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The Korean War: Australia in the Giants' Playground
The Korean War was a 20th Century conflict that has never ended. South Korea, a powerhouse economy and dynamic democracy sits uneasily alongside North Korea, the world's most secretive, belligerent, unpredictable and repressive totalitarian state. Today, tensions simmer and occasionally flare into outright violence on a peninsula dense with arms, munitions and nuclear warheads.
Cameron Forbes, acclaimed author of Hellfire, tells the story of the war and Australia's involvement in it in a riveting narrative. From the letters and diaries of those diggers who fought across Korea's unforgiving hills and mountains to the grand strategies formulated in Washington, Moscow and Beijing, The Korean War reveals the conflict on all its levels – human, military and geopolitical. In the tradition of Les Carlyon's Gallipoli and The Great War and Paul Ham's Vietnam, Cameron Forbes has written a masterpiece that will serve as the definitive history of Australia and the Korean War.
Author Information
Cameron Forbes was born in Rockhampton, Queensland. He has been foreign editor of The Age, European and Asia correspondent for The Age and Washington correspondent for The Australian. He has reported wars and civil wars in the Middle East, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Bougainville. He has spent much time in that fascinating foreign country, Aboriginal Australia. He has received the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year Award, the Canadian Award for Journalist Merit and the United Nations Association Media Peace Award.
Cameron Forbes, acclaimed author of Hellfire, tells the story of the war and Australia's involvement in it in a riveting narrative. From the letters and diaries of those diggers who fought across Korea's unforgiving hills and mountains to the grand strategies formulated in Washington, Moscow and Beijing, The Korean War reveals the conflict on all its levels – human, military and geopolitical. In the tradition of Les Carlyon's Gallipoli and The Great War and Paul Ham's Vietnam, Cameron Forbes has written a masterpiece that will serve as the definitive history of Australia and the Korean War.
Author Information
Cameron Forbes was born in Rockhampton, Queensland. He has been foreign editor of The Age, European and Asia correspondent for The Age and Washington correspondent for The Australian. He has reported wars and civil wars in the Middle East, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Bougainville. He has spent much time in that fascinating foreign country, Aboriginal Australia. He has received the Graham Perkin Journalist of the Year Award, the Canadian Award for Journalist Merit and the United Nations Association Media Peace Award.
534 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 30, 2013
Cameron Forbes new book; The Korean War: Australian in the Giants Playground, is just as good as his previous book Hellfire, which covered Australian POW’s in the Pacific War.
His new book on the Korean War takes you by surprise, as it’s not your standard military history following campaigns and battles as they took place across the map of Korea. No, this book is sort of a social history with great little stories and anecdotes covering numerous subjects within the context of the Korean War but it never goes too far off track.
The book’s primary focus is upon the Australian men who volunteered to go to Korea and what happened to them and it really draws you in. You’re not sure where the author is taking you sometimes but it always comes back to the men and their battles in Korea.
I have read numerous books on the Korean War and although this one didn’t cover every single battle it provided good accounts of those major battles involving the Australian forces as part of the Commonwealth effort. The stories of the men involved in those battles is what makes this book shine, it’s excellent, men I’ve never heard of before but now will never forget.
Many have said that the Korean War was the ‘forgotten war’, after reading this book let’s hope that changes, as these men deserve their due, they truly are the forgotten heroes of Australia. It’s a great story, sad, poignant and thoughtful, well done to the author for bringing their stories alive.
by Cameron Forbes
His new book on the Korean War takes you by surprise, as it’s not your standard military history following campaigns and battles as they took place across the map of Korea. No, this book is sort of a social history with great little stories and anecdotes covering numerous subjects within the context of the Korean War but it never goes too far off track.
The book’s primary focus is upon the Australian men who volunteered to go to Korea and what happened to them and it really draws you in. You’re not sure where the author is taking you sometimes but it always comes back to the men and their battles in Korea.
I have read numerous books on the Korean War and although this one didn’t cover every single battle it provided good accounts of those major battles involving the Australian forces as part of the Commonwealth effort. The stories of the men involved in those battles is what makes this book shine, it’s excellent, men I’ve never heard of before but now will never forget.
Many have said that the Korean War was the ‘forgotten war’, after reading this book let’s hope that changes, as these men deserve their due, they truly are the forgotten heroes of Australia. It’s a great story, sad, poignant and thoughtful, well done to the author for bringing their stories alive.
by Cameron Forbes
May 21, 2012
Not bad, a good read for polotical enthusiasts and readers looking to be educated on the political goings on in the korean war and how korea was divided. Still, it was a bit dry and went on for longer than it needed to, consilidating its emphasis on soldiers in the war and its cruelty. A great read and diligent, moving emotions surround the book, but it is repeated quite extensively and most of the book is disjointed.
November 23, 2020
Terrible and poorly written. The author constantly loses the thread of historical events to go on pointless and preachy digressions about side issues, usually ones that help push some weak leftist point. For example he starts talking about the Chinese forces crossing the Yalu river and the shocked response by the allies then goes off for a whole chapter talking about racism against Aborigines and quotes Paul Keating of all people. What that has to do with the Korean War i can't fathom.
This author is a not a proper historian and shouldn't be writing history books. He'd be better off writing articles for the ABC or the Guardian.
There are much better books about the Korean War, go find them instead and give this one a miss.
This author is a not a proper historian and shouldn't be writing history books. He'd be better off writing articles for the ABC or the Guardian.
There are much better books about the Korean War, go find them instead and give this one a miss.
September 25, 2012
read in case the world dissolved in a nuclear conflict one night.. much 'who knew' an awesome book
October 6, 2018
This book is a great insight to a rather over-looked yet important historical event. There is a wealth of information here.
January 13, 2016
Dry, but it may have been the reader was not as suited as say another who may have better brought the material to life.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews