Dirty Little Secrets of the Twentieth Century [Paperback]

James F. Dunnigan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 22, 1999

The popular author of Dirty Little Secrets, Dirty Little Secrets of World War II, and Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War offers a comprehensive look at what really happened in our century, exposing the real stories behind what we've always assumed as fact. In a concise, easy-to-read format, Dunnigan divulges 150 of the biggest misconceptions about the twentieth century, organizing them under a broad range of such categories as the military, entertainment, technology, and politics.

In the same thoughtful but slightly irreverent style that has characterized the Dirty Little Secrets series, Dunnigan explains why nongovernment organizations are actually more powerful than many governments and how the use of droids or combat robots has gone largely unnoticed. He reports the real reason the human life span is so much longer now, and reveals that this century has been as plagued as the Middle Ages by religious wars. And while we might think that wars or epidemics have been the primary cause of death in the twentieth century, Dunnigan reveals that more people have been killed by their own governments than any other means.

Perfectly timed for the approach of a new millennium, Dirty Little Secrets of the Twentieth Century reveals the shape of the past and direction of our future through the best-kept secrets and surprises of the century.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Dunnigan has done several "Dirty Little Secrets" titles (e.g., Dirty Little Secrets of World War II), and this latest is written in an easy-to-read style that will not bog down the casual reader. Covering 150 "misconceptions" about our century, he takes readers on a historical tour of the 20th century, exploring the vast realms of government and corporate secrets that have been kept from public view. The book is divided into seven chapters dealing with such topics as sex, politics, technology, and big business. Dunnigan shows the reader why he feels that technology has left an indelible mark on our everyday lives and how many of the corporations that influence our daily routines are in some respects more powerful than our local and national governments. While many of these secrets can now be obtained via the Freedom of Information Act or through online researching, Dunnigan implies that we may still be doomed to repeat our past mistakes. With the end of the century fast approaching, this book may prove to be a best seller. For public libraries.ALaRoi Lawton, Bronx Community Coll., CUNY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

An overview of our late, great century that is consistently fun and informative. Dunnigan is the author of five military history books, other dirty little secret books, and a combination of the two (Dirty Little Secrets of the Vietnam War, 1999, which he co- authored with Albert A. Nofi). The author offers a bird's-eye view of 20th-century changes in areas like population, the economy, health, technology, and lifestyles, and yet can be analytical and conspiratorially revealing on subjects such as marketing, the media, and politics. Rather than simply seeing Americans as a hard-working, well-educated and highly paid people who are unusually mobile, Dunnigan sees the will to move to the jobs as a key to American success. Yes, we've led revolutions in living standards with mass-produced inventions like the safety razor and tampon, but Dunnigan doesn't attribute our superior health and longevity records to antibiotics and hi-tech medical gizmos, but to improved sanitation. Typical of Dunnigan's humor and insights, he writes: ``let us never forget the true medical miracle of the twentieth centurythe sewer pipe.'' The writing is ironic or droll, but the author boldly takes on the high price of police, teachers' unions, and advertising. Dunnigan writes insightfully about Wal-Mart, General Motors, and Atari as well as his familiar subjects like warfare and politics. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks; 1 edition (September 22, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688170684
• ISBN-13: 978-0688170684
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #487,804 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great book but misleadingly titled, January 11, 2000

By 

J. K. Kelley "literary mercenary" (Eastern WA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty Little Secrets of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

In many ways this is excellent history. Dunnigan writes quite readably; his analysis is succinct and includes the right amount of information; a great deal of ground is covered. While Dunnigan has mostly written about military history matters in the past, he proves here that he is a versatile historian well able to handle sociological and economic matters. I find most of his statements well defended.

The only problem seems merely semantic, but it will affect most potential buyers: the title 'Dirty Little Secrets' leads one to believe that there will be a lot of classified data, stuff people were keeping hidden on purpose, and other Great Revelations. The majority of the book does not contain that. What it contains is discussion of various social and economic events and how they shaped history throughout the century. There are few 'secrets', and few of those are really 'dirty'. In my opinion that's only worth a one-star markdown on what is otherwise quite a good history book.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Dirty Little Secrets? Hardly . . ., May 13, 2001

By 

"gsibbery" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dirty Little Secrets of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

The title of this book is misleading . . . it leads one to assume that the book contains a number of hidden and little known facts and figures that influenced the 20th century, when it reality it is just one man's oddyssey into the social and political forces and changes that occurred in the 20th century. No references to anything is given, so as history it is very weak. General trends are noted, most of which are obvious anyway, and some parallels with the past are noted. It is a nice, quick easy read and may turn up a few items that you weren't aware of before, but anyone familiar with current events or recent history will not be impressed. An example from the book: Why do Americans live longer than other peoples in third world countried? Answer: Better sanitation! A secret? You decide.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Fact? Or Editorials?, January 2, 2007

By 

J. Hartford (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dirty Little Secrets of the Twentieth Century (Paperback)

This book seems to be miscategorized. While well written technically, it lacks properly attribution for many assertions, and seems to be more of a series of editorials than actual researched subjects.

If the author decides to revise the book in the future, he should consider providing much more source background, and leave the conclusions up to the reader, rather than making those conclusions without first providing the facts to back them up.