To Hell And Back Ian Kershaw

[Janita Locklin]

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The author, Ian Kershaw, professor of modern history at the University of Sheffield, was well known to me when I got this book "To hell and back" as a birthday present. Nice title for a birthday's present, isn't it? His famous Hitler biography was already on my bookshelf and so did his book 'Wendepunkte'.

In 'only' 590 pages Kershaw depicts the major historical events in Europe between 1914 and 1949. More importantly he describes, forges and clarifies the relations between these events in practically every European nation. Historians have the advantage that they know how it all ended. Knowing that, it's relatively easy to explain the course of events. If the outcome were not known 600 pages wouldn't certainly have been sufficient. By nature forecasting is much more difficult than writing history. This does not bring the answer, however, to my question why some people, who have perfectly predicted the future, were rarely heard at in their time.

Kershaw is the perfect teacher. His texts are precise and high-density. They push you forward into the next phrases and paragraphs. Considering the facts I must admit that I haven't learned so much new. I was familiar with most of the facts. What I didn't knew was that Marshall Aid comprised 2% of USA GDP. I assumed it was much more than that. It's the same magnitude as - much less effective - annual development co-operation contribution. The added value of this opus magnum is mostly in comparisons, connections and interrelations. At highschools national history is taught as a linear science. X happened first, then Y and finally Z. Kershaw opened my eyes as he puts national developments in a parallel, international context. At least in a European context, because that is where is focus is on. Kershaw is first of all a European citizen. American historians write history in a different way. And so do hardcore Britons.

There are many more reviews of this book on the internet. That's the reason this review is limited in size. The book has been sold in huge quantities. It helps teachers, it serves students and will certainly please amateur historians. Kershaw is a master historian. Ironically enough, he is at his best at an age on which other professionals were forced to retire from work....

One could wonder why Kershaw has written this book about part of history that has been researched over and over. I assume this book is a silent cry against nationalism, patriotism, discrimination of minorities, against belligerent and autocratic leaders and against the misuse of power - the porches of hell. There are certain lessons to be learnt from the past. But why don't we do that? Last but not least. Kershaw appeals to the great capacity of people and nations to recover from devastation.

"To Hell and Back" could be a nice 'introduction to modern European history' for the president elect of the United States. It would probably contribute to his understanding of the complex recent past of the continent called Europe.

I have plenty of opportunities to write about books and music, but I rarely get to geek out about sports, namely the Los Angeles Dodgers (and also the New York Giants, but more about that some other day). I sometimes feel that being a punk rocker and a writer means being a member of not one, but two communities that look down on sports. So I mostly keep it to myself.

I think the one decision that feels the most puzzling even years later was in 2019 when he was sent back out for the second inning against the Nationals. I don't think that it necessarily would have changed the narrative, because the narrative was already fixed at that point. I think what happened in 2017 against the Astros in the World Series did that.

The National Baseball Hall of Fame has a little bit of everything: tributes to the greats, the uniforms they wore, displays of baseball cards, baseball art and merchandising, and deep dives into the stats, which were at times overwhelming despite the fact that I love how every baseball game is a narrative in numbers.

It was the Second World War that brought an end to desegregation in baseball. The public could no longer stomach the fact that Black Americans were compelled to fight alongside whites in the war, but prevented from playing a game together when they got back home.

I'm a Tigers man, myself. Much like the LA logo on that cap, the Olde English "D" on the Detroit cap is iconic, and also one of the ways that separates baseball from all other sports. It's not just a team to root for, it's not about wearing another man's name on your back, it's not about being a billboard for some mega-rich owner (even though it still kinda is). It's about one's roots, one's ideals, one's philosophy on life.

There are few vessels in life that are a more enriching environment to spend time with another person on a visceral level than a baseball game. Big Leagues or high school, Double-A or whatever the hell they do in Savannah. It's you and your seats. Your territory. You own that spot for those three hours. You get to dictate whether you are hanging on every pitch, writing notations in pencil. If you wanna spend that time talking shit about other people at the game, also good. You can spend that time breaking bad news, or good news, in an environment that assures the reaction to it will be controlled. Or, you can have a debate about the merits of mustard. You get to design your day, enveloped by the safe confines of a structure that has been thriving for longer than you have been alive. It's about respect. Respect for your companion. Respect for the field. Respect for the hard work and insane dedication those fellas have to be in front of you. Respect for strangers as you stand, without question, to allow them to pass by, so they can pass...something no one wants to think about, three sections over and up an escalator.

Jim, if you want any tips or handy local-ish knowledge about Yankee Stadium, feel free to reach out. I was on a streak of at least 6 (could it have been nine?) years of going to the games when the Tigers were in town, before life had another mission for me. I've sat in the bleachers. I've sat in the seats where you are on TV all game, conscious not to pick your nose. I know the area.

First, I want to share a conversation I had with Andy McCullough about his new book The Last of his Kind: Clayton Kershaw and the Burden of Greatness. McCullough is a former LA Times beat writer and a senior writer at The Athletic. He\u2019s also one of us: while setting up the interview McCullough revealed he\u2019d read Corporate Rock Sucks.

Second, I have some thoughts about what happened last weekend and what it all means, but I don\u2019t comment on shootings until all the information has come out and the facts are verified. One thing I learned from living through the murders at Sandy Hook Elementary is the reality on the ground is often very different from what\u2019s reported in the media.

Third, this coming Monday is my birthday. If you\u2019ve been thinking about upgrading your subscription, I encourage you to do so. And if you recently renewed\u2014thank you! Message from the Underworld is directly supported by readers like you.

But that\u2019s not the only reason. It\u2019s scary how often fandom tips into obsession. If I were to count the time I\u2019ve spent watching sports, gathering information about the players or the games, and dwelling on the outcomes, I could have taught myself how to play the guitar or read all of Shakespeare, etc. Fandom, when taken to extremes, is embarrassing.

The Dodgers are my team and while I rarely watch the games I either listen to them through the MLB app or follow the games online. Some years I barely pay attention (usually when I have a deadline and a book is due) and sometimes it\u2019s all-consuming, like the pandemic-shortened season when the Dodgers won it all.

So I came to McCullough\u2019s book with baggage. I was super impressed with the scope of the book and as a fan it was a bit of a rollercoaster reliving the ups and downs of Kershaw\u2019s storied career, especially the meltdowns on the mound that contributed to the Dodgers early exits from the postseason and Kershaw\u2019s reputation as a choker.

Kershaw is interesting to me not because of who he is or what represents but because of the way he handles failure. Ultimately, all sports are about failure, but baseball is brutal in this regard. All players, even the all-stars, fail more than they succeed. At the beginning of his career, when Kershaw was beginning to distinguish himself, he was playing with or competing against the best players in the world. Most of them didn\u2019t make it out of the minor leagues. They got hurt. They couldn\u2019t hit a certain pitch (or add a new one to their arsenal). They couldn\u2019t adapt. And now virtually all of them are out of baseball. It must be hard to fail over and over again at the thing you\u2019re supposedly great at.

All 30 teams are off this week for the All-Star break and the Dodgers limped into the break looking banged up and very mediocre. Last night the American League defeated the National League in the All-Star Game for the tenth time in the last eleven years. In Dodger news: Shoe Ohtani blasted a three-run homer and the night before Teoscar Hern\u00E1ndez won the Home Run Derby\u2014the first Dodger to do so.

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