A well-written, thoroughly researched, if flawed, history of human brutality.
In this reprint, previously published by University of Louisiana Press in 2018, Abraham details some of humanity’s most ruthless figures.
The book begins with a characteristically lurid description of a murder before asking, “What sort of people would admire these butchers?” Its answer, which sets the tone for the subsequent 300 pages, is simply, “We would.” Though figures from Genghis Khan to Idi Amin make appearances, the book focuses on Western civilization, which “has been anything but civilized.” The West’s history of conquest dates back to the “sadistic cutthroat” Alexander the Great, whose legacy of brutality and thirst for territorial domination echoed through the 20th century, as seen in the British Empire, which brutally put down independence movements in India and Africa and turned a blind eye to the starvation of its subjects. To the author, the self-proclaimed benevolent empire “rivals the body counts from Hitler, Stalin, and Mao.” Not only do Western rulers have a history of world conquest, they also have been notoriously ruthless to their own people. Comparing European kings and queens to “thugs” like Al Capone, Abraham sees few differences between extortion and murder committed by the Mafia and the wanton violence of French King Clovis I or the role of Catherine de’ Medici in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre. Abraham is perhaps most dismayed that despite this voluminous record of violence, many in the West “overlook the horrible realities of civilization” and celebrate the very people who are responsible for mass murder. Even the prototype of the West, ancient Athens, which is lauded for its contributions to democracy and philosophy, was a society dominated by “remorseless killers” whose obsession with war appeared even in their most sophisticated cultural materials, like The Iliad and The Odyssey.
To the author, America is perhaps the biggest hypocrite of all—evidenced in the paradox that exists between its ideals and its history of violence, from the Puritans’ “ruthless and vicious” treatment of Native Americans to the My Lai Massacre in Vietnam and beyond. The book also concludes with a frighteningly convincing juxtaposition of amoral rulers of yore to modern day corporations (“corporate psychopaths”) who accept that their products will result in deaths, from General Motors to the military-industrial complex. Abraham’s academic background as a biologist and medical doctor influenced his ugly portrait of humanity. For example, in idyllic outdoor scenes full of vegetation and playful wildlife accompanied by the sounds of birds chirping, Abraham sees “the songbirds’ melodies are actually avian challenges,” and “the squirrels’ games are struggles over territory.” Though the book’s scientific analysis, which spans Darwin’s concept of evolution to cutting-edge psychology, is a welcome addition to historical conversations, some historians may be left wanting for deeper discussions of sociocultural contexts of specific times and places. The historical research, however, is solid, and ample footnotes are included. The book includes haunting images and photographs that span the history of human warfare.
A well-written, thoroughly researched, if flawed, history of human brutality.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-578-68059-0
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Hidden Hills Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.
Greed, depravity, and serial murder in 1920s Oklahoma.
During that time, enrolled members of the Osage Indian nation were among the wealthiest people per capita in the world. The rich oil fields beneath their reservation brought millions of dollars into the tribe annually, distributed to tribal members holding "headrights" that could not be bought or sold but only inherited. This vast wealth attracted the attention of unscrupulous whites who found ways to divert it to themselves by marrying Osage women or by having Osage declared legally incompetent so the whites could fleece them through the administration of their estates. For some, however, these deceptive tactics were not enough, and a plague of violent death—by shooting, poison, orchestrated automobile accident, and bombing—began to decimate the Osage in what they came to call the "Reign of Terror." Corrupt and incompetent law enforcement and judicial systems ensured that the perpetrators were never found or punished until the young J. Edgar Hoover saw cracking these cases as a means of burnishing the reputation of the newly professionalized FBI. Bestselling New Yorkerstaff writer Grann (The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness, and Obsession, 2010, etc.) follows Special Agent Tom White and his assistants as they track the killers of one extended Osage family through a closed local culture of greed, bigotry, and lies in pursuit of protection for the survivors and justice for the dead. But he doesn't stop there; relying almost entirely on primary and unpublished sources, the author goes on to expose a web of conspiracy and corruption that extended far wider than even the FBI ever suspected. This page-turner surges forward with the pacing of a true-crime thriller, elevated by Grann's crisp and evocative prose and enhanced by dozens of period photographs.
Dogged original research and superb narrative skills come together in this gripping account of pitiless evil.Pub Date: April 18, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-385-53424-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Not so deep, but a delightful tip of the hat to the pleasures—and power—of glamour.
A coffee-table book celebrates Michelle Obama’s sense of fashion.
Illustrated with hundreds of full-color photographs, Obama’s chatty latest book begins with some school portraits from the author’s childhood in Chicago and fond memories of back-to-school shopping at Sears, then jumps into the intricacies of clothing oneself as the spouse of a presidential candidate and as the first lady. “People looked forward to the outfits, and once I got their attention, they listened to what I had to say. This is the soft power of fashion,” she says. Obama is grateful and frank about all the help she got along the way, and the volume includes a long section written by her primary wardrobe stylist, Koop—28 years old when she first took the job—and shorter sections by makeup artists and several hair stylists, who worked with wigs and hair extensions as Obama transitioned back to her natural hair, and grew out her bangs, at the end of her husband’s second term. Many of the designers of the author’s gowns, notably Jason Wu, who designed several of her more striking outfits, also contribute appreciative memories. Besides candid and more formal photographs, the volume features many sketches of her gowns by their designers, closeups on details of those gowns, and magazine covers from Better Homes & Gardens to Vogue. The author writes that as a Black woman, “I was under a particularly white-hot glare, constantly appraised for whether my outfits were ‘acceptable’ and ‘appropriate,’ the color of my skin somehow inviting even more judgment than the color of my dresses.” Overall, though, this is generally a canny, upbeat volume, with little in the way of surprising revelations.
Not so deep, but a delightful tip of the hat to the pleasures—and power—of glamour.Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780593800706
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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