebrating the agency's creation the ex-OSS agents played a joke and all wore tophats, black cloaks, and daggers.

A flaw in storytelling is several chapters repeat themselves, with some chapters explaining the operations and equipment and other chapters explaining the craft and equipment. The apparent reason is the author had to fight for approval for each chapter. Another flaw is Audible left in the continuity breaks from the original CD audio.

The book also isn't perfect because the author is a regular dude and makes casual political interjections. Case in point when a woman working for the CIA was arrested by the KGB, the author praised her Taekwondo skills when she tried to fight them off despite explicitly stating how it was a bad idea for any spy to fight the authorities where they are. Also, taekwondo has nothing to do with combat skills nor the kick to the crotch the lady delivered, but in context with other statements it's likely the author has a fetish.

Another problem is the lack of understanding the author has for Russia in general but that's par for the course.

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The Definitive Account of the Late Ottoman Horrors

Revisado: 07-11-21

I give the highest recommendation for this book as not only it covers vital piece of human history, but the authors rely solely on primary source evidence which they read in several languages over a decade long period. While that may sound like a book so loaded with detail it becomes a snoozer, this book is loaded with details of the horrors of war, persecutions, and genocide throughout. While I don't agree with all of the author's conclusions, the scholarly work done here should be considered vital historiography.

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Factually Inaccurate.

Revisado: 09-20-20

The heavy agitator tone of the book undermines the message. Presenting many disputed matters as fact and abusing adjectives. Pejoratives like paramilitary and titles such as innocent civilian are used without defining or proving them. Digressions are common, and guilty by association logic is used. Facts, when told, are sensationalized and occasionally what is presented as fact is demonstratively false.

A perfect example: The author cited tanks and soldiers in the streets as "government's consistent answers to poverty and addiction." However, Mexico doesn't have tanks and their army is tasked with fighting cartels. In the US, Federal troops aren't allowed to deploy domestically and the counter-riots by National Guard forces don't involve tanks and aren't anywhere near common enough to be called "consistent answers to poverty."

Even if you agree what the author is arguing, the book itself is garbage. I'd bet the author is/was involved in something dirty.

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