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A Concise History of the Russian Revolution  by Richard Pipes, Vintage, 2011. Ulyanov Nikolai Lenin was born Vladimir Ilich Ulianov in April 1870 in Simbirsk. His older brother Alexander was executed in 1887 for plotting to assassinate Tsar Nicholas II. Lenin attended the University of Kazan. He was not initially interested in politics, but the politically-minded students drew him in because his brother had been political. Lenin was expelled from the university for participat

History's Greatest Heist: The Looting of Russia by the Bolsheviks  by Sean McMeekin, Yale University Press, 2008. Bolshevik Looting When the Bolsheviks took control of Russia, they needed money, which they obtained by repudiating foreign debt, looting safe deposit boxes, nationalizing of the property of the Russian Orthodox Church, and stealing Tsarist gold and jewelry. Western Culpability The Bolsheviks sold much of their loot abroad. Western Europe made a half-hearted attem

The Great Terror: A Reassessment  (2008 edition) by Robert Conquest, Oxford University Press, 2008. Kronstadt Shipyard Strike In March 1921 the Communist Party used force to put down a revolt of the proletariat (sailors and workers) at the Kronstadt shipyard. After the rebellion was put down, lower Party committees were no longer elected but rather appointed. Lenin said that the Communist Part had the right to oppose the will of the majority of the proletariat, because the pr

Let Our Fame Be Great: Journeys Among the Defiant People of the Caucasus  by Oliver Bullough, Basic Books, 2012. Summary This is a book about the history of the Caucasus. The native people of the Caucasus have been victimized by both the expansion of the Russian empire during the 19th century, and Stalin’s paranoia during the 20th century. The reason whites are called Caucasians is that some eighteenth-century European intellectuals believed (mistakenly) that the white race

America's Nazi Secret: An Insider's History  (2nd edition) by John Loftus Belarus The book is a revised edition of a book Loftus originally published in 1982 as The Belarus Secret. Belarus is also known as Byelorussia, White Russia, and White Ruthenia. Its capital is Minsk. Belarus was partitioned between the Soviet Union and Poland by the Treaty of Riga (1921). Some Belarusians nationalists collaborated with the Nazi's during the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union in World Wa

Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes  by Svante Pääbo, Basic Books, 2014. Laboratory Analysis of Ancient DNA This book describes how the author, a Swedish molecular biologist, analyzed Neanderthal DNA in his laboratory in Leipzig, Germany. He and his group have analyzed the DNA of some Neanderthal remains. Avoiding Sample Contamination His main achievement has been the prevention of contamination of his Neanderthal DNA samples by contemporary human DNA. Ancient DNA is

The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South  by Radley Balko, Tucker Carrington, John Grisham (Foreword), Hatchette Book Group (2018)  Two Murders in Mississippi Through the lens of two particular murders in Mississippi, this book describes the corruption of the criminal justice system through good old boy networks, resulting in wrongful convictions. There is a particular focus on junk forensic pathology. There are poorly conducte

Why the West is Best: A Muslim Apostate’s Defense of Liberal Democracy  by Ibn Warraq, Encounter Books, 2011.  Apostate from Islam Embraces the West Pakistani apostate from Islam, Ibn Warraq, discusses several reasons why Western culture is superior to all others: Greek reason Roman law Separation of church and state Intellectual freedom Science Capitalism Industrial Revolution Universal values Abolition of slavery Opposition to racism Objectivity Ability to criticize and lau

Dragon Fighter: One Woman's Epic Struggle for Peace with China  by Rebiya Kadeer and Alexandra Cavelius. Kales Press;, 2009.  Memoir of a brave woman who fought the Chinese invasion of her country.

Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations  by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Atria, 2010.  She writes about...

1917: Lenin, Wilson, and the Birth of the New World Disorder   by Arthur Herman, Harper Perennial, 2017.  Before World War I, nations were motivated by selfish, pragmatic national interests. After 1917, some national leaders were motivated by utopian ideals. In particular, Woodrow Wilson and Vladimir Lenin were both influenced by Hegel; Lenin via Karl Marx. Both Wilson and Lenin believed in statism. Wilson believed in the German Historical School, which held that what was rig

Wilson's War: How Woodrow Wilson's Great Blunder Led to Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, and World War II by Jim Powell, Crown Forum, 1st, First Edition, Hardcover, 2005. The author contends that bringing the United States into the First World War was a terrible mistake.

The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War  by Thomas J. Dilorenzo, Foreword by Walter E. Williams, Crown Publishing, 2003.  The Right of Secession The right of the southern states to secede was part of the tradition of the United States since its founding. After all, didn’t the United States secede from the British Empire? The United States was a voluntary association. Statism versus Individualism What has happened gradually since the

Provoked: How Washington Started the New Cold War with Russia and the Catastrophe in Ukraine  by Scott Horton, The Libertarian Institute, 2024.  At many times and in many ways, although not with a formal treaty, the United States promised Russia that, with the exception of East Germany, NATO would never extend eastward to include the former Warsaw Pact nations of Eastern Europe. The United States promised that if Russia allowed East Germany and West Germany to join into a sin

It's Our Turn to Eat: The Story of a Kenyan Whistle-Blower  by Michela Wrong, HarperCollins, 2009.  Reporter on Government Corruption The main topic of the book is the efforts of an honest man, journalist and government anti-corruption official named John Githongo to clean up corruption in the Kenyan government during the administration of president Mwai Kibaki, who was in office 2002-2013. Jomo Kenyatta Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya’s first president after independence (1963-1978)

Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed  by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos, Little, Brown & Co., 1994.  Lockheed This book describes a highly secret project at Lockheed to develop advanced technology in aircraft. It was called the Skunk Works, and was located in Burbank, California.  Key Individuals:  Kelly Johnson: He joined Lockheed in 1933, and started the Skunk Works in 1943.  Ben Rich: He was initially Kelly Johnson’s vice-president for advanced projects. In 19

Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War  by Robert Coram, Back Bay Books, 2004.  Polymath Maverick John Boyd was a pilot, an engineer, a mathematician, a tactician and a maverick. Boyd was slow in getting promoted, because he was too outspoken. His ideas had a substantial impact on aircraft design, although the F-15 and F-16 fighter jets that he helped design were compromised with bells and whistles that reduced Boyd’s primary goal of maneuverability. Boyd favore

Drug Crazy: How We Got into This Mess and How We Can Get Out  by Mike Gray, Routledge, 2000.  Criminalization of Narcotics The author describes the criminalization of narcotics in the United States during the early twentieth century. At the beginning of the twentieth century there were about 3 thousand opium addicts in the United States. People often took laudanum (tincture of opium). The usage of narcotics decreased after the Food and Drug Act of 1906 required labeling of in

Until Proven Innocent: Political Correctness and the Shameful Injustices of the Duke Lacrosse Rape Case  by Stuart Taylor, Jr. and K. C. Johnson, St. Martin's Griffin, 2008.  Prosecutorial Misconduct This is a detailed look at one case of prosecutorial misconduct. In order to win votes from black citizens in North Caroline, a district attorney engaged in malicious prosecution of three members of the Duke LaCrosse team. The district attorney accused the athletes of raping a bl

Japan 1941: Countdown to Infamy  by Eri Hotta, Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.  Imperial Japan In 1941 the political and military leaders in Japan made a decision to extend their invasion of Asia to include attacking Great Britain and the United States. (their colonies). It was a close decision and easily could have gone the other way,. Only a minority of Japan’s leaders wanted to expand the war to include Britain, the United States and to expand into southeast Asia. Army Defeats Navy