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mandalor3960's review
2.0
This book had some interesting analogies and some dull and far fetched ones. The analogies of the Republic with earth governments was interesting to read while other chapters felt to general and thin. This book points out two topics in that 1) the Star Wars films borrowed a lot of Earth's history and 2) a myriad amount of analogies can be made between the Star Wars universe and Earth. He latter topic becomes redundant to read. Being a history buff, much of this book was dull and boring to read.
Rating Update 3/12/2019 - 3 to 2 stars. Because I found it boring, it doesn't mean I liked it (3 stars).
Rating Update 5/16/2019 - 3 stars to 1 stars. I found the majority of the book duller as I read it. I ultimately was bored except for a few excerpts. There were these mind-blowing comparisons before everything got less interesting.
Update 8 June 2019
With the adoption of my new rating system, a one star rating is befitting. The one star rating is an estimate of how I felt after reading the original review. As a resource book, the amount of valuable information that I enjoyed was little and I found it boring to read most of the chapters. A reread of the book could life the rating to a two star rating if a larger percentage of chapters are found to be interesting.
January 20, 2020
Rating Update
One star to two stars. The original review is not detailed enough to explain if the negatives are one star-rated. I wrote that the "latter topic becomes redundant to read", but I am not sure at what point these later topics begin. I also wrote that "much of this book was dull and boring to read", though these are still characteristics applicable to a two star-rating. A two star-rating for this book is a safe estimate.
June 5, 2020
Update
I have assigned the 2AAAAB rating type for this book. I created the rating type for this book. The 2AAAAB rating type replace the previous 2B rating type. I have assumed that the mentioning of "analogies of the Republic with earth governments" that were "interesting to read", as taken from the original review, constitute as three star-rated content. The 2AAAAB rating type seems most appropriate for this book, even though it is a large generalization. However, this book is colored grey with a grey outline, meaning that there are already issues with the rating choice, which means that the rating type is simply based on a grey and grey outline colored rating. The rating choice is a good choice for the information provided.
Rating Update 3/12/2019 - 3 to 2 stars. Because I found it boring, it doesn't mean I liked it (3 stars).
Rating Update 5/16/2019 - 3 stars to 1 stars. I found the majority of the book duller as I read it. I ultimately was bored except for a few excerpts. There were these mind-blowing comparisons before everything got less interesting.
Update 8 June 2019
With the adoption of my new rating system, a one star rating is befitting. The one star rating is an estimate of how I felt after reading the original review. As a resource book, the amount of valuable information that I enjoyed was little and I found it boring to read most of the chapters. A reread of the book could life the rating to a two star rating if a larger percentage of chapters are found to be interesting.
January 20, 2020
Rating Update
One star to two stars. The original review is not detailed enough to explain if the negatives are one star-rated. I wrote that the "latter topic becomes redundant to read", but I am not sure at what point these later topics begin. I also wrote that "much of this book was dull and boring to read", though these are still characteristics applicable to a two star-rating. A two star-rating for this book is a safe estimate.
June 5, 2020
Update
I have assigned the 2AAAAB rating type for this book. I created the rating type for this book. The 2AAAAB rating type replace the previous 2B rating type. I have assumed that the mentioning of "analogies of the Republic with earth governments" that were "interesting to read", as taken from the original review, constitute as three star-rated content. The 2AAAAB rating type seems most appropriate for this book, even though it is a large generalization. However, this book is colored grey with a grey outline, meaning that there are already issues with the rating choice, which means that the rating type is simply based on a grey and grey outline colored rating. The rating choice is a good choice for the information provided.
gitanita's review
5.0
"The Star Wars saga may appear to be just entertainment - great storytelling, stunning visual effects, and terrific adventure on an epic scale. Yet the galaxy we see there also reflects humanity's real history of conflict and economic exploitation more than many fans may realize."
As a long time, shamelessly adoring fan of the said Saga, I find this an accurate description of what it means to me. I can spend hours talking about all the intricacies of this world and possible (conspiracy) theories. Nevertheless, I was surprised at the amount of new and interesting theories (that haven't even crossed my mind before) in this book.
The book is a part of the "Pop culture and history" series of books and through essays, written by various experts (who also happen to be Star Wars junkies), draws comparisons between the world of Star Wars and our own world (from ancient times to modern world history).
The only problem I have with the essays is that they are more about the real history than about Star Wars. Hence the rating A-.
As a long time, shamelessly adoring fan of the said Saga, I find this an accurate description of what it means to me. I can spend hours talking about all the intricacies of this world and possible (conspiracy) theories. Nevertheless, I was surprised at the amount of new and interesting theories (that haven't even crossed my mind before) in this book.
The book is a part of the "Pop culture and history" series of books and through essays, written by various experts (who also happen to be Star Wars junkies), draws comparisons between the world of Star Wars and our own world (from ancient times to modern world history).
The only problem I have with the essays is that they are more about the real history than about Star Wars. Hence the rating A-.
guinness74's review
2.0
I wish there was a 2.5 star option. 2 stars just seems sort of low, because the history portions of this book are really good. And several of the chapters are better than others. Plus, what makes this book really good is that these are academics who are attempting to bring some history credibility to science fiction, which is really cool. Unfortunately, the parallels are mostly tenuous and the writing reflects that. There's a superficiality to the whole process. I suppose, if you're attempting to get the novice Star Wars fan interested in history, this is your go to. But, I'm an advanced Star Wars fan (to say the least...I think the term is "geek"), and I'm no slouch in the history department either. So, to say I was underwhelmed is an understatement. Still...there are history segments that are totally worth looking into, and the reference sections are invaluable, probably worth that extra half star.
rhubarb1608's review
2.0
I was initially extremely excited to find this sitting on the New shelf at the local library. The publisher's description starts with, "At last--an analysis of the historical patterns that influenced the creation and storyline of the 'Star Wars' saga. 'Star Wars' took place long ago in a galaxy far, far away, but its epic stories are based on our own history." This is true, and "at last" is a pretty accurate summary of feelings; who hasn't wanted to explore the parallels between Star Wars and mythology, Star Wars and history, fact woven into fiction?
However. This book contains a very few interesting tidbits. Mostly, it is a collection of essays by people largely uninformed about their topic -- ignorance or misunderstanding of historical, biblical, or Star Warsian canon is evident at least once in every single section. Here are some examples... Historical ignorance: significant and relevant players in the Russian counterrevolution are missed; situations and circumstances of the American Civil War, French Revolution, and Vietnam conflict are misunderstood or expressed badly; Machiavelli's The Prince is taken at face value rather than as satire. Examples f biblical ignorance: One essay says you can read in the Old Testament about Judith's assault on a Syrian general. Actually, the "book of Judith" is apocryphal, and never considered canon by the Jews. (Also, biblical slavery laws have nothing in common with other ancient slave laws.) The icing on the cake, examples of Star Wars ignorance: One essayist comments that neither we nor Anakin ever learn his father's identity, but canon is explicit that Shmi literally meant "there was no father" -- however close to blasphemy the apparent virgin birth may be, even Qui-Gon remarks the child was conceived by midichlorians. Speaking of Qui-Gon, his name is frequently misspelled.
Finally, the films are often misquoted, and dubious sources are cited as canonical -- whether Star Wars or historical canon. I say give it a skip. The most interesting part of the whole thing were some of the pictures. Additionally, the emphasis is heavily on the prequels and the recent cartoons, so if your canon is original trilogy only, you really won't find anything worth reading.
However. This book contains a very few interesting tidbits. Mostly, it is a collection of essays by people largely uninformed about their topic -- ignorance or misunderstanding of historical, biblical, or Star Warsian canon is evident at least once in every single section. Here are some examples... Historical ignorance: significant and relevant players in the Russian counterrevolution are missed; situations and circumstances of the American Civil War, French Revolution, and Vietnam conflict are misunderstood or expressed badly; Machiavelli's The Prince is taken at face value rather than as satire. Examples f biblical ignorance: One essay says you can read in the Old Testament about Judith's assault on a Syrian general. Actually, the "book of Judith" is apocryphal, and never considered canon by the Jews. (Also, biblical slavery laws have nothing in common with other ancient slave laws.) The icing on the cake, examples of Star Wars ignorance: One essayist comments that neither we nor Anakin ever learn his father's identity, but canon is explicit that Shmi literally meant "there was no father" -- however close to blasphemy the apparent virgin birth may be, even Qui-Gon remarks the child was conceived by midichlorians. Speaking of Qui-Gon, his name is frequently misspelled.
Finally, the films are often misquoted, and dubious sources are cited as canonical -- whether Star Wars or historical canon. I say give it a skip. The most interesting part of the whole thing were some of the pictures. Additionally, the emphasis is heavily on the prequels and the recent cartoons, so if your canon is original trilogy only, you really won't find anything worth reading.
curse_ratchet6tribe's review
4.0
I love it when a book makes a serious effort to make pop culture accessible to historians and vice versa. Janice Liedl has done a fabulous job with Nancy Reagin to bring the geeky history of Star Wars into the geeky world of real history for obsessive readers like myself. Hats off to you both, ladies. This one goes on many a keeper shelf, I'm sure. I, for one, plan to use it as secret ammunition when I'm with my regular Star Wars roleplaying gamer friends.
endomental's review
4.0
An interesting look at the parallels between the Star Wars trilogies and events in world history. Each section is authored by a different expert, and while some of the connections seem legitimate (the Trade Federation as compared to the Dutch and English East India Companies, for one), a few seem to be stretching (Padme as Cleopatra).
All in all, it puts the series in new historical contexts, and could be useful as a means to spark interest in history among young Star Wars fans. The book never says whether Lucas was aware of, or deliberately used, any of the parallels that it finds. It would be interesting to know.
Good summer read for Star Wars/history buffs.
All in all, it puts the series in new historical contexts, and could be useful as a means to spark interest in history among young Star Wars fans. The book never says whether Lucas was aware of, or deliberately used, any of the parallels that it finds. It would be interesting to know.
Good summer read for Star Wars/history buffs.
danabentley's review
4.0
An excellent look at how the Star Wars universe parallels what has happened in our own history, a great way to learn more about our own history in the context of science fiction.
peregrineace's review
3.0
Because this is a multi-author compilation, it's probably best to review the sections individually:
**Chapter 1 was overly simplistic & tried to hard to make reality fit a metaphor. 2 stars.
**Chapter 2 was better. A few examples of women in war I didn't know of. 4 stars.
**Chapter 3 was the best chapter yet on warrior-monks. This was what I was expecting out of this book. 4.5 stars.
**Chapter 4 was an interesting comparison of Star Wars and the American Civil War. Authors stretch the point a bit (metaphor only goes so far) but lots of interesting parallels. 4 stars.
**Chapter 5 was a solid chapter comparing Palpatine to historic dictators, although nothing illuminating. 3.5 stars.
**Chapter 6 was a good chapter on historic women in political leadership. Quite a few I recognized from [b:Warrior Queens|22083358|Warrior Queens|Antonia Fraser|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400029766s/22083358.jpg|1034037] but lots of bios I need to chase down soon. While I like the premise of this chapter, the author needs to distinguish between primogeniture and male primogeniture. Also, Elizabeth I did not rule "almost a century" (actually just over 44 years), which makes me question the content/editing elsewhere. 4 stars.
**Chapter 7 on ruthless dictators was excellent. Nice to have an author with some understanding of the nuance of Machiavelli. 4 stars.
**Chapter 8 on mega-weapons was lopsided and meandered. While I agree with the conclusion, it wasn't well supported. 3 stars.
**Chapter 9 on slavery was excellent, even if it didn't distinguish between the many types of force and self discipline. (Perhaps too nuanced a topic for this collection or an essay this length.) 5 stars.
**Chapter 10 was, indirectly, a good argument in favor of free markets. Good discussion on cartels and black market trading, 4.5 stars.
There were also unnumbered pages of color photographs with text. Not a huge fan of these, as the content was repetitious and the placement was odd (sometimes in the middle of chapters). I would love to know if the Amidala/Cleopatra parallels were deliberate. Or, frankly, if any of the parallels or inspirations described herein were intended, as these authors seems to be short on quoting Star Wars creative sources or interviews.
This collection has some high points but I would only recommend it for Star Wars fans who are reasonably well read in history and can handle reading a text with a seriously critical eye.
**Chapter 1 was overly simplistic & tried to hard to make reality fit a metaphor. 2 stars.
**Chapter 2 was better. A few examples of women in war I didn't know of. 4 stars.
**Chapter 3 was the best chapter yet on warrior-monks. This was what I was expecting out of this book. 4.5 stars.
**Chapter 4 was an interesting comparison of Star Wars and the American Civil War. Authors stretch the point a bit (metaphor only goes so far) but lots of interesting parallels. 4 stars.
**Chapter 5 was a solid chapter comparing Palpatine to historic dictators, although nothing illuminating. 3.5 stars.
**Chapter 6 was a good chapter on historic women in political leadership. Quite a few I recognized from [b:Warrior Queens|22083358|Warrior Queens|Antonia Fraser|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1400029766s/22083358.jpg|1034037] but lots of bios I need to chase down soon. While I like the premise of this chapter, the author needs to distinguish between primogeniture and male primogeniture. Also, Elizabeth I did not rule "almost a century" (actually just over 44 years), which makes me question the content/editing elsewhere. 4 stars.
**Chapter 7 on ruthless dictators was excellent. Nice to have an author with some understanding of the nuance of Machiavelli. 4 stars.
**Chapter 8 on mega-weapons was lopsided and meandered. While I agree with the conclusion, it wasn't well supported. 3 stars.
**Chapter 9 on slavery was excellent, even if it didn't distinguish between the many types of force and self discipline. (Perhaps too nuanced a topic for this collection or an essay this length.) 5 stars.
**Chapter 10 was, indirectly, a good argument in favor of free markets. Good discussion on cartels and black market trading, 4.5 stars.
There were also unnumbered pages of color photographs with text. Not a huge fan of these, as the content was repetitious and the placement was odd (sometimes in the middle of chapters). I would love to know if the Amidala/Cleopatra parallels were deliberate. Or, frankly, if any of the parallels or inspirations described herein were intended, as these authors seems to be short on quoting Star Wars creative sources or interviews.
This collection has some high points but I would only recommend it for Star Wars fans who are reasonably well read in history and can handle reading a text with a seriously critical eye.
bookishdi's review
4.0
There are two things in life that I will always love: the first is history, mainly due to the fact that my grandfather was a history professor and let me read his books at a young age. My other deep abiding love is for Star Wars and its expanded universe, so imagine my delight when I discovered a book that combined the two of them.
Star Wars and History is a collection of essays focusing on different probable historical influences for things ranging from the Jedi Knights to women in rebellion to smuggling. While some of the essays were a stretch to read (there was one attempting to tie Star Wars into the Civil War, and it doesn't make any sense), for the most part, they do a good job of bringing real world context into the Star Wars universe.
I don't know if I would recommend this book for casual fans of Star Wars, but for those who love taking a deeper look under the hood and what surprises it might contain.
Star Wars and History is a collection of essays focusing on different probable historical influences for things ranging from the Jedi Knights to women in rebellion to smuggling. While some of the essays were a stretch to read (there was one attempting to tie Star Wars into the Civil War, and it doesn't make any sense), for the most part, they do a good job of bringing real world context into the Star Wars universe.
I don't know if I would recommend this book for casual fans of Star Wars, but for those who love taking a deeper look under the hood and what surprises it might contain.
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