A Bounty of Books

A Force So Swift: Mao, Truman, and the Birth of Modern China, 1949 by Kevin Peraino is an in-depth look at how American foreign policy in 1949 allowed Mao and the communists to defeat Chiang Kai Shek and the nationalists in the Chinese civil war that followed the end of WWII. Using many first person interviews and recently declassified American government documents, Peraino takes a look at both the personalities and the policies that shaped the world during this time.

It is astonishing how small the world was after WWII and how one nation's support or lack thereof can shape the destiny of another nation. The steep toll paid by China during WWII created a kind of vacuum that Mao was able to exploit. America's support for the nationalists, which had been strong during Truman's first term, was quickly withdrawn during his second under the direction of Secretary of State Dean Acheson. While there were many other factors that played into Mao's victory, this was a significant one. The subsequent policy of containing communism in the rest of Asia led to American involvement in two more significant conflicts.

Peraino does a good job of delving into these policies and the people behind them without getting bogged down in minutiae. A Force So Swift is easy to read and flows well. The balance between policy and personality is such that one doesn't get trapped in either. It is informative and somewhat entertaining.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre is a fascinating read about the duplicity of the most successful double agent of WWII and the Cold War. This non-fiction account written in narrative style takes the reader on a journey through Philby's life as a career MI6 agent who sent every secret that came his way to Russian intelligence.

Philby lived an incredible life full of colorful characters. Macintrye chooses to frame his telling of this life with a friendship - that of Kim Philby and fellow MI6 agent Nicholas Elliott. Throughout their entire career, Elliott was Philby's most faithful supporter and friend, even during the later years that were full of suspicion and accusations. A Spy Among Friends, a title with a clever hidden meaning, traces Philby's development from a communist sympathizer in college to a full blown double agent whose deception led to hundreds of deaths and unsuccessful missions to thwart communism. For the first twenty or so years of his career, not one person suspected his deception as he moved up the ranks of MI6.

I have never heard of Ben Macintyre before, but after reading this, I am a huge fan. This wasn't just a good book; it was a great read. It was factual and informative, but read like a best-selling novel. Macintyre's choice to frame the story of Philby's life in his friendship with Nicholas Elliott makes the reader feel the impact of Philby's betrayal on a more visceral level. Though I knew the outcome from the start, I found myself amazed at the culture of MI6 that allowed Philby access to so many more secrets than he would have had from just his own work. This same culture averted suspicion from Philby and allowed him to escape several close calls.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII or Cold War history, as well as anyone interested in spycraft or its history. I plan on finding Ben Macintyre's other books and throroughly enjoying them while also learning as much as I did while reading A Spy Among Friends.

Blogging for Books provided this book to me for free in exchange for an honest review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255