Reviewer June Maffin:Living on an island in British Columbia, Canada, Dr. Maffin is a neophyte organic gardener, eclectic reader, ordained minister (Anglican/Episcopal priest) and creative spirituality writer/photographer with a deep zest for life. Previously, she has been grief counselor, broadcaster, teacher, journalist, television host, chaplain and spiritual director with an earned doctorate in Pastoral Care (medical ethics i.e. euthanasia focus). Presently an educator, freelance editor, blogger, and published author of three books, her most recent (Soulistry-Artistry of the Soul: Creative Ways to Nurture your Spirituality) has been published in e-book as well as paperback format and a preview can be viewed on YouTube videos. Founder of Soulistry™ she continues to lead a variety of workshops and retreats connecting spirituality with creativity and delights in a spirituality of play. You can find out more about June by clicking on her Web Site.
Author: Kerwin Swint
Publisher: Sterling Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7201-6
Click Here To Purchase The King Whisperers: Power Behind the Throne, from Rasputin to Rove
Author: Kerwin Swint
Publisher: Sterling Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-4027-7201-6
First, there was Miss Smith; then there was Mr. Snyder – high school history teachers extraordinaire! Both had a gift of making history come alive in very creative ways. And now, author and teacher Kerwin Swint, using case studies and historical analysis, does the same. He illustrates dramatic moments in history, explains how political figures were the power behind the thrones of history, and keeps the reader’s interest throughout the book.
Swint looks at a variety of historical figures through the prism of both the past and the present, dividing his book into ten distinct Whisperer categories that illustrate differences in approach, style and situational context of the women and men he profiles. Among the ten Whisperer categories: Machiavellians, Empire Builders, Kingmakers, Spies, Silver-Tongued Devils, Generals, Rebels, Truly Evil, Fixers, and Schemers I encountered people I had not discovered previously. Usually, I read books as presented … page one to its conclusion. However, in this instance, I wanted to read about individuals I'd not previously known about, so jumped around the book. Was that a problem? As the French would say “pas de tout.” The book reads so well that it can be picked up at any chapter.
Scanning the book's Index and Endnotes, it was easy to anticipate the book would be an academic presentation – a tome. It was not. I was delighted to encounter a book that read like fiction while maintaining historical authenticity. It kept me glued to my chair wanting to learn more about each individual, discover new things about familiar people, and satiate my curiosity about the previously-unknown women and men in the book.
Surprisingly, the author is a minimalist, keeping each profile between a succinct five and ten page introduction to the men and women who are King Whisperers. They are an intriguing lot. Whether political advisor, powerful court official, ambitious schemer, designated successor to a leader or official Number Two leader, they didn’t seem to have a desire to “rule.” Rather, the life of each demonstrated adherence to the words of Stephen Vincent Benet: “We thought, because we had power, we had wisdom.” However, as history notes, power is not always accompanied by wisdom. As historian Lord Acton noted in 1887 “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely,” many of the figures in this book represent absolute moral corruption.
History comes alive in this book and readers will discover their preconceptions disappearing. If you want a fascinating read where you will encounter a humble slave who became “whisperer in chief’ to Suleiman, ruler of the Ottoman Empire … will discover that Chairman Mao and Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin murdered more people than did Adolf Hitler … and will encounter people who became evil plotters all in a well-written, well-researched and well-documented book, then The King Whisperers is for you. The author is a skilled writer who sought to “use the past to understand the present.” He has met his goal – in spades.
Miss Smith and Mr. Snyder would be proud of him.
Click Here To Purchase The King Whisperers: Power Behind the Throne, from Rasputin to Rove