From the publisher:
"From the Pulitzer Prize–winning and bestselling author of The Making of the Atomic Bomb—the remarkable story of the Spanish Civil War through the eyes of the reporters, writers, artists, doctors, and nurses who witnessed it. The Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) inspired and haunted an extraordinary number of exceptional artists and writers, including Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Martha Gellhorn, Ernest Hemingway, George Orwell, and John Dos Passos. The idealism of the cause—defending democracy from fascism at a time when Europe was darkening toward another world war—and the brutality of the conflict drew from them some of their best work: Guernica, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Homage to Catalonia, The Spanish Earth.
The war spurred breakthroughs in military and medical technology as well. New aircraft, new weapons, new tactics and strategy all emerged in the intense Spanish conflict. Indiscriminate destruction raining from the sky became a dreaded reality for the first time. Progress also arose from the horror: the doctors and nurses who volunteered to serve with the Spanish defenders devised major advances in battlefield surgery and front-line blood transfusion. In those ways, and in many others, the Spanish Civil War served as a test bed for World War II, and for the entire twentieth century.
From the life of John James Audubon to the invention of the atomic bomb, readers have long relied on Richard Rhodes to explain, distill, and dramatize crucial moments in history. Now, he takes us into battlefields and bomb shelters, into the studios of artists, into the crowded wards of war hospitals, and into the hearts and minds of a rich cast of characters to show how the ideological, aesthetic, and technological developments that emerged in Spain changed the world forever."
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11 comments:
I'm pretty ill-informed re. the Spanish Civil War, only having read a few historical novels with such a setting. Would love to know more and this book sounds so interesting. Thanks for the giveaway.
lcbrower40(at)gmail(dot)com
This book sounds very interesting and would be enjoyed. thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
The Spanish Civil War is intriguing and this feature is great. Thanks for this giveaway. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com
Sounds like a great book! I love reading about medical history.
It looks like an interesting story.
mce1011 AT aol DOT com
This book interests me because I know so little about this war, and my great grandfather fought in it.
This book interests me because I know so little about this war, and my great grandfather fought in it.
bethvollbach(at)sbcglobal(dot)net
I just saw this book for the first time yesterday and thought I'd really like to get a copy. Thanks for the chance to win one. carlscott(at)prodigy(dot)net(dot)mx
This book sounds fascinating, especially since it appears I have a big gap in my history knowledge as far as the Spanish-American War is concerned.
sallycootie@gmail.com
So much about this book interests me. The evocative title & cover image intrigue. The opportunity to learn about the war's impact on medical and technological advances excites my curiosity; I've never read a focused analysis on this dimension of a war history. Luanne, thanks so much for featuring this book and for the free copy contest! Cheers, Kara S
shamy at post dot harvard dot edu
It sounds like a very interesting book. I would love to learn more about the Spanish Civil War. Thanks for having the giveaway.
ayancey1974(at)gmail(dot)com
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