Ripples of Battle: How Wars of the Past Still Determine How We Fight, How We Live, and How We Think

by Victor Davis Hanson
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Published by: Random House
eBook Publish Date: October 11, 2004
Print ISBN: 0385504004
Filesize: 843.48 KB
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Overview

The effects of war refuse to remain local: they persist through the centuries, sometimes in unlikely ways far removed from the military arena. In Ripples of Battle, the acclaimed historian Victor Davis Hanson weaves wide-ranging military and cultural history with his unparalleled gift for battle narrative as he illuminates the centrality of war in the human experience.

Editorial Reviews

Each human life has an impact on others, creating ripples that eventually affect future generations. Here, Hanson (classics, California State Univ., Fresno; The Western Way of War) argues that the outcomes of certain battles have had far-reaching effects on American culture. He chooses the battles of Okinawa (1945, World War II), Shiloh (1862, U.S. Civil War), and the lesser-known Delium (424 B.C.E., Peloponnesian War) and shows their impact on how Americans fight, live, and think. As Hanson explains, the chance survival of certain individuals and the death of others had repercussions reaching into the 21st century. The book is well written, and the sections on Okinawa and Shiloh are clear and easy to read. The section on Delium will challenge those not familiar with the time period, but the arguments are lucid, and Hanson convincingly demonstrates that the impact of this obscure battle is the most profound of the three. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.-Lt. Col. (ret.) Charles M. Minyard, U.S. Army, Blountstown, FL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information. -- PUBLISHERS WEEKLY.

Author Information

Bio of Victor Davis Hanson

Victor Davis Hanson is the military historian who is a professor of classics at California State University, Fresno. He has written several popular books on classic warfare, including "The Other Greeks", "Who Killed Homer ", & "The Western Way of War". He lives in Selma, California.