Black Earth, Timothy Snyder

 

Black Earth:  The holocaust as history and warning by Timothy Snyder

Started: October 17, 2024
Completed: October 24, 2024
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By: Nobody

Review:

This brings the lessons of Hitler's Germany to the future.  It makes some of the moves of the Russians into Ukraine more understandable.  Snyder argues that it is anarchy that results in mass killing--the elimination of the state as a protector of the minority results in the attack on the minority.  Russia is pursuing this strategy with the gay community particularly in Ukraine.  Israel is using Hezbollah as a means to destroy the state of Palestine and, presumably, occupy that land to prevent its return. Trump is talking about "the enemy within" as a reference to his political opponents as did Stalin.  Snyder does a good job of identifying and referring to the parallels.  May God help us not repeat them. 

On Tyranny, Timothy Snyder

On Tyranny:  Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder is a book about the potential modern day tyranny brought with the election of Trump.  Timothy Snyder is a professor of history at Yale.

Started:  12/14/1017

Completed:  12/14/2017

Recommendation:  Excellent Read and very quick

Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

This is a quick book that helps identify the hallmarks of tyranny and offers a series of simple steps that can be taken to combat them.  Simple steps include things like, "Believe in the Truth," which is the answer to things like "alternate facts."  We can do it.