Blood and Ruins is a masterpiece from of one of the most renowned historians of the Second World War, which will compel readers to view the war in novel and unfamiliar ways.
Thought-provoking, original and challenging, Blood and Ruins sets out to understand the war anew.
Author Richard James Overy is a British historian who has published extensively on the history of World War II and the Third Reich.
Overy sets out in Blood and Ruins to recast the way in which “we view the Second World War and its origins and aftermath,” said a review in Goodreads.com.
“He argues that this was the ‘great imperial war,’ a violent end to almost a century of global imperial expansion which reached its peak in the ambitions of Italy, Germany and Japan in the 1930s and early 1940s, before descending into the largest and costliest war in human history and the end, after 1945, of all territorial empires,” said the review.
It said that Overy “explains the bitter cost for those involved in fighting, and the exceptional level of crime and atrocity that marked these imperial projects, the war and its aftermath.”
What We Are Reading Today: Blood and Ruins
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What We Are Reading Today: Blood and Ruins
Review: Aria Aber’s debut novel ‘Good Girl’ marks her as a writer to watch
JEDDAH: In her debut novel “Good Girl,” German-born poet Aria Aber writes a raw tableau of contemporary German society, plunging readers into post-9/11 psyche through the eyes of Nila, a 19-year-old Afghan German girl.
As Nila stumbles through Berlin’s underground techno scene, the city emerges as a character that, like her, is fractured and being forged anew. Berlin seems to be in the throes of struggling to reinvent itself amidst rising Islamophobia and neo-Nazi violence, while Nila’s quest for selfhood emerges in her rebellion against the suffocating expectations imposed on Afghan girls and the identity crisis born out of living in a society that seems suspicious of her presence.
It's a tale as old as the human desire for movement and refuge: Nila is too Afghan for German society, and too German for the Afghan community, with both watching her every move. Aber’s raw and fragmented narrative style mirrors her character’s splintered identity while capturing her “violent desire” to live and her aching need to belong and to be accepted as she is.
Though the novel occasionally stumbles with uneven pacing and moments that may seem repetitive or overwritten, what sets it apart is the author’s refusal to sanitize or sermonize. Nila’s messy, unconventional path to self-discovery remains unapologetically hers.
The emotional core of the novel lies in the tension between expectations placed on girls and the honor-based abuse that simmers beneath. Nila’s parents, progressive by diaspora standards, permit her artistic pursuits and eschew strict traditions. Yet their insistence on a “good girl” image still carries an undercurrent of control that constrains her freedom.
Ultimately, “Good Girl” is a young woman’s howl against a world that demands she shrink, marking Aber as a writer to watch.
What We Are Reading Today: School Shooters by Peter Langman
School shootings scare everyone. They make parents afraid to send their children to school. But they also lead to generalizations about those who perpetrate them.
Most assumptions about the perpetrators are wrong, and many warning signs are missed.
In this book, Peter Langman takes a look at 48 national and international cases of school shootings to dispel the myths, explore the motives, and expose the realities of preventing school shootings from happening in the future, according to a review on goodreads.com.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘Black in Blues’
- The book beautifully delves into how color shapes identity, weaving personal narratives with historical context and cultural commentary
Imani Perry’s “Black in Blues” is a breathtaking meditation on the color blue, revealing its significance in Black history and culture.
This National Book Award winner captivates the heart and soul, leaving readers profoundly moved. After hearing Perry’s interview on National Public Radio, I was immediately drawn in, my curiosity ignited.
Perry’s narrative writing is nothing short of exquisite. She masterfully intertwines her family’s history with the broader tapestry of Black identity through the lens of blue.
While many authors have explored colors in literature, Perry’s exploration feels uniquely resonant, lingering in the mind long after the book is closed. Her writing is lyrical, infused with emotion, and her storytelling is compelling, drawing you into a world rich with experiences and memories.
“Black in Blues” also reveals the powerful correlation between music and the Black experience. This is a work for anyone who seeks to understand the motivations and movements of a vibrant community that has faced adversity yet continues to rise.
The book beautifully delves into how color shapes identity, weaving personal narratives with historical context and cultural commentary.
Perry’s exploration of the color blue becomes a testament to the resilience and creativity of the Black community, illuminating the ongoing struggles for equality and recognition while celebrating the beauty of cultural identity.
In a world that often marginalizes these stories, “Black in Blues” stands as a vital contribution to contemporary discussions on race, art, and history. It’s a compelling read that resonates deeply, inviting all of us to reflect on the complexities of the Black experience in America.
I cannot recommend it highly enough — this is a book that will stay with you, echoing in your thoughts and heart long after you’ve turned the last page.
What We Are Reading Today: Worlds of Unfreedom by Roquinaldo Ferreira
In “Worlds of Unfreedom,” Roquinaldo Ferreira recasts West Central Africa as a key battleground in the struggle to abolish the transatlantic slave trade between the 1830s and the 1860s.
Ferreira foregrounds the experiences and agency of enslaved Africans, challenging Eurocentric narratives that marginalize African participation in abolition efforts.
Drawing on archival research, he shows how enslaved people resisted the oppressive systems that sought to commodify their lives. He integrates microhistorical analysis with broader world history.
What We Are Reading Today: ‘The Mind of a Bee’ by Lars Chittka
Most of us are aware of the hive mind—the power of bees as an amazing collective. But do we know how uniquely intelligent bees are as individuals?
In “The Mind of a Bee,” Lars Chittka draws from decades of research, including his own pioneering work, to argue that bees have remarkable cognitive abilities.
He shows that they are profoundly smart, have distinct personalities, can recognize flowers and human faces, exhibit basic emotions, count, use simple tools, solve problems, and learn by observing others. They may even possess consciousness.
