Has anyone read a book about their country's history that was written by someone living in a different country?

Earlier this year I read a book called Impossible Victories writing by a British author. I learned about British battles from India and Africa I had never heard of. The author also wrote about the War of 1812 and the US Army Rangers on D-day. The chapter on the War of 1812 was very interesting. The British take on the war was very different from what I have read in the US history books. There were also a few references made about the Revolutionary War. I will have to thumb thru the book again to get more details.

I guess my point is that occasionally, people should read a history book written by a foreign author. The facts are the same but the perspective is different.

Most likely because the penholder holder has a different point of view take Black Hawk Down the movie and i believe the book potraid the U.S to be the victors even though they got sh!t kicked.

Originally Posted by c/Cpl.Lynam

Most likely because the penholder holder has a different point of view take Black Hawk Down the movie and i believe the book potraid the U.S to be the victors even though they got sh!t kicked.

The fact that you even mention the book and movie shows you're focusing on one event, and event mind you where all of the objectives were met and completed. The US' time in Somalia was not just one day.

If you wish to know who took a "**** kicking" however, I would suggest you look closer at the Somali casualties.

It is true that our time in Somalia was a "loss" for us, not because we lost men - but because the serving POTUS at the time did not have the resolve to see us finish our tasks.

So, was Somalia as loss for the US politically? Probably so. Militarily? No.

Off-topic posts removed.

Topic reminder:
Your history by another country

Reading a good history of the US from a foreign perspective is something that every American should do. Even if the source is completely unreliable and you end up having to mentally filter a lot of nonsense, you gain knowledge about how other nations percieve the events in the United States history. I've read quite a number of them, but I don't remember the titles. A couple for German tellings of WW2, an English take on the Revolutionary War, etc.

The same is true of any country, no matter where you are. An open mind to other's point of views leads to greater understanding all around.

Wow, godofthunder9010, could not have summarized it any better!

A good illustration of this is The Russian Version of the Second World War, The History of the War as Taught to Soviet Schoolchildren Edited by Graham Lyons and Translated by Marjorie Vanston, published by Facts on File. Even accounting for the weird communist propaganda, it has some intersting views on things form the "official" Communist perspective.

Of course, it really helps to have a firm grasp of what actually happened during the time in question so you can contrast and compare the viewpoints - which is getting harder in the US depending on what school you went to/are going to