Troublesome Young Men (and Jumong)
I have a book I simply must recommend: Troublesome Young Men by Lynne Olson.
It is the (non-fiction) account of a small group of young, anti-appeasement members of Parliament who went against their own party and defied Neville Chamberlain, putting Churchill into power.
It's an incredible book: vivid, well-written, about a really (I hate to use this word but so it is) important topic. Perhaps, most miraculously of all, it actually made me admire politicians for a change. Why can't we have politicians like that now?
I also think I have developed a historical 'crush' on Harold Macmillan (who was one of the 'troublesome young men'). Before reading this book, I knew he was a Prime Minister in the 1950s, but that's all I knew.
But I think I fell head over heels after reading this passage in the book about him in WWI:
"On September 15, at the height of the 'wanton, pointless carnage' known as the Battle of the Somme, Macmillan's batallion was ordered to attack a German machine-gun stronghold near the town of Ginchy. Advancing through heavy smoke, Macmillan and his platoon were rushing a German trench when he was hit in his left thigh and pelvis by schrapnel and machine-gun fire. He shouted to his sergeant to leave him and continue the attack. Throughout his life Macmillan carried a book with him wherever he went, even on the battlefield. This day was no different. While the battle raged around him, he lay in a muddy shell hole and read Aeschylus's Promethius off and on to distract himself from the pain. Whenever German soldiers came near, he pretended to be dead."
Wow.
Anyway, go read this book, it's amazing.
In other, very fictional news, I dare you not to want to watch Jumong after checking out the following three clips.
OMG. Jumong doing archery blindfolded. OMG.
Jumong in an ambush (seriously, you have no idea what a huge change this man is from the character at the beginning of the drama):
Jumong and Seosono. I have no idea what is going on but the chemistry...*shiver*
It is the (non-fiction) account of a small group of young, anti-appeasement members of Parliament who went against their own party and defied Neville Chamberlain, putting Churchill into power.
It's an incredible book: vivid, well-written, about a really (I hate to use this word but so it is) important topic. Perhaps, most miraculously of all, it actually made me admire politicians for a change. Why can't we have politicians like that now?
I also think I have developed a historical 'crush' on Harold Macmillan (who was one of the 'troublesome young men'). Before reading this book, I knew he was a Prime Minister in the 1950s, but that's all I knew.
But I think I fell head over heels after reading this passage in the book about him in WWI:
"On September 15, at the height of the 'wanton, pointless carnage' known as the Battle of the Somme, Macmillan's batallion was ordered to attack a German machine-gun stronghold near the town of Ginchy. Advancing through heavy smoke, Macmillan and his platoon were rushing a German trench when he was hit in his left thigh and pelvis by schrapnel and machine-gun fire. He shouted to his sergeant to leave him and continue the attack. Throughout his life Macmillan carried a book with him wherever he went, even on the battlefield. This day was no different. While the battle raged around him, he lay in a muddy shell hole and read Aeschylus's Promethius off and on to distract himself from the pain. Whenever German soldiers came near, he pretended to be dead."
Wow.
Anyway, go read this book, it's amazing.
In other, very fictional news, I dare you not to want to watch Jumong after checking out the following three clips.
OMG. Jumong doing archery blindfolded. OMG.
Click to viewJumong in an ambush (seriously, you have no idea what a huge change this man is from the character at the beginning of the drama):
Jumong and Seosono. I have no idea what is going on but the chemistry...*shiver*