In Roosevelt and Stalin; Susan Butler tells the story of how the leader of the capitalist world and the leader of the Communist world became more than allies of convenience during World War II. They shared the same outlook for the postwar world; and formed an uneasy yet deep friendship; shaping the global stage from the war to the decades leading up to and into the new century. The book makes clear that Roosevelt worked hard to win Stalin over; by always holding out the promise that Roosevelt’s own ideas were the best hope for the future peace and security of Russia. Stalin; however; was initially unconvinced that Roosevelt’s planned world organization; even with police powers; would be strong enough to keep Germany from starting a new war. In the end we see how Stalin’s opinion of Roosevelt evolved and how he began to view FDR as the key to peace. Roosevelt and Stalin is a revelatory portrait of this crucial; geopolitical partnership.
#2979747 in Books Stephan Talty 2011-01-18 2011-01-18Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x .69 x 5.19l; .74 #File Name: 0307460967320 pagesEscape from the Land of Snows The Young Dalai Lama s Harrowing Flight to Freedom and the Making of a Spiritual Hero
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Nice to understand the events leading up to the release ...By Jennifer A. ParisNice to understand the events leading up to the release of Tibetan Buddhism in the world. Writing is okay; but not great. Still; once it got going; it held my interest.0 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Exciting read - hard to put the book downBy Bruce B.This book will keep you interested from beginning to end. The story is captivating in respects to imminent danger lurking around every turn as His Holiness the Dalai Lama seeks to flee to India. You literally sense the fear and anger of the Tibetans and they face the Chinese invaders. You feel the courage displayed in the hearts of those Tibetans who are now forcefully reduced to that of a "lesser" human being by the Chinese as they rise up to challenge their oppressors only to be beat down or worse.As well written as this book is; the need for citations would have been a very welcomed addition to the book. It reads more like a novel than it does a historical account of events which is a different approach than I am used to. However; the need to cite the sources formally should have been done to preserve authenticity of the the work.8 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Should Be Regarded as Historical FictionBy Dr. Jan B. NewmanThis is a long awaited book that appears to have had a large amount of research behind it with no attempt at fact checking or attempt for internal consistency. It is written as an as an adventure saga weaving together sources and accounts of what happened when the Chinese communists overran Tibet and the Dalai Lama escaped into India and a few events thereafter. Much is written as first person recall by "witnesses."Tibet was a peaceful country that excluded outsiders after the attempted British invasion and was backward; semi-feudal in nature with significant inequities; and sectarianism; but was peaceful and most people despite living a very hard life were happy. It was complacency and ineptitude more than anything else that prevented them from keeping the Chinese out or turning them back during the initial invasion. The final nail in Tibet's casket was its guerilla fighters being abandoned by the CIA after Nixon decided trade with China was more important than human rights and Tibet. Nepal sided with the Chinese to avoid invasion by the Chinese; and India didn't want to anger its militant neighbor by supporting the Tibetan cause; which would prove to be to its own detriment.Some things are just purely erroneous such as stating Mongolia was under Communist Chinese rule.( Mongolia is autonomous and was previously under Soviet influence. Stalin destroyed the majority on Monasteries in Mongolia which also was a Buddhist country.); Grossly understating the population of Preinvasion Tibet-using a figure of 2 million when it was 6 million plus; underestimating the causalities and the destruction by the Chinese . Over 1 million Tibetans killed and 99.9 % of Tibetan monasteries ransacked; plundered and destroyed in China's attempts to destroy both the people of Tibet and their culture. Large amount of this book were lifted straight out of In Exile from the Land of Snows: The Definitive Account of the Dalai Lama and Tibet Since the Chinese Conquest by Avedon. (They were credited) He even adopted Avedon's writing style. Because the book is so well credited; one could readily accept this book as truth; but clearly there are embellishments and significant errors. Some things are superfluous to the story and not representative of the Tibetan culture preinvasion but appear to be added for sensationalism such as depicting monasteries as seats of debauchery.Every book should have a purpose. I am not sure what the purpose of this book is. Perhaps to bring the plight of Tibet to the average reader. The most enlightening part of the book is Talky's description of his own trip to Tibet.The interested reader should use this book as a starting point; but should read more primary sources and not take this as gospel truth. I will append some of those sources at a later time..
