The Irony of American History

De: Reinhold Niebuhr

Narrado por: Robert Blumenfeld

Forged during the tumultuous but triumphant postwar years when America came of age as a world power, The Irony of American History is more relevant now than ever before. Cited by politicians as diverse as Hillary Clinton and John McCain, Niebuhr's masterpiece on the incongruity between personal ideals and political reality is both an indictment of American moral complacency and a warning against the arrogance of virtue.

Impassioned, eloquent, and deeply perceptive, Niebuhr's wisdom will cause listeners to rethink their assumptions about right and wrong, war and peace.

©2008 Reinhold Niebuhr (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

"Nothing in history is inevitable."

"Sometimes the irony in our historic situation is derived from the extravagant emphasis in our culture upon the value and dignity of the individual and upon individual liberty as the final value of life."
-- Reinhold Niebuhr

I read/listened to this (I'll often do both) on a plane ride from Malta back home to AZ. It was probably the only positive aspect of travel. Normally, I wouldn't consider a book of philosophy to be a travel book/beach read, but Niebuhr's prose was so clean and his ideas expressed so well that I could have read it anywhere and not been distracted. It is also a small enough book that it is easy to read in one long session (broken up three times with pretzels, diet Coke, and a warm towel). I'm also fairly fanatical about NOT inking up my books. I use Post It Tabs excessively while reading. However, this book was so quotable. Had so many lines and ideas that I broke down and just started underlining with a pen [GASP]. All of this preamble is meant to do is inform you, reader, of HOW much I enjoyed every page and every minute of this book.

The new edition is introduced by one of my favorite historians/military historians/Imperial theorists - Andrew Bacevich. He has written several books on American Empire and military policy (The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism, Washington Rules: America's Path to Permanent War, Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country, and America's War for the Greater Middle East) that are all built (more or less) using a very Niebuhrian framework. Between Bacevich and Obama loving Reinhold Niebuhr, my quiet clap seems hardly needed.

Important prespectives from a respected scholar

Where does The Irony of American History rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It ranks among the lower half. In the book, published in the early 1950's contains references to events current at that time, but long since past. The author's comments about "the oriental" viewpoints seem vastly oversimplified as he lumps together the different cultures of India, China, and Japan.

What didn’t you like about Robert Blumenfeld’s performance?

Robert Blumenfeld's performance was the weak point of this audiobook for two reasons. First, he spoke too quickly making it difficult to consider the important points the author was making. Second, the narrator spoke as if he was delivering a sermon to a large assembly. A more conversational delivery as one would expect from a guest in one's home would have been more effective

Very dry, uninspired reading . . . .

Would you consider the audio edition of The Irony of American History to be better than the print version?

Drawn from 2 Niebuhr speeches on the ironic contradictions of American Foreign Policy in the face of Communism, the book offers a powerful critique of several pedantic myths underlying that Policy. If, as Andrew Bacevich opines in the introduction, the book is "the most important book ever written on US foreign policy," one might expect its reading to give effect to that power by drawing upon its oral beginnings. Where one might expect the reading to create a sense of intrigue that sends the listener back to the written word for affirmation of Niebuhr's most compelling points, the listener is instead sent scurrying back to the book in a desperate attempt to discern Niebuhr's intended meaning and to ascertain "what's the big deal about this book?"

How did the narrator detract from the book?

He ruined it, see above.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Very early, Niebuhr explains the ironic similarities with the naivety of Christian idealism and the naivety of Communist thought, which for me, was jaw-droppingly powerful stuff.

Maybe it’s good?

The performance bothered me. He spoke too fast. Lower speed to .9 and it was tolerable.

Superlative Book

Brilliant. Brilliant. And again I say brilliant. Scintillating insight. Gem-like clarity. Relentless unmasking of illusions. This book is said to be highly admired by President Obama; nevertheless, it is politically uncategorizable. In spite of its brevity, impossible to absorb in one listening/reading. Well read. New introduction.

Audible is to be applauded for making this book available. How about more by Niebuhr?

Get a new narrator

This book is incredibly profound. Unfortunately its narrator distracts from the message with a stilted accent. Is he British? Wealthy from New England? In the end, it makes listening to the book a trying experience. A deep Southern drawl would be less trying. Please get Grover Gardner or someone who can read a powerful book without testing the listener's patience.

The "Peter Drucker" of Political Science

Niebuhr offers amazingly prescient insights highly relevant to today's world from his perch in 1950's America. Just one example: his analysis of the forces that might make a case for and warnings of the likely disastrous consequences of "preemptive war" are just eery with our contemporary back drop of foreign wars. His declarative style is reminiscent of the father of modern management thinking, Peter Drucker. Both thinkers see patterns and the seeds of emerging trends invisible to the rest of us.

Reader spoke too fast

the reader spoke far too quickly for such a dense read. I found myself needing to stop frequently to digest the text. perhaps it is simply too dense for an audio book. the subject and discussion of it was truly excellent and exciting.

Overall good.

Would you consider the audio edition of The Irony of American History to be better than the print version?

I prefer reading, but I've read this before and was refreshing myself on the subject while working.

What did you like best about this story?

That's hard to pinpoint in this format of review.

Which scene was your favorite?

?

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

n/a

Any additional comments?

I would love to see audiobook editions of other books authored by Niebuhr.

Prescient

After listening to this book, I’m amazed by the way Reinhold Niebuhr’s historical analysis is as though he is writing about our present time. His final analysis, beginning with the final nine minutes, can be heard as a warning for our generation.