RBK's Blog

Monday, August 3, 2015

A Spy Among Friends

A Spy Among Friends written by Ben Macintyre tells the story of one of Britain's most famous spies, Kim Philby, who sold intelligence secrets to the Soviet Union and was ultimately granted asylum there and buried with full honor. In Macintyre's book, Philby is presented through the prism of his friends and acquaintances, such as Nicholas Elliott who worked together with Philby in the MI6. Therefore, Macintyre not only presents Philby's biography but that of his friends as well, each of whom were very loyal to him and stood by him until the very end.

I found the book to be very thoughtful and engaging. Macintyre does a great job of covering almost every aspect of Philby and his circle of friends' lives. He is very methodical in telling his story from all angles and leaves no stone unturned. While this book is entertaining, the storyline really makes you think. I really recommend this book if you like reading spy novels.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

A Review of Legend by Eric Blehm

Eric Blehm tells a story of Roy Benavidez, a Special Forces staff sergeant who risked his life to rescue a squad of his Fellow Special Forces troops who were stranded in Cambodia and suppressed by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Roy Benavidez was a true American hero who refused to abandon his fellow soldiers.

At first, I thought that it was just another book about the Vietnam War, but when I started reading it, I couldn't stop. Blehm's writing style resembles a novel, and I instantly found a connection to the book. The way that Blehm tells the story, you could almost sense the battle. I felt the bullets whizzing by, and grenades hurtling through the air as the main subject of the book, Roy Benavidez held up his section of the jungle. As bayonets tore into Benavidez's body, I found myself wincing in pain. The story is just that good.

I recommend this book to anybody interested in military history. America should never forget its heroes. They have served and continue to serve valiantly and with great honor so that future generations can appreciate the values that America stands for.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

Sunday, July 19, 2015

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames. A Review

The Good Spy is a tragic account of a CIA operative named Robert Ames. The author of the book, Kai Bird was Ames' childhood neighbor, so he provides a brutally honest account of his life and work. Like most biography books, it starts out with an outlook on Ames' childhood life with the chapter called The Making of a Spy. In this chapter, Bird tells what made Ames become a CIA case officer. Later on, he gives an account of Ames' spy work in the Middle East as the chief of the Near East and South Asia Division of the Directorate of Intelligence. He was truly a great spy who knew the ins and outs of all the nuances in espionage and built common ground between the CIA, Mossad, and various Middle Eastern intelligence agencies. Tragically, however, Ames' life was cut short on April 18, 1983 when Islamic terrorists bombed the American embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. There is an entire chapter devoted to this terrorist attack where the author follows Ames minute by minute. Finally, he provides an account of the aftermath of the event, and in the epilogue, we see what happened to Ames' wife and six children and how they coped with their loss.

As someone who likes spy novels, I found The Good Spy a very informative and enjoyable read. Bird's writing style was very clear and easy to follow along. As for the rating, I would give this book a 9.5/10.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Review of Making the Case: How to Negotiate Like a Prosecutor in Work and Life by Kimberly Guilfoyle

<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22693263-making-the-case" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="Making the Case: How to Negotiate Like a Prosecutor in Work and Life" border="0" src="https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1416177000m/22693263.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22693263-making-the-case">Making the Case: How to Negotiate Like a Prosecutor in Work and Life</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6086950.Kimberly_Guilfoyle">Kimberly Guilfoyle</a> 
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1311688806">5 of 5 stars</a> 
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Kimberly Guilfoyle is a prosecutor and host of various Fox News show. In her book, she uses her negotiation skills honed as a prosecutor to describe how to make a case and ultimately maximize the benefits out of life. Her book is an invaluable resource to anybody who wants to live life to the fullest.
 
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/15086762-michael-shulman">View all my reviews</a>

Thursday, July 9, 2015

Confederate Flag Controversy

So the South Carolina State Senate signed a bill to remove the Confederate flag from the state capitol. This is setting a dangerous precedent. From its founding, America has been the bastion of freedom and democracy. The Founding Fathers valued individual freedoms, the kind of freedoms that you just couldn't get in Britain, France, Russia, etc. To truly enjoy these freedoms you needed a strong faith in God. As we were all taught in school, one of the main reasons America wanted independence from Britain is because Britain has been very oppressive. Americans were taxed like crazy by the Crown and after a while they got tired and said it was time for change. The rest is history. Fast forward 239 years later, and our inalienable rights are being infringed upon by the state. Removing the Confederate flag is rewriting history. To many, the flag symbolizes its true meaning which is Southern pride, not slavery, hate, and racism. When the flag was originally commissioned which was not the Confederate flag, but rather the battle flag of the Northern Virginia army, it served as a symbol of patriotism and belonging. Only later did groups such as the KKK hijacked and co-opted the flag for their own nefarious purposes.

Yes what Dylann Roof did on that day was completely reprehensible and there is no justification for this heinous and cowardly act of racial violence. However, I also believe the government shouldn't tell us what to do and what not to do; we should decide for ourselves. In my opinion, the whole controversy over the flag is a knee-jerk reaction to an act of violence, just like gun control was a knee-jerk reaction after the Sandy Hook massacre. Today we take down the Confederate flag, tomorrow we'll take down the American flag for the sole reason that certain groups deem it offensive.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

The President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenka looks like Dr. Phil.

No kidding!