Tag Archives: Cold War

Book Review:  The CIA Book Club: The Secret Mission to Win the Cold War with Forbidden Literature by Charlie English

This true story of spying and smuggling takes place in the 1980s, when Poland, as a part of the Soviet-dominated East Bloc, suffered brutal repression. Its citizens had very little personal freedom; most books from the outside were banned, and … Continue reading

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Book Review:  Cold Victory: A Novel by Karl Marlantes

Not long ago I attended an author reading at Third Place Books in Bothell, a suburb of North Seattle. Since I spend my days ensconced in my apartment doing remote work at my computer, I have been searching for opportunities … Continue reading

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Book Review: American Moonshot: John F. Kennedy and the Great Space Race by Douglas Brinkley

This is a fascinating book about America’s efforts to conquer space during the Cold War. However, it is not a comprehensive history of the space program. Instead, it focuses on John F. Kennedy’s fixation on space exploration and eventually on … Continue reading

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Book Review: Lenin’s Tomb: The Last Days of the Soviet Empire by David Remnick

Because the vast empire of the Soviet Union is dead and gone, it’s hard sometimes to remember how pervasive, influential, and terrifying it once was. I grew up during the Cold War, when the ongoing struggle between communism and capitalism … Continue reading

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Book Review: Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

I can’t remember the recent thought processes that caused me to desire to read Doctor Zhivago now, after all this time. The David Lean film was very important to me as a young teen. I saw it multiple times in … Continue reading

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Book Review: A Fiery Peace in a Cold War: Bernard Schriever and the Ultimate Weapon by Neil Sheehan

Library book sales are great places to find good reads, and while perusing the shelves at the Pacific Beach branch of the San Diego library I came across this volume.  I had never heard of the book but I had … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Dead Hand: The Untold Story of the Cold War Arms Race and Its Dangerous Legacy by David E. Hoffman

The “Dead Hand” of the title refers to a proposed Soviet doomsday machine that would provide devastating retaliation in the event of an American nuclear first strike. Lacking the technology to make the device completely automatic, the Soviets instead devised … Continue reading

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