My Book Recommendations

Here are a few books that I would like to recommend.

1. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, By William L. Shirer. This book is my all time favourite. Even though it is a whopping 1147 pages, not including the index and bibliography, and is full of lengthy footnotes, it was highly readable and a thoroughly enjoyable read. Shirer devotes over half of his book to chronicling the rise of Adolf Hitler,and he lays it out in superb detail. Although his deposition of the Second world War seems a little rushed, the German point of view it is written in makes it worthwhile (how many times do you read about WWII in the German point of view?). I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, or anyone who wants a clear description of the darkest period in modern history.

2. Gandhi & Churchill: The Epic Rivalry that Destroyed an Empire and Forged Our Age, by Arthur Herman. This is a dual biography of Gandhi and Winston Churchill, and also a brief history of the British Empire in India. Herman does an excellent job of chronicling the fife of Gandhi, but with Churchill he only highlights his views on the Empire. In this book Herman portrays Gandhi as the wrecker of the British Empire and Churchill. You might think that the comparison between the two is a little odd, because those two titans of history were always at odds with one another, but Herman does quite a good job. I recommend this book because it provides a brief overview of the lives of Gandhi and and Churchill, and also presents the British Empire in India as an epic struggle between old imperialists and Indian nationalists. This book is a must read for everyone wanting a brief overview of Gandhi, Churchill, and the British Empire.

3. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire, by Lawrence James. This is an older book, but it is probably the best volume on the British Empire to date. This book chronicles the entire history of the British Empire from the Renaissance to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. James outlines the British Empire's legacy, global capitalism and trade, democracy, industrialization, slavery, then anti-slavery, colonization, prejudice, the maxim-gun, the steam- engine, and so on and so forth. James Cook, Nelson, Cecil Rhodes, Queen Victoria, King George III, and Winston Churchill are just some of the historical figures displayed in this book. Also, The Rise and Fall of the British Empire analyses imperialism, nationalism, and globalization. A recommended read for anyone who wants to solidify their knowledge of the British empire and its impact on world history. However, if you just want an introduction to the history of the British Empire, I recommend the book Empire: The Rise and Demise of the British World Order, by Niall Ferguson.

Also, check out the book A History of the English Speaking Peoples Since 1900, by Andrew Roberts. A good history of Britain and America, but its neoconservative prospective might turn some people off.