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The book’s non chronological writing makes it so it’s somewhat difficult to orient yourself in time. Halberstam sometimes makes jumps from the 40s to the end of the 50s in profiling people. But slowly a picture of the fifties starts to emerge reading through the book.

Why’s everyone so worked up over this Communism business

Such an interesting book. Though sometimes halberstam will write a profile of a man, referencing events that happen later, then return to an earlier time in that man’s life somewhat confusingly for a vegetable like me.

Always somewhat jarring and funny to read an older book that calls children retarded.

Iran really comes off poorly in this book. Would be interested to read a more neutral book though I doubt Iran would ever be portrayed positively. I am surprised the US never undertook more extreme military force against Iran in response to the hostage taking as it seems the US of today would have happily struck Iran’s oil facilities at least.

Clearly the book has some US bias but the students during the revolution that did the hostage taking were genuinely vegetables. They were without plan, ill-informed, naive, completely ignorant of political realities and the long term ramifications of their actions.

I can see why Mark Bowden’s books are described as page-turners

Lewis and Clark’s expedition increasingly seems like a group of white dudes spreading and contracting as much venereal disease as possible. Also eating mercury and having explosive diarrhea all along the journey.

Ambrose is a good writer. Though sometimes his fanboyism of the subjects of his books can come on strong, it is sometimes enjoyable to read very reverential accounts of great Americans.

Not the biggest fan of Wolfe’s writing style

Boy this war in Korea sure seems to be going well! Macarthurs got em pushed to the Yalu. I sure hope nothing bad happens!