46) The Indochina Story: A Fully Documented Account by The Committee of Concerned Asian Scholars my interest in the history of Indochina (and in particular Vietnam) stems from it being where my dad was born so I try to read as many books as I can on the subject. That being said most of what was written in the book with respect to colonialism is pretty obvious without the need to be told and while I understand the concerns of the authors, I don’t feel that leading you to draw the conclusion they want you to come to was the right way to present their arguments
47) The Power of Geography: Ten Maps that Reveal the Future of Our World by Tim Marshall Marshall again delivers an outstanding book demonstrating his deep understanding of the complexities of international relations and diplomacy in his follow up to Prisoners of Geography. I know that geopolitics is not generally something that most people find interesting, but I always feel that to understand the world as it stands today we should keep try to keep up to date with everything that is going on. This in particular is especially relevant as it was only published this year and so mentions the ongoing health crisis with COVID as well as global warming and the geopolitical ramifications of it.
48) A Bridge Too Far by Cornelius Ryan another travel memory is visiting the small airborne memorial in the Dutch city of Arnhem dedicated to Operation Market Garden which faces the famed bridge. Dreamed up Field Marshal Sir Bernard Montgomery, it was designed as an invasion route across the Rhine into Germany in the hopes of ending the war. While the combined allied air and land would liberate several Dutch cities, the last of the seven bridges would prove to be ‘A Bridge Too Far’ the name in which the Battle for Arnhem would forever be known as. Having read his previous The Longest Day and thoroughly enjoying it, this didn’t meet my expectation. That’s not to say I didn’t like it, I just felt that it meandered more than was necessary.
