First time read, Karen. I'm poor and I read them as Sundance finds them second hand, reads them and passes them on to me. Some movies are so good I like to read the book to see what was left out. RETURN OF THE JEDI is far better if you have read the book because much of the plot is in Darth Vader's head and never spoken or shared with anyone. His actions make far more sense after the book.
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For WWII in Europe I would recommend: B. H. Liddell Hart, History of the Second World War (Putnum, New York, 1971)
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Sundance and I have had some fascinating discussions of history, particularly British Medieval and Tudor. She is quite knowledgable about the social structure, the individuals in court and the day-to-day life. I contribute military, medical and psychological material. We find it very interesting to compare reported history with the psychological profiles of individuals and the social setting to see if it makes sense. Richard had no reason to kill the two princes in the tower and a number of excellent reasons not to...but the winners write history. Who benefits by this? is a question worth asking in history. Great changes often rest on relatively minor personal issues. Henry VIII took England from Roman Catholicism to British Catholicism because he had the hots for a woman. His medical issues made him unable to successfully father a male heir as well as leaving him crippled, in constant leg pain and frequent migraines, overweight and with gout....not to mention grumpy. The results were far reaching effects on Europe and the New World. This level of history is often neglected when it is taught in schools. If George III had not suffered from porfiria, would there have been an "American Revolution" (there actually never was a revolution) History is fascinating; full of the stuff of soap operas.
"A live lived in fear is a life half-lived." - Native American proverb.
"Inside every man is a woman who was drowned in testosterone before birth". - Wendy Jeanette Larsen
"It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you're not." - Andre Gide (French writer)