Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer:
Paper Instructions:


#3. Draft a book evaluation by addressing the following two sets of questions. As you draft your evaluation, please refer to your Book Summary, which should serve as your notes on the book your select.

The first set: What do you think is the particular perspective the author adopts to interpret the history under discussion?  Please use evidence from the book to demonstrate this perspective of the author.

The second set: What does this perspective teach you about the history under discussion? What do you think this perspective does not teach you about the history under discussion but should have? In answering the second question, if you are referring to sources outside of this class, please formerly introduce the sources and use citation.

#4. Finalize and submit your book evaluation according to the following requirements:

--The book evaluation should NOT be in an essay format. Rather, it should be in the format of Questions and Answers.I believe, can push you to think and make critcal of your readings.

--Your answer to each question should no shorter than 200 words, double-spaced, in Chicago/Turabian citation style. Its font should be Times New Roman, 12.







Book Review – “The Korean War: A History”
Bruce Cumings, currently a professor of History at the University of Chicago is the author of the book under review with his current role involving specializing in modern Korean History as well as contemporary international relations. Published in November 2010, the author uses his historical expertise in explaining the occurrences and the causes of the war while also citing specific evidence[1]. A notable author for other works among them Industrial Behemoth and North Korea are massive historical works with one explaining the reason behind Japan industrialization while the other focuses on Korean history. His non-fictional work is based on historical facts and provides evidence attributed to the concepts discussed in his work. throughout the book, Cumings discusses issues that only relates to the title without deviation as everything revolves around the Korean war explained in a historical manner. The arrangement of the book chapters effectively ensures transition of one episode to the other helping the leader to gain the flow and happenings of the occurrences prior to the war, during the war and after the war. From the onset, the reader is prepared to encounter war episodes as the main theme of the book as the cover page portrays armed military men and unarmed civilians. The cover page draws the audience to believe that the civilians will suffer at the hands of the military men considering that the civilians are unarmed a perception Cumings confirm in his story.
Throughout the book, Cumings exposes the reasons behind the beginning of the war with his first issue discrediting the notion that the Korean civil war begun on June 25, 1990. Cumings argue that the then North Korean leader, Kim II Sung is not responsible for starting the war during that period but it could only happen at an earlier period[2]. To Cumings, evidence of civil wars signify that civil wars come as opposed to starting earlier as a result of earlier disagreements on issues within a nation. The author examines the role of the Soviet Union and the American involvement in the war and to a large extent blames the death of the Korean civilians to those outsiders who fuelled the war. To Cumings, had the two super powers stayed out of the Korean affair, the current history of Korea would be a different one an indication that the two powers are much to blame.
While the American fairly tale towards involvement in the Korean war hold that the American engaged in the war to rescue a Little Red Ring Hood menaced by the malevolent Russians in support of communism, Cumings present a different version to dismiss the belief.  In his revelation, the author portrays the previous American leaders as well as the western media worked to blacken the North Korean reputation as opposed to focusing on achieving a true lasting peace[3]. It is therefore evident that Cumings argues against the American perception and widely held belief of engaging in the war to solve a situation he insists is still evidenced today. Although the author is successful in his historical piece of work through embarking on research, another different author can tell a different story considering that the North Koreans were also armed. “The North Korean essentially saw the war in 1950 as a way to settle the hash of the top command of the South Korean Army, nearly all of whom had served the Japanese”[4]. These quoted words from Cumings serves as the standout quote throughout the book to signify that the North Koreans were right.