Legends, Lies & Cherished Myths of World History

If you want a history book you can actually read on an airplane that won't put you to sleep, this is the one for you. In short accessible chapter after short accessible chapter Shenkman polishes off some of the various myths that have accreted around history. Was Cleopatra a beauty? No. But she was beautiful inside which was enough to land not one but two prominent Romans: Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. Did Hitler really end economic strife in Germany? No. Superinflation had already been ended in the Weimar Republic. Was Herodotus really the legitimate father of history? No. He was more of an ancient Joan Rivers printing received myth and history alike. In brief easily digestable bites Shenkman serves up one course after another of history making the topic, well, fun. Don't trust the naysayers. Read this book for yourself and enjoy!

Some people don't take this book in the way it was clearly written - with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The author obviously didn't mean for this to be a definitive account of all the events covered - that would have acquired volumes approaching a set of encyclopaedias! What he does do, however, is cause you to pause, and think, about some of the things you might have believed for years based solely upon what some highly-dubious sources have passed off as legitimate history - such as Hollywood. There they;d have you believe that Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek were paragons of virtue in their roles as great Western allies. Or how about those "authentic" Spanish Civil War battle scenes - many shot on the back lots of Hollywood and some even shot in a bathtub in New Jersey. What he might have included, as examples of manipulative history, was Frank Capra's unjustifiably renowned "why we fight" video series which shows, among other gross inaccuracies, the "gallant" Russians, prior to the Nazi invasion, toiling away in their wheat fields in Socialist bliss. Because Capra compiled this DURING the war, no mention was made, of course, of the murderous Stalinist purges that had already sent millions of his own people to their deaths or lifetimes of slavery in he Gulags. The problem is, the series is STILL being sold as "historical" accounts of the era. Sure, you can poke holes in what author Shenkman writes. Isn't that the whole point of history? As George Santayana said [and who is quoted in the Conclusion of this book] "History is always written wrong, and so always needs to be rewritten." One of my jabs is aimed squarely at the chapter "World War II" where the author attempts to justify the appeasement of Hitler by Britain - specifically Chamberlain. He says the Munich Accord [the sell-out of Czechoslovakia] not only produced peace [however temporarily], but that Britain was in no position to take on Germany in 1938. Now while that is certainly true, what he completely overlooks are the relative strengths of France and Germany at that time. France had a pact with the Czechs, and a move by Daladier and the French Army, Navy and Air Force [which dwarfed the Germans at that time] would have caused Hitler to cave in. Indeed, his own generals were absolutely petrified at the prospect of going head to head with France in 1938 with inferior tanks and less aircraft! The fact is, France did not need Britain in 1938 - except for moral support and, perhaps, the Royal Navy and Air Force. What the French did NOT have in 1938 was the courage of their convictions. And THAT Hitler banked upon. He counted on it again a year later when, in September 1939, he invaded Poland, leaving his Western flank virtually unprotected except for a few scattered lower-level units. And by this time Britain was stronger both from a manpower and a materiel aspect. And so was France. An attack then and again Hitler would have had no choice but to capitulate as he was in no positi

Rick Shenkman is a talented historian whose skill at writing makes his understanding of history all the easier to comprehend. Witty and irreverant, democratically short and readable, this book is useful to both the historical novice and the more sophisticated student of things past. Anecdote after anecdote, Shenkman humourously points to the narrow line that separates myth from history. A must for everyone!

I found this a great book for the most part. Many of these "truths" of our beliefs I had never heard were false. He presents a good load of information, correcting many mistakes from the last few thousand years. Surprisingly, we learn that the story of Newton and the apple *was* true.A couple of problems. For example, we can't really know what Cleopatra looked like in person. On coins, she is portrayed very stately, as all rulers of the time were.Second, the author attacks Christianity, Judaism, and the Bible using beliefs only held by uncompromising liberals. Textual criticism does not hold up when it is viewed in light of unbiased research. His "Bible contradictions" are shown to be non-contradictory if studied in-depth. His scathing attacks on the basic beliefs of Jews and Christians brings into question: what about other religions? He never mentions Islam, Hinduism, etc. I'm sure Muslims and Hindus would refute what he says about them, just as his attacks on the Bible have been refuted by many Christians and Jews. Why he has such a bias against Judeo-Christianity is beyond me.Overall, though, this is a well written research tool which I would recommend to students of history, as well as those who are just curious.

I have to take Western Civilizations as part of my requirements this year. Our teacher read to us some of the sections of this book pertaining to Greece and Rome, what we are currently studying. I found it fascinating that the legendary city of Troy did exist, and in fact, there were several Troys, but none were home to infamous Trojan War, which was a legend. I've got to get this book to learn more interesting facts about other commonly believed myths in the world!