January 1, 2007

Book of the Week: Delivered from Evil

Having finished Winston Churchill's series on the Second World War, I decided re-read Delivered from Evil by Robert Leckie for an overall view of the conflict.

Possibly the definitive history of World War Two, Delivered from Evil is both very long (946 pages not including bibliographical notes) and quit readable. Robert Leckie not only mines official records and memoirs of famous generals and political figures, he also gets the point of view of the common soldier--including his own recollections as a Marine fighting in the Pacific.

When it comes to the great leaders of the war, he writes engaging biographies that include--but do not dwell upon--their faults.

He is quite fair in his treatment of friend and foe--although those looking for a morally relativistic perspective should probably look elsewhere.

If you are a history buff, and, more specifically, a student of World War Two, you need to have this book in your library.

Posted by Andrew on January 1, 2007 6:39 PM.