[b]Rating[/b]: 5 out of 5 stars The author's detailed and well-researched account gives you a deep dive into Stalin as a person, leadership style, and how he was able to secure his hold over the Russian people even after his death. This book is an excellent addition for fans of Russian politics, World War II, and the psychology of totalitarian governments.
NetGalley, Shannan Lee

You know it’s going to be a good book when it starts with a brawl. Helen Taylor and Her Fight for the People by Janet Smith resurfaces the story of an important figure in women’s and social movements in England (and Ireland and Scotland) in the late 19th century. Often remembered (if at all!) as Harriet Taylor Mill’s daughter and John Stuart Mill’s stepdaughter (she was also his collaborator), she was in her own right a prominent and accomplished political figure. The causes she advanced included equal pay for women teachers, free education for all, land reform (she advocated nationalizing all land), Irish home rule, and of course, women’s suffrage. A London school board member, her advocacy for education also included an equitable curriculum for girls and, in effect, day care at schools (which she had seen in other countries), so that instead of being made to stay home to take care of their younger siblings, girls could attend school. Taylor was also the first woman to run for.. Read more
NetGalley, E W Parker

"History is not a list of dates or names of battles... History is about stories. Enjoying them, no matter what the subject matter, is the important factor. That is how we learn. And with learning we can hope not to repeat the same old mistakes, time after time." If this was the overarching goal behind Phil Carradice's detailed account of influential assassinations, then he has achieved it by leaps and bounds. Assassinations That Shaped the Twentieth Century is a well-paced and informative read. The author's straightforward and clear writing style, with just the right amount of detail to contextualize events and people, paints an evocative picture of the stories that have influenced history. The book's structure--divided into parts by years--makes the reader feel like they are taking a trip down the river of history, with each port stop introducing them to a particular historical time period and its eccentricities. While the history of assassinations is long and this book could have been.. Read more
NetGalley, Shradha G

As featured in the North-West Labor History Journal no. 49
Peter Darby

In a very brief nutshell, the book explores how Panama, under the leadership of Omar Torrijos, navigated the complexities of the Cold War and wrested control of the Panama Canal Zone away from the US. The canal itself being a valuable shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus enabling ships to avoid the lengthy, costly, and often hazardous voyage around Cape Horn, something that benefited both East and West. In particular, the author looks at the strategies Torrijos employed to maintain Panama’s sovereignty and negotiate a series of treaties that allowed the transfer of control of the canal from the United States to Panama. The author identifies and analyses the political ploys and diplomacies used. Torrijos was a skilled negotiator and politician who knew he had to keep both East and West happy. However, the book looks a little beyond the canal issue itself, and touches on Panama’s role in the broader Cold War and the potential implications of smaller nations in global.. Read more
Army Rumour Service