Author:Dr Jeffrey Lewis
'A book with a ferocious pace and more black humour than one could imagine'– Evening Standard
**As heard on BBC Radio 4 The World Tonight**
America lost 1.4 million citizens in the North Korean attacks of 2020. This is the final, authorised report of the US government commission investigating the catastrophe.
‘The skies over the Korean Peninsula on March 21, 2020, were clear and blue . . .’ So begins this investigation by nuclear expert Dr Jeffrey Lewis into the horrific events of the three days that followed.
While covering the fatal milestones — from North Korea’s accidental shootdown of a South Korean airliner to the tweet that triggered carnage — the report asks difficult questions about the conduct of world leaders along the path to war.
Did President Trump and his advisers realise the dangers of provoking Kim Jong Un with social media posts? Was conflict inevitable, or could the peace talks of 2018 have been successful? Who, ultimately, is responsible for one of the greatest tragedies in world history?
‘A bold warning of how easily the nightmare could occur’– The Times
‘Chillingly plausible’– The Economist
‘A Dr Strangelove for our time’– The Observer
A bold warning of how easily the nightmare could occur
—— The TimesA book with a ferocious pace and more black humour than one could imagine
—— Evening StandardChillingly plausible
—— The EconomistA Dr Strangelove for our time
—— The ObserverA book with ferocious pace and more black humour than one could imagine
—— Evening StandardThe plot is so absurd and implausible—a nuclear war prompted by a presidential tweet—that it feels devastatingly true. The 2020 COMMISSION REPORT is a brilliantly conceived page-turner. Let’s hope it isn’t prophetic
—— Eric Schlosser, author of COMMAND AND CONTROLCouldn’t put this book down.... If fear of nuclear war is going to keep you up at night, at least it can be a page-turner
—— New ScientistThe Hungry Empire is impressively scholarly… it is also fascinating. And although Collingham does not flinch from the cruelties and brutalities of empire, she refrains from the self-congratulatory finger-wagging indulged in by some modern historians
—— Daily TelegraphSome of the most revelatory anecdotes are the funniest… As with all her work, Collingham has read most of what matters and has selected from it with a lively eye… She can unwind suggestive strands of evidence to lead readers through the labyrinth… Her brisk narrative of the origins of IPA is exemplary
—— Literary ReviewFascinating… Collingham’s decision to organize her enormously ambitious research around a series of intimate family meals is a good one. Material that would otherwise be numbingly abstract is made profoundly personal… You will certainly enjoy the journey
—— Mail on SundayOne of the best, most readable practitioners of the dynamic field of food history
—— Times Literary SupplementThis ingeniously constructed history shows that what we think of as personal appetites have largely been constructed by the machinations of empire. The Hungry Empire uses vivid snapshots of meals to tell the story of how Britain's quest for food drove its imperial ambitions. Collingham takes the reader on a powerful journey ... Like Sidney Mintz or Margaret Visser, Collingham is a historian whose writing about food informs larger stories about human existence: about conflict and culture, about economics and politics. I was dazzled by Collingham's writing and her book also left me very hungry
—— Bee Wilson, author of FIRST BITEThe fourth in the grand series of Isaiah Berlin’s correspondence [...] keeps up the flow of high cultural commentary and gossip
—— Jewish ChronicleAffirming is an excellent source for the understanding of Berlin's thought in various contexts. But the letters also show Berlin's capacity for friendship, his sympathetic understanding of characters and viewpoints... At the risk of solecism, Icn bin ein Berliner
—— Brendan McLaughlin , OldieIsaiah Berlin is considered one of the letter-writers of the 20th century... those who give into temptation to flick through will be infinitely rewarded
—— Oxford TimesSparkles with brilliance and generosity
—— Jon M. Sweeney , The TabletMeticulously edited and footnoted.
—— Robert Fulford , National PostAn impressively probing and timely work...Highly engaging
—— Publishers WeeklyScintillating...Age of Anger looks an awful lot like a masterwork. We're only a few weeks into 2017, but one of the books of the year is already here
—— Christopher Bray , The TabletHearts and Minds makes it very plain why Mrs Fawcett deserves her statue in Parliament Square. Robinson has
researched the lives of ordinary suffragists as well as the stars of the movement, and her book is clear-headed,
perceptive and thoroughly engaging. From her narrative it's clear also how important Mrs Pankhurst was in
bringing passion, anger and publicity to the women's cause. I think she deserves a statue too.
That six-week effort, in which rivulets of backpack-toting, banner-carrying suffragists, skirts a daring four inches above the ground, marched from every corner of England and Wales to gather for a mass meeting in London in late July, has never been thoroughly documented. It is nice to see it feature centrally here.
—— Susan Pedersen , London Review of BooksHearts And Minds is a timely reminder of the courage of these unsung campaigners
—— Daily Mail