Book reviews

The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power
Max Boot Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Max Boot Books
New book search
Max Boot Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power
"The author, an editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal, presents a survey of a series of small, undeclared wars pursued by the United States since the clashes with the Barbary States under President Jefferson at the dawn of the 19th century. He summarizes the origins, action, and aftermath of several dozen foreign adventures, from the Philippine War (1899-1902) and the Chinese Boxer Rebellion (1900) to the tracking of Pancho Villa, U.S. involvement in opposing the Russian revolution, a series of shootups in Central America and the Caribbean, and of course, Vietnam. Although there was plenty of prejudice, nastiness, and atrocities in many of these wars, one comes away mildly surprise at how comparatively well the U.S. military governed conquered nations, at least for a time after the shooting stopped. Whether such incursions were to the ultimate good of their subject nations (and will be in the future) remains a sizable question mark, but Boot's highly readable account is most interesting."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Kind Of History
Time of history: - 20th century - 19th century
History of military? Yes
Armed Forces: - Army
History of a people? Yes
Nationality? - American--General

Subjects of this Historical Account
Ethnicity (if plays a major part) - European/White
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Somewhat sympathetic
From a certain profession/group? - land soldiers

Main Adversary - infantry soldiers
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an above average amount
Is the portrayal sympathetic? - Somewhat Sympathetic

Setting
Asia/Pacific Yes
Asian country: - Southeast Asia - China - Philippines
The Americas (not US): Yes
The Americas: - Mexico - Central - The Caribbean

Style
How much gore? - 4 ()
How fast-paced is the book? - 4 ()
Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture
Book makes you feel... - thoughtful
How much focus on stories of individuals? - Focuses on brief history of a lot of players
How much romance? - 1 ()
Minor characters feature lots of: - politicians
Pictures/Illustrations? - A significant amount
Maps necessary? - Necessary maps provided
Length of book - 350-400 pages
How much emphasis on small details? - 5 ()
Most similar books to The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power
The Civil War, A Narrative by Shelby Foote
Gettysburg: The Final Fury by Bruce Catton
Battle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson
The Civil War by Robert Paul Jordan
In the Company of Soldiers: A Chronicle of Combat by Rick Atkinson


Click here for more information about this book




Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for History (in beta) books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Economic History?

History of a journey/colonization?

History of a people?

History of a science?

History of Art?

History of cloak & dagger?

History of disaster/tragedy?

History of food?

History of military?

History of religion?

History of words/phrases?

Social history?



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Norah Lofts 12:50:53 AM
Suzanne Weyn 4:47:34 PM
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
George W. Bush 5:33:46 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Anonymous 12:47:34 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
Jane Rubino 10:04:38 PM
LaVyrle Spencer 10:04:00 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM
Jeanette Walls 10:00:19 PM
Darryl Ponicsan 9:59:27 PM
Ann Rinaldi 9:58:30 PM
R.L. Stine 9:57:34 PM
Geoffrey Huntington 9:57:14 PM
Betty Mahmoody 9:56:38 PM
Deric Longden 9:56:11 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:55:48 PM

More message boards