I was slightly disappointed in this book. It was highly recommended to me by other lovers of European history. I don't really know what I expected, but I found it boring. It was interesting to learn more about the history of Irish people in world events, but it was just not at all what I was hoping for it to be. 

 It has been a while since I have been able to pick up any Iraq/Afghanistan related books for personal reasons. I have really been trying to knock out some of my unread books, so I decided to get back into this subject matter. This book was very moving. It is hard to reconcile these experiences with people the same age that you personally know who were also in some of these same locations. I highly recommend this book. 

 I bought this book simply because I enjoy a true crime book, and I also wanted to watch the film that was released that was based on this book. I hate to watch a film before I read the book, so I felt like I needed to get on this one. I have been reading a lot of books about famous family dynasties lately, so this is another one to throw into the mix. I bought this for the specific crime incident, the murder of Maurizio Gucci, but I learned so much more than that about the family and business.

The House of Gucci was founded in 1921 by Guccio Gucci in Florence, Italy. He began by selling imported leather luggage and bags, but eventually released unique creations. His son, Aldo, helped make the business a worldwide phenomenon. During World War II, Gucci began using various materials in his creations, as there was a leather embargo. They also made the boots for the Italian military during this period. After the war, Gucci divided up the company between his sons- Aldo, Vasco, and Rodolfo. The sons launched several shops throughout Europe and the United States, drawing star clientele. The grandsons of Guccio Gucci created several controversies and feuds that are well known to those interested in fashion.

Maurizio Gucci was the son of Rodolfo Gucci. Maurizio married Patrizia Reggiani in 1972. They had two daughters, Allegra and Alessandra. Maurizio made some poor business decisions, and even had a feud with his uncle, Aldo. In 1985, Maurizio left his wife, got himself a girlfriend, and sold his shares in Gucci. Patrizia was convicted of hiring a hitman to kill her ex-husband in 1995. She was imprisoned for 18 years, being released in 2016.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked learning about these more modern historical figures, compared to the royals I generally read about. It was a nice change of pace. I hope the movie does the book and family justice, though I have seen some disparaging comments from members of the Gucci family about both the book and film. 

 Jimmy Carter was born in 1924, in Plains, Georgia. His mother worked as a registered nurse at the hospital where he was born, and he is actually the first person to become President of the United States who was born in a hospital. I thought that was a really interesting fact. His family made their living as cotton farmers, going back several generations. Some of his relatives owned slaves, though slavery was outlawed by the time President Carter was born. His father did treat his black workers respectfully and allowed his son to interact with them, but he was firmly of the segregationist mindset. He attended public school, where he was a good student. He also played on the basketball team and joined Future Farmers of America. Of course there are a lot more facts about President Carter than just these basic ones, but this book does focus on his childhood experiences, not his Presidential ones.

I did appreciate that he didn't write this book to make himself appear grand or hide his family's issues. A lot of people try to present themselves and their families in the best possible light, and it did seem like he was very open and honest about things. I've lived in Tennessee my entire life, except for a couple of years in Georgia, so I am familiar with a Southern childhood. I find that I had several personal experiences that were similar, though across generations. A lot of these issues mentioned in this book still occur in the present day South, and if anyone tells you different, they are blind or lying. Overall, I found the book to be a pleasant read and interesting. If you are interested in Presidents, this might be a good book for you. 

 I really enjoyed this book so much! I learned so much about Ebola and how it transmits. There was an Ebola outbreak not too long ago, and I just happened to come across this book. It really makes one wonder what kinds of mysterious illnesses are lurking out there. We are living in the time of coronavirus, and reading this book during this whole episode was horrifying. I highly recommend this book. 

 This book dealt with multiple themes. I was raised with horses, so I am no stranger to the concept of doping horses and all the shady goings on in barns, at shows, and on the track. It is still insane to me that people are this cruel and horrible for insurance money, yet people do horrible things to other people for insurance money as well. I think the author did a good job covering those things in layman's terms, though I am certain the author was not an expert on that topic. I also didn't know anything about the Brach heiress, so that was an interesting bit to the story. I would give more Ken Englade books a shot after reading this one. I liked it. 

 This book investigates scientists and doctors during the Nazi era. These scientists discovered a lot about bomb and rocket production, which is outlined later in the book. Most of the focus was on the medical side of it, and how they were able to ignore their medical oath to participate in human experimentation. I thought this book was well written and interesting. 

 This book is about Pope Pius XII, who was a candidate for canonization at the time of this books publishing. He was the reigning Pope during World War II. He endorsed Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime, and this book details how his actions and dealings undermined the Catholic Church and helped to seal the deal on the murder of the Jews of Europe. 

 This is the personal account of Ernst Hanfstaengl. He had American and German parents, and was thus educated in America. He actually graduated from Harvard, and ran the family business in New York for several years before returning to Germany to open up a business there. He went to hear Hitler speak and became infatuated with the man and ideals. He even served as foreign press secretary for a while. He became estranged due to machinations from other leading Nazi officials. I like these personal accounts by former Nazi Party officials and members. This was an interesting book, not only for the personal information about the author but the inside view of other leaders. 

 People always wonder how in the world the entire civilian population never knew that the Holocaust was going on, as a lot of them claim. Plenty of people knew exactly what was going on, or at least had a good idea. This book goes into different perspectives of the Holocaust and how regular civilians helped perpetrate it. Many were guilty of turning a blind eye, of being anti-Semitic, of purchasing stolen items or stealing items. It was an informative book, and I wish that I would have known about it when I was writing papers on this topic.