Thomas E Ricks

Both George Orwell and Winston Churchill came close to death in the mid-1930's -- Orwell shot in the neck in a trench line in the Spanish Civil War, and Churchill struck by a car in New York City. If they'd died then, history would scarcely remember them. At the time, Churchill was a politician on the outs, his loyalty to his class and party suspect. Orwell was a mildly successful novelist, to put it generously. No one would have predicted that, by...

"A new history of the Civil Rights Movement with an emphasis on its nonviolent use of military tactics and strategy"--

The bestselling, compelling insider's account of the Marine Corps from the lives of the men of Platoon 3086-their training at Parris Island, their fierce camaraderie, and the unique code of honor that defines them. The United States Marine Corps, with its proud tradition of excellence in combat, its hallowed rituals, and its unbending code of honor, is part of the fabric of American myth. Making the Corps visits the front lines of boot camp in Parris...

"In Waging a Good War, Thomas E. Ricks offers a fresh perspective on the civil rights movement of 1950s and 1960s and its legacy today. He follow Martin Luther King, Jr. and other key figures from Montgomery to Memphis, demonstrating that Gandhian nonviolence was a philosophy of active, not passive, resistance. Ricks also highlights lesser-known figures who played critical roles in fashioning nonviolence into an effective tool. Waging a Good War is...