The novel Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators by Jay Nordlinger tells about the lives of kids whose fathers are considered the world’s worst dictators. The author covers twenty different dictator families from various countries around the world. Each chapter dives into the problematic lives of these families and the effects of being related to some of the most hated people.
The idea of this book is different because it focuses more on the children of dictators, who normally are not discussed as much as their parent. It was quite interesting to read about these children and the similarities of each family. Nordlinger would often point out the recurring themes, one of them being that a dictator would have a favorite daughter who is also often the eldest one. It is evident that Nordlinger has done extensive research about each subject as best as he can. However, many of lives of these families are extremely secretive and Nordlinger does point out that some of the facts in the book are not one hundred percent certain when writing about them (Nordlinger). Reading some parts of the book may be a little difficult to follow because Nordlinger might jump around when talking about the events that happen in each family. Other than that, Nordlinger does an excellent job examining the members of each dictator he decided to focus on.
When first finding out about this book, I thought it was interesting how many people, including me, have not thought about the children of dictators. Most people focus on the terrible acts of the dictators themselves and do not consider that they might have actually been a loving father. I consider this a interesting read if someone would like to find out more about the family aspects of dictators. Since the chapters are their own little story, it makes it easier to put down and continue reading whenever you have time. All in all, if you enjoy reading biographies, historical events, or nonfiction in general, you may find Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators a good read.
The idea of this book is different because it focuses more on the children of dictators, who normally are not discussed as much as their parent. It was quite interesting to read about these children and the similarities of each family. Nordlinger would often point out the recurring themes, one of them being that a dictator would have a favorite daughter who is also often the eldest one. It is evident that Nordlinger has done extensive research about each subject as best as he can. However, many of lives of these families are extremely secretive and Nordlinger does point out that some of the facts in the book are not one hundred percent certain when writing about them (Nordlinger). Reading some parts of the book may be a little difficult to follow because Nordlinger might jump around when talking about the events that happen in each family. Other than that, Nordlinger does an excellent job examining the members of each dictator he decided to focus on.
When first finding out about this book, I thought it was interesting how many people, including me, have not thought about the children of dictators. Most people focus on the terrible acts of the dictators themselves and do not consider that they might have actually been a loving father. I consider this a interesting read if someone would like to find out more about the family aspects of dictators. Since the chapters are their own little story, it makes it easier to put down and continue reading whenever you have time. All in all, if you enjoy reading biographies, historical events, or nonfiction in general, you may find Children of Monsters: An Inquiry into the Sons and Daughters of Dictators a good read.