Imperial Reckoning, by Caroline Elkins, is the story of the British oppression of colonial Kenya in the middle years of the twentieth century. The Mau Mau movement, a freedom campaign primarily led by the Kikuyu tribe, was brutally forced into a system of gulags where they were tortured, leading to the deaths of perhaps several hundred thousand. Their story had yet to be fully told until now.
Elkins sets the stage with the British exploitation and racism at the colony’s formation. The aftermath of World War II saw ripe conditions for a movement such as the Mau Mau. The initial crackdown by the British only strengthened the movement and white settler fury grew into a frenzy as they demanded the government protect them. Suspected Mau Mau were rounded up, screened, and deported to a system of camps. The process was marked with extreme violence. The expressed goal of the process was rehabilitation to Western ways but the prison and work camps did little toward this end. Elkins chronicles the violence in the camps with brutal details and a world emerges that rivals the worst inhumanity in history, save for the fact that extermination was not the expressed goal. Even the supposedly rehabilitated Kikuyu were forced to dwell in prison like villages that were little better than the worst camps.
Elkins demonstrates that the British people and government were aware of the atrocities at the highest levels, to include Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Though some British protested the brutality, the majority looked the other way, chiefly because exposure would have shattered the carefully groomed British colonial image, according to Elkins. Still, the evidence became overwhelming and this led to Kenya’s independence much earlier than anticipated.
The book is well written and the arguments undeniable. Elkins made good use of the little archival evidence that was not destroyed as well as oral history. Every facet of the atrocity is exposed, although certain areas such as violence among the detainees could be explored more deeply. Though the language can seem stiff and academic, the book is fascinating and sheds valuable light into a dark area of history that should not be forgotten.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
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I finished Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome. It was a good but frustrating book. It was written well enough, functional without being very elegant. The story is of a man with a wife he can no longer stand and her cousin that lives with them, with whom he is in love. The book was frustrating in the way that Wuthering Heights was. There are two people who clearly love each other whom circumstances and their weaknesses keep apart. It was probably worth reading but it was good that it was short. I’m not sure I could have taken much more of the stark tragedy.
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I finished The Shack, by William Paul Young, an inspirational book designed to address the problem of pain. The book came highly recommended by several people I know. The book itself has an interesting story. Rejected by publishers, the author decided to publish and sell it on his own and it eventually became a bestseller by word of mouth. I can see why.
It’s the story of a man whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. Years later he has still not recovered emotionally and he receives a cryptic note, apparently from God, to return to the shack where the killer took his daughter. Through conversations with God, the man’s questions are answered and his soul finds healing. A little twist in the end suggests it might have been a dream, and at first that upset me. But the story ends well.
I can see why the book might have been rejected by publishers. It can seem too much like a thinly veiled bio. The writing at times seems unprofessional. Both the story and theology can come across as hokey. But editors and publishers are often wrong and, on the other hand, I can see why it became a bestseller. The story is too powerful to be held down by technical imperfections. The message is too touching to be hindered by delivery. The Shack touched my heart. I’m glad I read it.
It’s the story of a man whose daughter was kidnapped and murdered by a serial killer. Years later he has still not recovered emotionally and he receives a cryptic note, apparently from God, to return to the shack where the killer took his daughter. Through conversations with God, the man’s questions are answered and his soul finds healing. A little twist in the end suggests it might have been a dream, and at first that upset me. But the story ends well.
I can see why the book might have been rejected by publishers. It can seem too much like a thinly veiled bio. The writing at times seems unprofessional. Both the story and theology can come across as hokey. But editors and publishers are often wrong and, on the other hand, I can see why it became a bestseller. The story is too powerful to be held down by technical imperfections. The message is too touching to be hindered by delivery. The Shack touched my heart. I’m glad I read it.
Latest Reading
I finished Exodus, by Leon Uris. It is historical fiction revolving around the creation of the modern state of Israel. I suppose that’s one way of saying it. Another way is that it’s a soap opera set during the creation of the modern state of Israel. Either way, it’s a good story. The writing is not always perfect. The book is certainly full of biases. Jewish characters are wise, brave, and with flaws that are easily forgiven. Arabs are largely filthy, bloodthirsty animals. But the book works because the reader is drawn to the characters. It’s the rare book that succeeds chiefly because the characters and their situations are truly compelling. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the book to everyone. But I know a few people who would enjoy it and it wouldn’t waste anyone’s time.
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I finished Alfred Crosby’s The Columbian Exchange, a classic of history. Considering man as a biological entity first, the book argues that the most important changes of the Columbian Exchange were biological in nature. While considering the early European beliefs of the differences between the two hemispheres, he establishes that the two sides of the earth developed largely in isolation. Crosby then considers the effect of diseases on the Native American population, which had no history of natural immunity to the newly introduced afflictions. The next chapter examines the effects of newly introduced plants and animals, of which Crosby considers cattle to be the most important, at least in the long run. A subsequent chapter on syphilis, widely considered to be introduced to the Old World by early explorers, seems disjointed in the larger narrative, almost an interesting aside in the otherwise smooth flow. Before concluding that the exchange is still ongoing, Crosby argues that the most important change was that the Old World’s adoption of New World foods led to the world’s population explosion of recent centuries.
Underlying the text is the theme that the results of the exchange were not always positive. The trend of nature is to biological homogeneity. Man’s effect on the planet, accelerated by the Columbian Exchange, is to sacrifice long term diversity for short term gain, thus creating an impoverished gene pool.
The work is concise and scholarly, the writing best described as functional. At times the numerous examples can bog down the book, although it is brief. The book is of the utmost importance to historians. Others just need to be aware of the grand concepts so brilliantly expressed in The Columbian Exchange.
Underlying the text is the theme that the results of the exchange were not always positive. The trend of nature is to biological homogeneity. Man’s effect on the planet, accelerated by the Columbian Exchange, is to sacrifice long term diversity for short term gain, thus creating an impoverished gene pool.
The work is concise and scholarly, the writing best described as functional. At times the numerous examples can bog down the book, although it is brief. The book is of the utmost importance to historians. Others just need to be aware of the grand concepts so brilliantly expressed in The Columbian Exchange.
Latest Reading
In my summer reading, I try to devour a wide array of books. Among other genres, I try to brush up on the classics. Many of them I’ve read parts of in the past. But they’re stories with which every historian should be familiar. On top of that, they’re great stories. They’re classics for a reason even if the language sometimes makes them inaccessible.
That being said, I recently finished The Epic of Gilgamesh. It’s the story of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, and his adventures with his friend Endiku. When Endiku dies, a mournful Gilgamesh seeks the secret of immortality from the Babylonian Noah, the only man to be granted everlasting life. He is told it is impossible and that he should stop wasting his time on trivial pursuits and be the king he was supposed to be.
It’s a good story, and timeless. The poetry is a little bit hard to follow, especially when there are gaps in the text inherent in the age of the tablets. It might not be entertaining for the casual reader but The Epic of Gilgamesh certainly gives a fuller understanding of history to those interested.
That being said, I recently finished The Epic of Gilgamesh. It’s the story of Gilgamesh, the king of Uruk, and his adventures with his friend Endiku. When Endiku dies, a mournful Gilgamesh seeks the secret of immortality from the Babylonian Noah, the only man to be granted everlasting life. He is told it is impossible and that he should stop wasting his time on trivial pursuits and be the king he was supposed to be.
It’s a good story, and timeless. The poetry is a little bit hard to follow, especially when there are gaps in the text inherent in the age of the tablets. It might not be entertaining for the casual reader but The Epic of Gilgamesh certainly gives a fuller understanding of history to those interested.
Latest Reading
The classic The Age of Jackson, by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., is the study of the ebb and flow of Jacksonian Democracy. The book examines policies in terms of ideals and argues that Jacksonian ideals did not necessarily arise from the West as previously supposed. Instead it was shaped by notions of society developed in the East and South. Jacksonian Democracy was more about class than region.
The book begins by examining the gradual demise of Jeffersonian ideals, attributed to the changing of society from agricultural to industrial. It was replaced by the Hamiltonian ideal of rule by the elite monied interests which increasingly shut out the common man. The growing discontent of diverse interests, and the failure of John Quincy Adams to pacify these interests, led to the rise of Andrew Jackson. Social reform and growing radicalism marked the era, as the conflict was defined as between business interests and the rest of society.
Jacksonian Democracy redefined the terms of this conflict and the Whigs only regained power by beating them at their own game of standing for the common man. Jacksonian Democracy lost appeal as the country moved to the Civil War and they were unable to coalesce diverse interests. The party of Jackson was destroyed by slavery and in the aftermath of the Civil War. Republicans and big business interests ruled the country for the rest of the century.
The Age of Jackson is decidedly not a biography. Comparatively little is said about Jackson’s life as it focuses on the political history of the era. Though not divided into distinct sections, roughly the first third is dedicated to the Jackson administration and focused around the struggle to end the National Bank. The second third examines other ideological issues of the time and the last third covers the political history of the slavery question.
The book is brilliantly written although it can seem to bog down with exhaustive information and extensive quotes that occasionally disrupt the flow of the narrative. At times it seems thorough to a fault. In the end, however, The Age of Jackson is the authority on the political history of Jacksonian Democracy.
The book begins by examining the gradual demise of Jeffersonian ideals, attributed to the changing of society from agricultural to industrial. It was replaced by the Hamiltonian ideal of rule by the elite monied interests which increasingly shut out the common man. The growing discontent of diverse interests, and the failure of John Quincy Adams to pacify these interests, led to the rise of Andrew Jackson. Social reform and growing radicalism marked the era, as the conflict was defined as between business interests and the rest of society.
Jacksonian Democracy redefined the terms of this conflict and the Whigs only regained power by beating them at their own game of standing for the common man. Jacksonian Democracy lost appeal as the country moved to the Civil War and they were unable to coalesce diverse interests. The party of Jackson was destroyed by slavery and in the aftermath of the Civil War. Republicans and big business interests ruled the country for the rest of the century.
The Age of Jackson is decidedly not a biography. Comparatively little is said about Jackson’s life as it focuses on the political history of the era. Though not divided into distinct sections, roughly the first third is dedicated to the Jackson administration and focused around the struggle to end the National Bank. The second third examines other ideological issues of the time and the last third covers the political history of the slavery question.
The book is brilliantly written although it can seem to bog down with exhaustive information and extensive quotes that occasionally disrupt the flow of the narrative. At times it seems thorough to a fault. In the end, however, The Age of Jackson is the authority on the political history of Jacksonian Democracy.
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