Customer Reviews

World War II: The Rest of the Story and How It Affects You Today, 1930 to September 11, 2001 (Uncle Eric Book)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It's funny--there's a stereotype that politicians are all liars, yet anytime someone suggests that the government is lying to us, we quickly dismiss that as a ridiculous conspiracy theory.

Well, this book is not about a conspiracy theory; it's about World War II. And as the title says, it tells the other side of the story--the side you don't get from mainstream history books, most of which have been tainted by propaganda and thus offer only a very biased view of the facts.

As the author points out, no book is unbiased. If you're looking for pure objectivity, you'd better stick to math and science; you sure won't find it in history. Maybury is admittedly biased, and he explains right up front what his bias is so that the reader won't be deceived.

Some books may be more "patriotic" than this one, if your idea of patriotism is "my country, right or wrong." But, to borrow a scene from the movie The Matrix, you can choose the red pill or the blue pill: keep your blinders firmly in place, or dare to open your eyes to what's really going on.

For anyone who wants to take a sober look at the facts and make up his own mind, this book is a great place to start.

So, why not 5 stars if I love it so much? Well, it's an "Uncle Eric" book, ostensibly targeted to the narrator's twelve-year-old nephew. That means that if you're much older than twelve, it may sound like the author is talking down to you. If you can get past that, though, you'll find a clear presentation of oft-ignored facts about World War II. Lots of good food for thought.

If you truly believe that questioning the ultimate motives for war is unpatriotic, then do not read this book. If you have the courage to accept there actually are two sides to every story, then this book is for you. The previous review takes quotes from this book entirely out of context ... whether you agree or not, this book does actually warrant investigation.

Richard Maybury takes a very detailed look at WW2 and exposes some very revealing facts. This is a great read for anyone but it is especially important for kids in school. They need to hear both sides of the story. They will only get one side of the story in school. Richard Maybury will tell you the other side.

Fantastc follow-up to WORLD WAR I by same author. Unfortunately I came to realize how propaganda (our own government) and lack of true factual information
can make one view things in a whole different light. We need to start teaching real history based on factual information and statistical data in our schools,
not glorified Hollywood versions of history. I have been in education over 38 years and was astounded at the information I lacked and how skewed my judgements
were because of this. There are so many references given to verify the information stated and what better way to look for the truth then to check out sources.
Our schools need to correlate with honesty how past history has contributed and continues to influence today's problems(2011).

EVERY American should read this book. I didn't want to believe what I was reading, BUT knew it was true due to all the references. A must read for everyone! In fact, all of his books are excellent and eye opening.

The facts in this book are presented in an easy to understand manner that do suggest there was more to the story than what the general public was lead to believe. Some of the information is conjecture but there are also hard facts, its up to the reader to discern which is which most times, others it is pointed out. Facts are also repeated often, I'm not sure if its to make sure we remember them or what but the repetiveness (if thats a word) of some of them almost detracted from the book. Overall I enjoyed it and found it very interesting to think about.

The "chronology" of FDR's actions in 1940-41 leading up to Pearl Harbor is an eye-opener, very informative. This is a skillful and useful presentation.

Personally, I found the letter format -- (Who is Dear "Chris" anyway?) -- and the "Uncle Eric" stuff distractive. At times it reads like talking down to the reader. A straightforward factual narrative, with original sources cited, would be preferred.

The author's conclusions about the many unConstitutional and unnecessary wars in U.S. history are correct and convincingly established.

He is, however, drastically wrong on other claims: If you read (as the author should) General MacArthur's chronological description of events surrounding the final bombings of Japan, you will find that Japan had still not agreed to surrender even AFTER the second A-bomb was dropped! Japan's war leadership was still quibbling about terms -- (the cable is reprinted in Mac's memoirs) -- while the only answer acceptable was well known to be "unconditional surrender." Since the Japanese were continuing the fight AFTER both A-bombs, Pres. Truman had to bluff that more A-bombs were available AND order SAC to resume (conventional) bombings after the units had been on stand-down! Yes, while some few Air Corps and Navy officers stated their opinion that Japan was "beaten anyway," on its last legs, and could simply be blockaded into surrender, that is not a credible position for an opponent still resisting even after two A-bombs! Such a claim underestimates the "Bushido" mentality, which had already trained and prepared women and children to attack American troops with sticks!

The author is absolutely wrong about Hitler and should read Irving's _Hitler's War_ to examine those actions and motivations, not "insane" or "crazy," from the other side. Similarly, FDR's relentless motivation for getting into the war -- constantly baffling to the author -- becomes obvious when one acknowledges the 1933 declaration of war on Germans and Germany by the World Jewish Congress. Read _Germany Must Perish_, for example. Ambassador Joseph Kennedy and Charles Lindbergh knew exactly what FDR was up to, and were not shy in their public statements. So, FDR fired Kennedy and recalled him from London, and sicced the FBI onto Lindbergh. It's very enlightening to read Kennedy and Lindbergh on this issue.

Years ago, I first heard of the "Uncle Eric" series of books when I read Maybury's excellent book on economics, "Whatever Happened to Penny Candy." I still like that book and recommend it highly.

But my first exposure to this book, "WWII: The Rest of the Story," was when a neo-Nazi suggested that I read it. She was trying to minimize the horrors of the Holocaust, because that episode in world history does more than anything to expose and discredit the white supremacists' worldview.

In years past, Nazi sympathizers tried to deny that the Holocaust happened. But that tactic backfired, because the Holocaust was so extremely well-documented, even by the perpetrators themselves. The attempt to deny its factual historicity only made Nazis and their "fellow-travelers" look silly and even more fringe than they already are.

So now, the white racists have a new approach: they try to make the Holocaust seem like nothing out of the ordinary. If they can convince us that such barbaric atrocities are nothing new, then their Nazi cousins don't look so bad.

Notice the chapter titles: "Not Six Million." "Britain was a White Hat?" Nazi sympathizers like to point out that the British operated so-called concentration camps during the Boer War, as if that somehow makes it alright that the Nazis operated extermination camps with poison gas showers and industrial ovens to incinerate their victims.

White racists also like to defend the Nazis with misleading statements, such as "There were no camps in Germany." This is deceptive for two reasons. First, there WERE concentration camps on German soil; but the actual "death camps" which existed solely to exterminate prisoners were located more to the east, mainly in Poland. Second, though the death camps were not located technically on German soil, they were CONCEIVED by Hitler and his minions, they were FOUNDED and built by Nazis, operated BY Nazis, "fed" prisoners by Nazi trains & bureaucracy, and under the absolute CONTROL of Nazis. The actual physical location of the Nazi's instruments of hell makes no difference.

So be aware of the author's viewpoint whenever you read a book. Nowadays, a lot of people were intrigued by the presidential candidacy of Congressman Ron Paul, who is also a libertarian, like the author of this book. Paul's economic views were well-regarded, and his opposition to American involvement in overseas wars was well-received by many. However, it is a proven fact that Ron Paul published newsletters for years, under his name, mailed from his office building, which included racist rants and conspiracy theories. So I urge you to discover more about a person's worldview before endorsing them, or their book.

If you are a homeschooler with a deep distrust of your government, then this book is for you. I am a homeschooling mom. I do not deeply distrust my government. The basic premise of this book may have slight credibility, (yes, Stalin did kill more people than Hitler). Yet, "Uncle Eric" makes some pretty over-the-top claims. Claims such as, "The Jewish Holocaust gets the publicity because it is regarded as the justification for Jews to have a Jewish state (Israel) in the Mideast.",(pg 36), and in regards to Pearl Harbor, "Few are willing to face the possiblity that the President and his cronies planned it all." (pg. 162).

If you are looking for facts and the whys and wherefores of WWII, look elsewhere--it'll save you having to pay to ship this book back.