John Bierman (1929–2006)

Napoleon III tends to get overshadowed by his far more illustrious relative Napoleon I, so it's good to find a biography of Napoleon III with only the occasional reference to old Boney.

Bierman captures the full trajectory of Napoleon III's life, from rejection by his father who believed (possibly quite correctly) him illegitimate, through his rise to prominence as the descendant of Bonaparte and the inheritor of his legacy, Napoleon III's time as Emperor and his fall from grace. It must be hard to follow such an illustrious ancestor; the highest achievement of anyone in my family was my grandfather swearing in the presence of Winston Churchill, and it's not something I'm ever going to match, so having to live up to a family member who was one of the great military leaders of all time and who became master of Europe would be tough.… (mere)

This is an interesting and readable biography of a major figure in the European exploration and colonization of Africa. The author is more kind to Stanley than some;since Bierman adamantly agrees that Stanley was a habitual, probably pathological liar, it seems a little questionable to readily accept Stanley's reports of his behaviour and motives some of the time, when we know they aren't true most of the time. But overall, lively and accurate writing, backed up by good research with documentation.… (mere)

An incredible man who went personally up against Eichmann himself armed with nothing but charm, guile and a complete lack of fear.

I'd heard of Wallenberg, but didn't really know much about him.

This book certainly filled the gaps in my knowledge. While serving as Sweden's special envoy in Budapest between July and December 1944, Wallenberg issued protective passports and sheltered Jews in buildings designated as Swedish territory.

His lack of fear may have been the cause of his demise as shortly after the Soviets captured Budapest he disappeared into NKVD hands, never to be seen again.

Beirman reckons he saved more than 100,000 Jews in Budapest, and the book tells some amazing stories of his personal bravery and exploits.



… (mere)