Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic 50 Book Challenge 2020/What I've Read in 2021

28) Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Robert F. Kennedy Robert Kennedy’s account of the tense days in late October 1962 where a standoff between the US and the Soviets over the building of launch sites on the island of Cuba which would bring the world on the brink of WWIII. It is evident though in this eyewitness account of the crisis that Kennedy was very much constrained by the time and no doubt classified nature of what really went on in the White House given that the information was put forward didn’t really contribute more to my knowledge of the incident, but still a worthy read.

29) The Missiles of October: The Story of the Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 by Elie Abel again another book about the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, but this I felt expanded further than what Robert Kennedy put forward in his account. This tells the story of the crisis from the very first intelligence of the suspicious activity suggesting that the Soviets were indeed preparing to build missile launch sites through to the tense standoff and the subsequent withdrawals.

30) Gallipoli Diaries: The Anzac’s Own Story Day by Day by Jonathan King on April 25 in 1915 Australian and New Zealand troops would land on the shores of Gallipoli in Turkey to face the Ottoman Empire then an ally of Germany as part of a British Invasion force. The invasion of this narrow peninsula was spearheaded by Winston Churchill and would result in a disaster for the allied troops who fought for close to 8 months. This is actually the predecessor to the previous book I read by the same author which pieces together the story of Australian troops on the Western Front many of whom had served in the Gallipoli campaign. Most of what I’ve read and heard about Gallipoli has always been shrouded by Australian legend and so it was fascinating to me to read the real story behind the legend. The author also prior to their passing interviewed the last few surviving veterans of the campaign and was stunned to realise that they didn’t feel pride in what they had done and in fact agreed that Australia should never have gone in the first place. It did seem poignant to me as an Australian though to read this on the 106th anniversary of those landings though. Hopefully, once all the problems with the current pandemic are over I’ll be able to visit Gallipoli and see for myself the place that gave way to a legend and would help forge the Australian identity (federation had only occurred just 14 years prior).