Judy

I was moved to begin reading this after I read an essay about the author written by his wife after his death from ALS at the age of 62. The book is a compilation/transcription of a series of conversations between the author and Timothy Snyder, each prominent historians, but of different generations. I consider it one of the top 5 books I've read this year. A challenging book to read if you're European history-challenged, like myself, but I could follow the line of reasoning and argument despite the unfamiliar territory.
The book follows Tony's development from his early years growing up in a Marxist family, through his experience with Zionism and his education as a French intellectual. The Cold War years through the fall of the Berlin Wall all contribute to his exploration of liberalism and social democracy ideas, and he has become well-known for his brilliant and, at times, controversial historical writing. He puts each period of his life into a context of what was happening politically, economically, and socially, then discusses with Snyder the questions he was seeking to answer at that time and where his answers led him. Snyder does the job of drawing out and getting clarification for these ideas, and we are treated to a real sense of two amazing minds playing off each other.

I'm glad I read this book just for the glimpse into what being a historian is like, the purpose of history and what's possible with good scholarship and writing. I'm also thrilled that I was introduced to both these authors, and they have other books for me to check out.

This book was a page-turner and the extensive research on setting, real people, and time period encouraged me to seek out primary sources to check the facts. If a work of fiction does that for me, I consider it a successful book.

However, the three-star rating comes from the conclusion that fell flat and disappointed me after spending so much time with the book.

Read this novel for no other reason than to be “whooshed” away by the stunning language and phrases the author evokes through the characters and their lives. If you happen to come away with a deeper awareness of Ethiopian history and culture, as well as Islamic and Muslim traditions–that's a plus.

Great book to read even if you have absolutely no plans to write anything creative. It was part memoir, part discussion on his writing process and what you might take away from his story. Like sitting around a living room and listening to him chat about what makes him tick. Finding out how much rejection and reality hounded him, but he kept at it and learned to be himself. Anyone who has dreams that seem to keep getting further and further away might find some inspiration while reading this book.

An easy to follow explanation of various “intellectual black holes” and how to craft an argument against the psuedo-thinking that creates them in the first place.