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Brothers at War: The Unending Conflict in Korea
Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
A major historical account of the Korean War, its origins, and its evolving impact on the world. Sixty years after North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel into South Korea, the Korean War has not yet ended. Sheila Miyoshi Jager presents the first comprehensive history of this misunderstood war, one that risks involving the world’s superpowers - again. Her sweeping narrative ranges from the middle of the Second World War - when Korean independence was fiercely debated between Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill - to the present day, as North Korea, with China’s aid, stockpiles nuclear weapons while starving its people. At the center of this conflict is an ongoing struggle between North and South Korea for the mantle of Korean legitimacy, a “brother’s war,” which continues to fuel tensions on the Korean peninsula and the region.
Drawing from newly available diplomatic archives in China, South Korea, and the former Soviet Union, Jager analyzes top-level military strategy. She brings to life the bitter struggles of the postwar period and shows how the conflict between the two Koreas has continued to evolve to the present, with important and tragic consequences for the region and the world. Her portraits of the many fascinating characters that populate this history - Truman, MacArthur, Kim Il Sung, Mao, Stalin, and Park Chung Hee - reveal the complexities of the Korean War and the repercussions this conflict has had on the lives of many individuals, statesmen, soldiers, and ordinary people, including the millions of hungry North Koreans for whom daily existence continues to be a nightmarish struggle.
The most accessible, up-to date, and balanced account yet written,Brothers at War will become the definitive chronicle of the struggle’s origins and aftermath and its global impact for years to come.
- Listening Length17 hours and 54 minutes
- Audible release dateOctober 11, 2013
- LanguageEnglish
- ASINB00FTV4LN2
- VersionUnabridged
- Program TypeAudiobook
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Product details
| Listening Length | 17 hours and 54 minutes |
|---|---|
| Author | Sheila Miyoshi Jager |
| Narrator | Jackie Chung |
| Whispersync for Voice | Ready |
| Audible.com Release Date | October 11, 2013 |
| Publisher | Audible Studios |
| Program Type | Audiobook |
| Version | Unabridged |
| Language | English |
| ASIN | B00FTV4LN2 |
| Best Sellers Rank | #270,891 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #36 inKorean War #40 inKorean History (Audible Books & Originals) #363 inKorean History (Books) |
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find this book well-researched and highly informative, serving as an excellent primer on Korean history. Moreover, the writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer noting it's not over-encumbered with flowery words. Additionally, customers find the book enjoyable to read.
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Customers find the book well-researched and highly informative, providing an excellent overview of the Korean conflict with lessons to be learned from studying the events.
"...by each side and the POW situations, on the other hand, werevery interesting and useful in trying to fit the Korean War into a larger picture of..."Read more
"...It isenlightening as to way that both China and Russia attempted to utilize the ambitions of the North Korean leaders to undermine US influence is..."Read more
"...This is agreat book to learn."Read more
"...It ishistorically a great read, but the human cost, in lives and suffering that was inflicted was simply awful...."Read more
Customers praise this book as an excellent primer on Korean history, providing a nice recount of the Korean War, with one customer noting its comprehensive coverage of both North and South Korean politics.
"...Great for lovers of history books."Read more
"...Overall it is anice recount of the Korean war and the continued political struggle between the two Koreas with the main focus on North Korea...."Read more
"I found the book to be well writtien andquite detailed about the Korean war and the relationship between the parties involved; Russia, Korea,China,..."Read more
"...Shedescribes both North and South Korean politics and how they play off each other; as well as Soviet, Chinese, American and other interests...."Read more
Customers praise the writing quality of the book, finding it well-crafted, with one customer noting it is not over-encumbered with flowery words.
"...That helped me digest all that Jager is able to include. Herstyle is always readable and inviting despite all the geo-political twists and turns..."Read more
"I found the book to bewell writtien and quite detailed about the Korean war and the relationship between the parties involved; Russia, Korea,China,..."Read more
"The book isvery well written and flows well. It was insightful in the analysis of events and the behind the scenes action...."Read more
"...It'swell- written and thoroughly researched. I wouldn't be surprised if he reads it more than once so as not to miss the details."Read more
Customers find the book enjoyable to read and entertaining.
"...H loves this book, and he said it fills a gap in his knowledge. It's well- written and thoroughly researched...."Read more
"...This book is well written andenjoyable to read. Not over-encumbered with flowery words, but educating the reader as you move through it."Read more
"...And we’ll-written. Ajoy to read."Read more
"...want to understand the Korean War and its aftermath, this is thebook to read."Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2014As a sometime student of Korea, I bought this book specifically because I wanted to have one book that could give me a solid grounding in modern Korean history in a digestible format, and "Brothers at War" does that splendidly. Jager starts at the end of the second World War, but does reach further back to the colonial period a few times to add context.
The period between the Japanese surrender and the Korean War is given some attention; I would have preferred a bit more depth but she hits on most of the important points that the average American might not know, such as the level of violence that existed before the official start of the Korean War, how things fell out with People's Republic of Korea (the provisional government set up by Koreans after the Japanese surrender but before the Allies showed up), and so on.
Jager's treatment of the war itself is pretty good. I saw at least one reviewer comment that there was not enough detail of important battles - for me there was perhaps too much. Although I have no doubt that many battles and military actions were potential turning points for the war, it got to a point where I felt the author was just listing battles that happened and making less of an effort to fit them into the context of domestic US opinion on the war, and the politics and diplomacy taking place concurrently with the war. The sections on civilian casualties caused by each side and the POW situations, on the other hand, were very interesting and useful in trying to fit the Korean War into a larger picture of the Cold War and American public opinion.
The chapters following the end of the Korean War had a peculiar flow to some extent, but I thought it worked. In a introductory lecture on North-South relations, for example, I've heard speakers move from the Korean War and just touch on each of the various provocations, like the logging murders or the hijacking (which, by the way, I don't remember seeing at all in this book - I'll have to go back and look for it), and then move quickly to the subject of nuclear North Korea. I enjoyed that Jager took some time to cover the various changes of administration in South Korea and how that affected SK policy and consequently North-South relations. Similarly, Jager takes a fairly lengthy detour into Sino-Soviet relations at one point, but did a good job making it all relevant to the subject at hand.
The recent release of this book is fortunate in that the author is able to include some thoughts on the Kim Jong-Un rise to power. Likewise she is able to speak to recent developments in the China-DPRK relationship, and posits that China is maneuvering to make a historical claim for Koguryo as a Chinese nation, and by extension that North Korea is historically Chinese land. An interesting thought.
In conclusion, I don't think this book is a full military history, nor a full history of South or North Korean politics. I think it is what Jager said it was - a good look at the "unending" Korean War, which draws from all of the places necessary to have a deeper understanding of it. - Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2013Brothers At War is a well written historical recitation of the roots ,events of and after effects of the Korean "police action". It discusses the conflict from not only the Allied side, but also from that of the Communists. It is enlightening as to way that both China and Russia attempted to utilize the ambitions of the North Korean leaders to undermine US influence is eastern Asia. It also discusses how both Russia and China sought to rein in North Korean after the lengthy stalemated conflict- even to the point of trying to persuade former President Carter to abandon his plans to reduce the presence of U.S. and Allied troops stationed in South Korea.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2024It was amazing to learn so much more about the Korean War. There is so much that people do not know about the background of the conflict. This is a great book to learn.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2014Although as a kid I was vaguely aware of the Korean war, when I realised my country (New Zealand) was involved in pushing back the North Koreans and Chinese I started reading bits about the war. This book, however has shown what the cost of that war really was. What it has meant to our Global village. We can buy lots of Korean products, because of halting and pushing back more than once, the determined soldiers from the North. The difference now between the two countries North and South, is so extreme one would wonder why the North cannot see they have lost their proper heritage. Yet, even now, they would try to do it all again. They tunnel, fire missiles, progress their nuclear status, create incidents, etc all to let the West know that they still exist and want to be a force to be reckoned with. The clear culprit behind North Korea was Russia, and then Mao stepped in and flexed his warlike muscles as well. And millions of people died. Both sides created atrocities sometimes because of confusion, at other times because they were not certain where people's alliances lay and killed them just to save time. That way was certain they said. The problem did not come back.
It is historically a great read, but the human cost, in lives and suffering that was inflicted was simply awful. The South has largely recovered, but the North still lives in terrible oppression. It is hard to "like" a book that is recounting such past evils, but it should be a necessary political science read to understand the present and why we still have to line drawn separating both parts of Korea.
Both sides made mistakes in underestimating the other and General Douglas MacArthur was no exception. - Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018This book is a huge achievement because it combines politics, strategy, and personalities seamlessly. I found myself looking up battles or decisions on Wikipedia to get an overview of some chapters. That helped me digest all that Jager is able to include. Her style is always readable and inviting despite all the geo-political twists and turns that she has to include in order to reveal the competing national priorities of combatants. Great for lovers of history books.
Top reviews from other countries
- xbbReviewed in France on August 19, 2013
5.0 out of 5 starsExcelente
Opinión de un especialista en temas norcoreanos: es un excelente libro para conocer la situación derivada de la guerra de corea. - michael NeoReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 6, 2013
5.0 out of 5 starsexcellent book
This is an excellent piece of research work. It is a must read for everyone to get a balanced view of history on Korea - CASSINI24Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 11, 2016
4.0 out of 5 starsInsightful and engaging study of the Korean War and its aftermath
A well-researched, nicely illustrated and highly readable book about the Korean peninsular's troubled history. Its narration of the Korean War itself is gripping, combining a strong analysis of the political backdrop, a detailed description of the military campaigns and key battles, and personal anecdotes from some of the participants in the war. The author then sets out how the war itself triggered, to a great extent, the ensuing Cold War, and influenced regional geopolitics for many years to come, including the Vietnam War, Sino-Soviet-US relations, and China's recent emergence as a major global economic power. The book closes with a brief analysis of North Korea's increasing but ambivalent dependence on China, and the prospects for reunification of the peninsular. Writing this review on the day that Kaesong Industrial Complex has closed, in response to recent North Korean nuclear tests and missile launches, reunification seems as remote a prospect as it has been for much of the last 60 years. I think there could have been a little more analysis of the changing nature of South Korean society in the book - the author alludes to the increasing indifference, particularly amongst younger South Koreans, to reunification, but maybe there is enough material in that subject area for an entirely new book altogether!
