Book Review: A People's History of the French Revolution

Title: A People's History of the French Revolution

Author: Eric Hazan; Translation: David Fernbach

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕ 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I’m a history major and I love reading books about life in times long gone. I’m not an expert on the French Revolution, but I do have a bit more knowledge about the subject than the average (American) person. But this book gave me some trouble. Don’t get me wrong, Eric Hazan’s A People’s History of the French Revolution is full of interesting information and facts, but it is not written for people who have an interest in history but rather people who study history. 

At times it felt like I was reading a textbook and I almost reverted to my student habit of taking notes and making flow charts just so I could have a clearer picture of what I had just read. This is not something I want from a book I picked up because of a casual interest in the subject. At times the writing was engaging and held my interest, but other times it was dry and it was difficult for me to not skim over the chapter. I really wanted to enjoy this book, and I tried so hard to get into it, but more often than not I would put the book down every 10-15 pages because I would find myself seeing the words but not reading and absorbing what was written. 

The reason I rated it at 3 is because it does have loads of great information and it is well organized. This book would be a great resource for a student working on a research paper, as a recommended text on a class syllabus, or for someone who has more than a casual interest in French history.  

**NetGalley provided me with an advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.**

Book Review: The Bullet and the Ballot Box

Title: The Bullet and the Ballot Box: The Story of Nepal’sMaoist Revolution

Author: Aditya Adhikari

Release Date: October 7, 2014

Rating: ☕ ☕ ☕

My Thoughts: 

With Nepal in the international spotlight lately I realized I knew very little about this part of the world, and little about this country.  I knew three facts about Nepal before I read “The Bullet and the Ballot Box” by Aditya Adhikari. 1) It was the most popular starting point for climbing Mount Everest. 2.) It is the birth place of Siddhārtha Gautama, also known as Buddha. And, 3.) In 2001, Crown Prince Dipendra, after a night of binge drinking and drug use, killed 9 members of his family, including his parents King Birendra and Queen Aishwarya. Until I read author Aditya Adhikari’s book I was not aware that China and its Communist Government had such a lasting impact on the people and government of Nepal.

The number of sources and amount of research that went into this was amazing. I could tell that Adhikari was very passionate about this subject and about Nepal. It was also well written; I rarely had the feeling that I was reading a text book, which sometimes happens when dealing with similar subjects. However, it was a lot of information for the casual reader who doesn't know much about Nepal. Even I, as a history major, was overwhelmed by the amount of information thrown at me. Thank goodness for the notes and index or I would have been completely lost. That is why I can only give it 3 stars, but if half stars were allowed I would have given it a 3.5 because it is so well written, it’s just not the right book for me.

For the reader who is familiar with the region and the culture, or even the history of Communism in Asia, this is a great resource for understanding how the government has changed in Nepal from the 1960s until the present. For the casual reader it is a bit difficult to get through. I think if I were to revisit this book again in a few years, after reading a bit more about the region, I would get a greater enjoyment from it. 

**A copy of this book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**