“Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen”, by Pierre Goubert, translated by Anne Carter

352 pages, Vintage, ISBN-13: 978-0394717517

Louis XIV and Twenty Million Frenchmen is a great book, not because it is a biography of Louis XIV, but rather of the nation of France under his reign. It looks at everything that occurred during these years and puts them in the context of a national history, covering the social impacts of the king’s rule, both military and the civilian. The author provides wonderful supporting details that you will find nowhere else, talking, for instance, at one point about how the economy improved and interest rates dropped during the brief peace between the Nine Years War and the War of the Spanish Succession. He talks in great detail about the famines that occurred during that time and other socioeconomic problems. The book is not too long but goes into adequate detail about his topic.

The book lets you in for what the author really thinks right off the bat, as he rather pessimistic when you first read this book. This work does, however, do a rather great job of describing the ins-and-outs of 17^th Century France and of the man who ruled it. You do have to know a lot about the time in question, as there are no introductions to the rest of Europe or those who went before Louis XIV that are mentioned many times – AND the author assumes the reader will know what he is talking about when he brings up French political history, as well as that of Spain, England, Holland, and most importantly, the Empire. Fortunately for me, this ear is just my cup of tea, so I was reasonably prepared for the references to Cromwell, William, and Leopold.

“The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade”, by Susan Wise Bauer

746 pages, W.W. Norton & Company, ISBN-13: 978-0393059755

The Medieval World, also known as the Middle Ages or Dark Ages, is often glossed over in “History of Civilization” or “World History” classes, which is a shame as there is a lot of really interesting history from the time of the decline of the Roman Empire until the Renaissance. In The History of the Medieval World: From the Conversion of Constantine to the First Crusade, Susan Wise Bauer presents a meaty overview of that time period that is both very thorough and often spiced with a little humor, as well. While there cannot be great depth in such a broad treatise, it is heavily foot & end noted for anyone who would like to study certain topics further. Chapters are relatively short with timelines of the various material covered at the end of each, so it is an easy book to pick up and read for a short time, then come back to later.

This book is, by far, one of the most readable history books that cover such a long period of time over such a wide area (the whole earth). Why, I hear you ask? Well then: the chapters average around 10 pages or so with each chapter covering a period of 20 to 50 years in a particular area (Western Europe, Middle East, India, Korea, Japan, China, etc.); each chapter is also relatively self-contained, as much as possible, within the context of a 600-page continuing narrative; and each chapter is fascinating to read, with a touch of the author’s humor thrown in to spice things up, something that is non-existent in dust-dry academic works. Each chapter furthermore has at least one map that covers the area being discussed in the chapter: every city, river, tribe, clan, state mentioned within the text is marked on the map.

 

This is a classic narrative history about kings, queens, popes, dukes, eunuchs, states, nations, wars, and so on; it doesn't spend any time talking about what it meant to be a young boy in Korea in 814 or marriage rites in Persia or bathing habits in France (Thank God). This book is a joy to read and the format makes for steady advances through the chapters. In each sitting one might read only one 10-page chapter, on the next snowy day ten or more can be digested with ease. Wise-Bauer’s style is, in turn, easy and friendly, witty and sharp; it is almost as if the author is on the other side of a table in a comfortable discussion over coffee. The History of the Medieval World has something for everyone from the casual reader (despite being a long book) to the more deeply read on the period.

“The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming Our Young Men”, by Christina Hoff Sommers

256 pages, Simon & Schuster, ISBN-13: 978-0684849560

Christina Hoff Sommers articulates what is wrong with modern-day with feminism, and it is not that it has fostered achievement for women; rather it is feminism’s attempts to demean the roles and achievements of men and feminize boys that are problematic. To the extent that feminism has encouraged girls and women to strive for excellence, it should be lauded; to the extent that it has used our institutions – particularly our schools – as a vehicle to establish a so-called “new feminist order” at the expense of men, it should be called-out and combatted.

And combat Sommers does, as her research demonstrates that our schools are disproportionately influenced by biased (and all too frequently suspect) feminist theory and are clearly engaged in institutional male bashing, from: chastising boys for engaging in naturally aggressive play to attacking male oriented sports such as football (unless, of course a girl wants to participate) to denouncing fraternities (while saying nothing about sororities) to frequently ignoring the achievements of boys (while sometimes artificially inflating those of girls and young women) to minimizing the role and importance of the male role model (i.e. fathers). It appears that feminist-influenced educators seem bent not on leveling the playing field, but tilting it towards Venus; and if our sons fall off in the process, well, that's unfortunate.

Perhaps this is best seen in the way test results are viewed. When young women achieve higher scores than men in, say, verbal skills (which by the way are much more susceptible to subjective interpretation than tests for math and science), feminists attribute this to women’s perceived superior ability to communicate, and there is nary a mention of having to do more to eradicate the disparity. However, when young men achieve higher scores, say, in math, it is attributed to systemic discrimination that must be remedied, and not to any inherently positive male attribute (this despite studies that many feminists like to ignore showing that men perhaps have innate skills in this area that are superior to those of most women). Similarly, not much alarm is expressed either in schools or by our “leaders” at large at the inordinately high male dropout rate or relatively low level of boys attending college as compared to girls; indeed, at times one may believe that this is perhaps tolerated since it is now “the girl’s turn”, though the boys who are being sacrificed had not a thing to do with past discrimination against females. Finally, one need only look at how quickly school officials will recommend that a little boy be placed on Ritalin simply because he doesn't pay attention like a little girl does, rather than force the teacher (all too frequently a woman) to deal with the behavior, to see the war against boys in its most graphic terms. Again, imagine the outcry if our institutions tried to medicate a little girl out of a naturally female tendency.

Of course, the answer is to encourage both boys and girls to realize their full potential, which Sommers advocates. More important, though, is Sommers’ frequently stated belief, based on her research, that both genders be encouraged to achieve and develop on their own terms, rather than by transforming one into the other. Hopefully the PC police that currently wield inordinate power in our educational and social institutions will not ignore excellent research such as that presented by Hoff Sommers, or the eventual ensuing backlash may well trim the legitimate and necessary gains that women have made in the recent past.